Gloucester Rugby earnt back-to-back wins for the first time this season, after recording a 28-17 victory over Clermont Auvergne in the European Challenge Cup at Kingsholm.
A first half try for Jonny May and two for Santiago Socino gave the Cherry and Whites the lead at the break despite a score from Clerment scrum half Baptiste Janeau.
In the second half, man of the match Santi Carreras kicked two penalties taking his point total for the evening to 13 as his side closed the game out to confirm the well deserved win.
Not even a second half try scored by Pita Gus Sowakula could take the game for the hosts as they climbed to the top of pool three, with Castres to play tomorrow.
After a hectic start, Clermont full back Alex Newsome carried the ball towards the 22 before passing the ball to Jauneau.
After a number of phases, the move culminated in Clermont earning a penalty 18 meters out, which Jules Plisson willingly knocked over to make the score 3-0 after a quarter of an hour.
Shortly afer, a dominant Ollie Thorley carry put Gloucester on the front foot, the ball eventually came wide to Mercer who offloaded to May speeding through from his wing.
May did really well to carry the ball through the Clermont defence beating at least three players to dot down in the corner making the score 5-3.
Carreras hit the post with his first attempt at goal with the following conversion.
Directly from the kick off, full back Newsome made another industrious carry, fending off Louis Rees-Zammit twice before throwing a lucrative offload which was intercepted by Jack Clement.
Clement himself then forced an offload over his shoulder in the direction of the Welsh fullback which was intercepted by the on rushing Jauneau who ran in from ten meters to score right on the touchline.
Plisson curled his conversion through the posts to make the score 10-5 after 20 minutes.
From a five-meter lineout, the Cherry and Whites gave the ball to Freddie Clarke who carried around the fringe getting them to only a meter or two away.
After two or three powerful carries, Socino crossed the whitewash which, in addition to Carreras’ conversion, gave Gloucester a 12-10 lead after 33 minutes.
A few moments later, Gloucester had another five-meter lineout; Socino threw the ball in, received it from the maul and carried over to score his second try of the evening to give his side a nine-point lead, with the help of the boot of Carreras.
Moments later, Gloucester earnt another five-meter lineout after a phenomenal touch finder kick from Carreras.
After several phases, the French side infringed and gave the hosts a penalty deep in their 22, which with the clock in the red was kicked at goal to make the half time score 22-10.
Gloucester started the second half in the same dominant form that they ended the first with but weren’t rewarded until Carreras kicked a penalty in the 57th minute.
Just over a minute later, a Clermont maul following a five-meter lineout was finished off by Sowakalu which brought the visitors to within eight points after a successful conversion courtesy of replacement fly-half, Anthony Belleau.
After 69 minutes, with the score at 25-17, a huge effort from the Gloucester pack earnt a scrum penalty in front of the posts which Carreras kicked over to extend the Cherry and Whites lead.
Clement redeemed his early mistake with eight minutes to go as he won a jackal penalty, relieving a significant amount of pressure for the home side after it seemed Clermont were building momentum deep inside the Gloucester 22.
In the 80th minute, another phenomenal effort from replacement props Jamal Ford-Robinson and Kirill Gotovtsev won a penalty 30 meters away from the line.
With a bonus point in mind, Carreras kicked to the corner but his kick went dead confirming the final score of 28-17.
