Rugby Union: Lacroix puts Europe on the agenda

Gloucester 11

Harlequins 27

Thierry Lacroix kept alive Harlequins' hopes of European rugby next season with a commanding performance in a tough and tense match against Gloucester at raucous Kingsholm yesterday. The master of the boot used his head and his feet, scoring a try and landing five successful kicks at goal. It all helped to see off a brave Gloucester challenge whose fire was eventually doused in the chill wind that swirled across the pitch and contributed to a rather untidy match, with too many home errors at critical moments.

Harlequins had arrived with their European membership ambitions hanging by a thread. Failure to make the top four in the Courage First Division and thus gain automatic entry to next season's Heineken Cup, is being made out to be the end of the world. It may not be quite that bad but it would certainly make life next season less interesting.

The Kingsholm pitch had been watered overnight and again yesterday morning, but it did not seem to make too much difference to either side, who, water or no water, produced some undiluted passion play from the start.

Quins' early lead through Lacroix's first penalty was soon wiped out when Scott Benton, the home side's scrum-half, produced an enterprising piece of play. The ball was recycled quickly from a maul and Benton feinted to pass, chipped ahead instead and raced through the Quins ranks.

An exchange of penalties between Mark Mapletoft and Lacroix was followed by a marvellous try from Quins. It came from a well-worked move following a line-out, the ball travelling faster than a hot coal down the line. The left wing, Jamie Williams, sprinted on to the scoring pass and sprawled over in the corner for a try which Lacroix converted.

Both sets of forwards were putting in rugged performances. The front- rows may be built like blocks of concrete, but they found it hard to set the scrum in the early stages. Gloucester possess a veritable lion in flanker Nathan Carter and he and his back-row colleagues matched Quins hit for hit throughout.

Too often though, as the game progressed it was Harlequins who applied the pressure. Gloucester were forced to expend their energies on getting out of trouble. But there is a limit to everything. Something had to give.

Mapletoft's second penalty just after the restart raised false hopes as, soon after, Lacroix struck. Chris Catling failed to gather Lacroix's tricky kick downfield, Williams sliced through, snatching up the ball on the way and when he found his path to the line blocked, Lacroix, miraculously, was on hand to finish it off and add the conversion.

By the time Jim Staples had chipped ahead for the prolific Daren O'Leary to score his 26th try of the season in 25 matches Gloucester were a beaten side. Lacroix's conversion was a mere formality.

Gloucester: C Catling; A Lumsden, C Emmerson, M Roberts, M Lloyd; M Mapletoft, S Benton; T Windo, P Greening (J Hawker, 40) , A Deacon, R Fidler, D Sims, A Stanley, S Devereux, N Carter.

Harlequins: J Staples; D O'Leary, P Mensah (J Keyter, 70), W Carling, J Williams; T Lacroix, N Walshe; J Leonard, K Wood, A Ozdemir (L Benezech, 40), G O Llewellyn, L Gross, R Jenkins (G Allison, 40), B Davison, L Cabannes.

Referee: J Pearson (Yarm, Cleveland).