Votu, Vatubua help Pau book quarterfinal spot
Paris: Pau booked a home quarter-final in the Challenge Cup as they saw off Gloucester at Kingsholm, winning 34-24 with a bonus-point on Friday. Tries from Steffon Armitage, Frank Halai, Lourens Adriaanse and Daniel Ramsay saw them to the victory, with Colin Slade adding 14 points. For Gloucester they do still qualify for the knockouts but are on the road, with Jeremy Thrush, Callum Braley and Jake Polledri crossing for them. It was an absorbing opening 40 minutes at Kingsholm as both sides battled it out for top spot in this pool. Pau had certainly come to play. The French visitors enjoyed plenty of possession but credit to Gloucester’s defence as they drove them backwards with formidable early tackling. It bore fruit too on 16 minutes when, after their own set of phases, lock Thrush reached out following his strong carry to put them 7-0 up. Pau should have probably responded two minutes later but Watisoni Votu knocked on after a slick exchange with Charly Malie before the error. Slade did put points on the board on 29 minutes following a no-arm tackle and after a miss on 33 minutes, he made no mistake soon after for 7-6. Votu would go close again a minute before half-time but was bundled into touch thanks to Billy Twelvetrees’ brave effort. But from the resulting line-out, Richard Hibbard’s overthrow was snapped up by the busy Armitage at the tail and suddenly it was Pau going into the break leading 13-7. -