Gloucester to stunning so close triumph

BRAVE Gloucester, manifestly the better side on an evening of magnificent European rugby, threatened to pull off their greatest ever European triumph but came up agonisingly short at champions La Rochelle.

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

The French team, trailing by four and outplayed for significant periods, laid siege at the end as Gloucester defended manically. There were heroes everywhere with Ben Morgan seeming to make a tackle every four or five seconds; there was hope with a possible La Rochelle knock on and finally there was despair as the champions went wide and Teddy Thomas stepped in for the score. The TMO was unmoved, and the try stood.

With nothing to lose as massive underdogs, Gloucester gave it a lash from the start and rediscovered some of their best form against one of the best club teams on the planet. They went for broke and in so doing scored two cracking tries before the break and had another, the best of the lot, disallowed.