Super-sub Thorley helps Gloucester stay on track
TWO tries from Ollie Thorley helped Gloucester fight back from 14-0 down to clinch the all-important bonus point in Italy and keep them in Pool 3 contention behind leaders Pau.
Thorley came off the bench to score either side of half-time after Ruan Ackermann had dotted down in the first half.
Second-half tries from Wales internationals Owen Williams and Richard Hibbard gave Gloucester the bonus-point but they had to survive late pressure from Zebre to take away maximum points.
Gloucester’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals looked slim after a slow start. Zebre took the lead after ten minutes, Carlo Canna making a powerful run before the ball was worked wide for flanker Johan Meyer to score. Canna converted.
No.8 Renato Gimmarioli barged his way over in the same corner minutes later and Canna added the extras for a 14-0 lead.
Stunned Gloucester steamed back and were held up on the line following a driving maul. Jake Polledri was then stopped five metres short after a 30metre run.
Gloucester finally got on the scoreboard through Ackermann, who went over from close range and Williams converted. Just before the half hour mark Thorley made an immediate impact after coming on for the injured Tom Hudson to score in the corner.
Williams’ conversion levelling the scores but Zebre hit back almost immediately after aan audacious through the legs pass from Canna sent Tommaso Boni in to score.
Canna missed the conversion and Zebre led 19-14 at the break.
Gloucester were muchimproved at the start of the second half and went ahead for the first time within four minutes after Thorley scored his second try.
It came following a superb run from Polledri and good feet by Charlie Sharples, who offloaded from the back of his hand to send Thorley through.
Williams converted and then struck for the bonuspoint try after 49 minutes with some neat side-steps before stretching over the line. His conversion put Gloucester ahead 28-19.
Zebre were reduced to 14 men when Mattia Bellini was yellow carded for a deliberate knock-on but Gloucester could not find a way through. Instead they had to wait until Zebre were back to full strength to score their fifth try.
Hibbard powered over at the back of a maul but the hosts set up a nervy final nine minutes when Ciaran Gaffney collected a loose ball to score with Guglielmo Palazzani converting – but Gloucester held out.