Gloucester 34-9 Newcastle: Play-off bid back on track for Gloucester

Gloucester recovered from a 53-15 Harlequins horror show to put their play-off bid back on track.

But Newcastle, 29 points and eight places below Gloucester in the league table before kick-off, gave them a fright until the final quarter.

The Falcons last won on Gloucester soil during their Premiership title-winning campaign 13 years ago, yet three Jimmy Gopperth penalties kept Alan Tait's side in contention for much of a low-quality contest.

Full-back Freddie Burns, wing Jonny May, Scotland scrum-half Rory Lawson and substitute Henry Trinder scored tries for Gloucester, while Burns slotted two conversions and two penalties for a 15-point haul before Tim Taylor added the final two conversions.

Gloucester stay third in the table and on course for a title play-off spot with a bonus-point triumph that owed everything to them scoring three converted tries in 12 second-half minutes.

For their part, Newcastle remain just six points above bottom club and relegation favourites Leeds Carnegie ahead of the Yorkshire club hosting Exeter today, and they will have headed home licking their wounds after they pushed Gloucester for an hour.

Head coach Bryan Redpath made five changes following the Quins debacle, while Newcastle also showed a handful of switches, including a start for Scotland prop Euan Murray.

Newcastle shaded a scoreless opening quarter in terms of territory, but Burns slotted a penalty before bursting through Newcastle's midfield for a try by the posts that he also converted, leaving the Falcons 10-0 behind

Indiscipline by the home side was punished by Gopperth, who slotted over three penalties.

Gloucester spent a long time penned deep inside their own half, but they found another gear after Redpath began using his replacements.