Gloucester 22-14 Worcester: Skivington gets that winning feeling at last

GEORGE Skivington breathed a huge sigh of relief as Gloucester defied three yellow cards to rediscover that winning feeling and lift some of the gloom above Kingsholm.

The Cherry and Whites remain bottom of the Premiership but now level on points with Warriors having gained only their second win of the campaign. It was hard work, but the hosts desperately needed to stop the rot, and turn promising performances into points.

Fly-half Billy Twelvetrees, second row Matias Alemanno and centre Tom Seabrook ensured Warriors went home empty handed.

Head coach Skivington said: “It was so important to get that win and not slip up again. We've been playing well and competing in all our games but have just fallen the wrong side of a number of results.

“The fight we have shown you can't coach. I was delighted by their attitude and character.”

It was a disappointing Worcester debut for Chris Ashton with the England wing failing to get on the try sheet after letting a golden second-half chance slip from his grasp when failing to catch a pass with the line at his mercy.

It was one of the moments which let Gloucester off the hook, with the hosts doing their utmost to undermine their own chances with three players sent to the sin bin.

Somehow going down a man seemed to galvanise them with Warriors failing to take advantage.

Worcester had made a flying start when Willi Heinz saw his first minute box-kick clearance returned with plenty of interest. The ball was moved into the hands of Nick David who burst past a series of weak Gloucester tacklers to dive over and score.

Jamie Shillcock added the extras and Gloucester needed to quickly put the early setback out of their system. They did just that after turning down a kickable penalty for pressure near the line.

Heinz slipped the ball to the left and Twelvetrees powered past a tackler and across the line.

Warriors came out with similar vim and vigour in the second half and again struck an early blow when referee Luke Pearce awarded a penalty try and showed tighthead Fraser Balmain a yellow card.

Gloucester were guilty of collapsing a Worcester maul on their try line. Pearce decided the ball had not been grounded but that the retreating Cherry and Whites pack had stopped it by illegal means.

Twelvetrees endured a miserable game with the boot which threatened to derail Gloucester's hard work and hopes. But despite Warriors line before Alemanno eventually managed to reach out and ground the ball between a pile of bodies. Twelvetrees converted and was repeating the act shortly afterwards when Seabrook grabbed captain Lewis Ludlow's kick through and dived over for a fine try.

Gloucester lost flanker Jordy Reid with 15 minutes remaining to a yellow card for his part in a dangerous double tackle on Ashley Beck as the Worcester man by dropping the ball with the try at his mercy and George Barton's penalty gave the hosts some breathing space.

However, Gloucester were fortunate to avoid a penalty try when Pearce chose to show Santiago Carreras a yellow card and just award a penalty after he deliberately knocked on David's attempted pass to Shillcock with Warriors bursting down the flank.

But Shillcock's penalty, which would have guaranteed a losing bonus point.

Ludlow: I asked ref – why yellows?

LEWIS Ludlow admitted he confronted referee Luke Pearce over the trio of yellow cards which failed to stop his Gloucester outfit seeing off fighting Warriors.

The Cherry and Whites captain said: “I had a word with the ref about the three yellows because I thought they were tough ones. Luke Pearce doesn't want to give out yellow cards but he is clearly under scrutiny because of the way the game is going discipline-wise.

“It was nice to get over the line finally. You sometimes enjoy those wins best, the real ugly, dogged ones. It is a massive four points and we now have to build on this and start climbing up the table.”

Worcester fly-half Jamie Shillcock felt his side could have had a crucial penalty try awarded near the end.

He said: “I felt I would have scored the try. I had a clear run in front of me and would have been confident to get to the line. Then the penalty hits the post.

We did deserve something from the game.”