Red-hot Burns fires Gloucester into final
GLOUCESTER showed real fighting spirit and determination to book their place in the European Challenge Cup Final with a nail-biting victory in France.
Billy Burns grabbed all his side’s points including a superb individual try to steal the limelight and put the two-time winners into another final.
La Rochelle fly-half Brock James missed a crucial late penalty and the Gloucester players celebrated at the final whistle having shocked the current runaway Top 14 leaders at Stade Marcel-Deflandre. They will face the winners of today’s Stade FrancaisBath encounter in Paris.
Two Burns penalties helped put Gloucester ahead but they were level 6-6 at the break as the French side hit back.
La Rochelle were reduced to 14 men when they lost lock Jone Qovu who was sent to the sin bin for a cynical and nasty elbow shoulder drop on Willi Heinz. Hooker Richard Hibbard was furious and remonstrated with the Irish referee Andrew Brace who showed a yellow card and awarded the visitors a penalty.
Burns made no mistake with his opening kick and Gloucester deservedly led after showing plenty of enterprise and endeavour in the opening ten minutes.
The home fans soon turned their wrath on the man in the middle when Brace punished the hosts again with a second penalty. They booed Brace and then whistled Burns as he stepped up to take his kick but the fly-half sent his second attempt also sailing through the posts.
Their angst turned to cheers when James reduced the visitors’ advantage with his first straight penalty attempt.
Gloucester were denied an opening try when Henry Trinder was bundled into touch a few feet short of the line while centre Mark Atkinson had to go off for a head injury assessment. Billy Twelvetrees entered the fray but Atkinson was able to return before the break.
Tom Savage was shown a yellow card just before halftime for foul play at a ruck. It looked a bit harsh but it was Gloucester’s turn to cope a man down.
Greig Laidlaw came off the bench to fill in when Heinz went off for a blood injury. It was the scrumhalf ’s first appearance since damaging his ankle in Scotland’s Six Nations campaign. James levelled matters on the stroke of half-time with his second penalty.
Heinz returned and Gloucester were forced to soak up plenty of pressure near their own line as La Rochelle changed their guard and tried to gain some momentum and points with their followers growing increasingly frustrated.
Poor decision making and dropped balls were costing the French side dearly while Gloucester defended stoutly and were rewarded when Burns nailed a third penalty to regain the lead.
Gloucester hit their opponents with the perfect counter punch with Burns leaping to intercept James’ pass, and gallop 70 yards for a superb try which he converted for a 16-6 lead.
However, the game changed dramatically as Gloucester threatened to throw it all away with two weak penalties. James could only succeed with one of them but the hosts forwards then used their strength and power to force their way over from close range with Damian Lagrange grabbing the try.
James missed the conversion and then sent a drop goal attempt wide before also failing with a penalty five minutes from time.