Aviva Premiership: Gloucester battle back to see off Harlequins
Gloucester registered their first Aviva Premiership win in 2014 as they saw off Harlequins 25-20 at Kingsholm.
Last Updated: 22/02/14 5:07pm
The Cherry and Whites had to rally from 13-7 down at the halfway stage to come out on top, flanker Matt Kvesic and replacement prop Dan Murphy both touching down in the second half.
Flanker Sione Kalamafoni had already crossed before the interval, but a try from full-back Ollie Lindsay-Hague, plus two penalties and a conversion from fly-half Ben Botica, put Quins in front.
However they were second best from then on, and the territory and possession statistics will make grim reading for director of rugby Conor O'Shea as he mulls over their sixth league reverse of the season.
For all their early effort, Gloucester found themselves six points down after errors gave Botica two long-range penalty chances that he gratefully accepted.
Quins even managed to survive when Mark Lambert was sent to the sin-bin, though then conceded soon after they were back to full strength.
Pressure
Tonga international Kalamafoni helped Gloucester into a one-point lead as more pressure on the visiting line resulted in lock James Hudson passing inside to set up his team-mate.
Rob Cook added the conversion but Botica's tactical kicking helped Quins regain the initiative, with scrum-half Karl Dickson's quick tap penalty creating a try for Lindsay-Hague that he finished under the posts.
Former Gloucester player Andy Hazell was given the city's highest honour by the local mayor on retiring from a 17-year career with the club and then watched on after half time as his old side overhauled the deficit.
A Cook penalty cut the gap to three points and Gloucester moved clear thanks to close-range tries from Kvesic and Murphy in the space of eight minutes.
Quins' issues mounted when replacement Louis Grimoldby was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on, allowing Cook to slot over a further three points that made it 25-13.
Having seen their captain Nick Easter single-handedly stop their opponents gaining a bonus-point try, the Londoners grabbed a bonus themselves when they managed to drive replacement Dave Ward over at a maul.
