Flying Garvey brings Tigers down to earth

Leicester 11 Gloucester 16

The Gloucester players have been asked by owner Tom Walkinshaw, who is experiencing something of a cash flow problem, to take a pay cut. He must be joking. If ever a team deserved a bonus it is the Cherry and Whites, who yesterday gave everything for the cause in the process of reaching the final of the Powergen Cup.

Gloucester, whose last appearance in a Twickenham knock-out final was 13 years ago when they were humiliated 48-6 by Bath, knocked Leicester out by two tries and two penalties to a try and two penalties in a semi-final of the heavyweights at neutral Northampton. It took a monumental effort.

"We have an emergency," said the announcer, "can you please leave by the nearest exit." He was not referring to the Tigers but to a false alarm that went off seconds before kick off. There was nothing remotely false about what followed, as two of the strongest teams in the country went flat out to earn their day at Twickenham next month.

Gloucester have led the Zurich Premiership since September, and they could meet Leicester again in the final, also at headquarters, to decide the title. Yesterday, though, was something else, in every regard. Gloucester fully deserved a victory which was made possible by two quite brilliant tries in the space of three minutes in the second half. In the context of the scoring, it represented a flood.

Trailing 6-3, Gloucester, always more dangerous and adventurous at threequarter, finally put Marcel Garvey into a couple of yards of space. It was all he needed. Taking a pass at speed from Thinus Delport on the right wing, Garvey changed direction, went inside and out and had the blistering pace to leave Tim Stimpson and Leon Lloyd on the deck in a 40-yard strike of lightning.

The source had been a scrum just inside the Leicester half, from which James Forrester had picked up; a few minutes later, from a rare Gloucester penalty, Ludovic Mercier found a great touch in the left-hand corner. From the line-out Martin Corry knocked on, Adam Eustace gathered and the Gloucester back line were again in full cry.

This time the makeshift centre partnership of Henry Paul and James Simpson-Daniel dovetailed effectively, and the latter sent Delport surging in on the overlap.

Gloucester's lead was 13-6, but there was still almost half an hour left and Leicester, the champions of Europe, were not about to go quietly. They won a string of penalties and after twice squandering possession on the Gloucester line scored a trademark try in the 74 minute: a kick to the corner, a line-out take and drive and Josh Kronfeld was at the bottom of the pile with the ball planted over the line. Had Stimpson landed the angled conversion it would have been 13-13, but his kick drifted inches wide.

Mercier then added a penalty to give Gloucester a five-point cushion which they were not allowed to sit on, as the Tigers laid siege. A converted try was all they needed. There were even uncontested scrums as the Cherry and Whites were forced to play two hookers in the front row, but they withstood the onslaught with some fanatical defence.

Leicester's 6-3 half time lead was a mystery; almost as mysterious as some of the referee's decisions. Gloucester, who had by far the better of the half, could not blame Steve Lander for their poor handling and finishing, but nor did he do them any favours.

After Garvey had put in a typically dynamic run, during which he beat Geordan Murphy and created havoc, Gloucester were poised to strike when Kronfeld joined Andy Gomarsall at the foot of a ruck. A more blatant act of sabotage would be hard to imagine and if ever an offence warranted a yellow card that was it. But Kronfeld escaped the sin bin as Mercier levelled the scores at 3-3.

Stimpson, who had landed a fifth-minute penalty, added another on the stroke of half time after narrowly failing with an attempt from eight yards inside his own half. The penalty count was 20-9 in Leicester's favour, but in the end justice, for glorious Gloucester, was done.

Paul had one of his better games and was often a source of anxiety to the Leicester midfield. Time and again, however, Gloucester failed to capitalise on breaks by their inability to get the final pass to hand. They also lost Rob Fidler to a rib injury after he was taken out by Martin Johnson.

The Leicester captain was appearing after winning an appeal last week against a yellow card, which allowed him to escape a one-match ban that would have ruled him out of the Cup tie. It is a wonder that yellow cards remained in Mr Lander's pocket yesterday, after a match that wore the full metal jacket.

Leicester 11 Gloucester 16
Tries: Kronfeld Tries: Garvey
Pens: Stimpson 2 Delport
Pens: Mercier 2

Half-time: 6-3 Attendance: 8,000

Leicester: T Stimpson; G Murphy, O Smith, R Kafer, L Lloyd (S Booth, 58); S Vesty, J Hamilton (T Tierney, 71); G Rowntree (P Freshwater, 71), D West, D Garforth, M Johnson (capt), B Kay, M Corry, A Balding, J Kronfeld.

Gloucester: T Delport; M Garvey, J Simpson-Daniel, H Paul, T Beim; L Mercier, A Gomarsall; R Roncero (T Woodman, 40), O Azam, A Deacon (Roncero, 66; C Fortey, 84), R Fidler (A Eustace, 19), M Cornwell, J Boer (capt), J Forrester (J Paramore, 71), A Hazell.

Referee: S Lander (Liverpool).