Gloucester 31 Worcester 23: Lamb books final spot for Gloucester

Young England star weaves magic to sink local rivals

Whatever the French is for "he who hesitates is lost", Nicolas le Roux will be muttering it over and over this morning. The Worcester full-back gave a master class in how not to deal with the high ball in the Gallic tête à tête which turned this first of the all-English semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup in Gloucester's favour.

There were 73 minutes gone and the home side were trailing by two points. The Gloucester fly-half, Ryan Lamb, launched a surface to air missile on the Worcester 22. Doing nothing was not an option yet Le Roux stood still and allowed his countryman Ludovic Mercier to snatch the ball in mid-air. It was recycled, to the right initially and then a long way to the left with a sumptuous cross-kick by Lamb which fell into the arms of Mark Foster for a try. The touchline conversion by Lamb and another penalty from his right boot were the end of Worcester and the start of Gloucester's celebrations of a first European final.

It was no more than either side deserved. Worcester scored 20 points to none between the 32nd and 53rd minutes to lead 23-15, then became cocooned in conservatism. It undid the good work of tries by Shane Drahm and Pat Sanderson, and Drahm's two conversions, a dropped goal and a penalty.

The competition's leading try-scorer, Gloucester's James Simpson-Daniel, took his total to eight with a coruscating run-in after 14 minutes made by Lamb's step-and-go, this after Lamb and Drahm had kicked a penalty apiece. Then Simpson-Daniel, who was to get a bang on the head which ruled him out of the second half, counter-attacked from a turnover and Anthony Allen dummied his way to the posts.

Worcester had lost here, fractiously, 27-16 in the Premiership a week ago. The interim was not long to embellish a game plan of Matt Powell's steepling box kicks and Thomas Lombard's bosh up the middle. The principal playmaker was Lamb. One wonders if one day the 19-year-old's flat passes will be England hall-of-fame material.

Jeers and cheers greeted a couple of announcements at half-time. One was the surprise revelation of the venue for the final four weeks today: Harlequins' 12,600-capacity Twickenham Stoop. Afterwards Gloucester's director of rugby, Dean Ryan, suggested the stadium would not be large enough to cater for his side's following. Meanwhile the two Italy forwards signed by Gloucester for next season - Marco Bortolami and Carlos Nieto - were paraded, and Phil Vickery, the injured England prop, joined the applause. This was rather magnanimous, considering that Nieto and Bortolami are his possible successors as prop and captain. Vickery has turned down Gloucester's offer on reduced terms to extend his 11-year stay and it is thought his next club will be Wasps.

Lamb and Mercier - the latter from close to halfway - kicked penalties to peg Worcester back to 23-21. Gloucester enjoyed their last turns of the screw. First there was Foster's try. Then Chris Fortey - once of this very parish - was treated for cramp while the home pack glowered over him, waiting for a scrum. Needless to say when the front rows eventually joined, Gloucester powered forward and got a penalty for offside which Lamb converted sweetly.

Gloucester are likely to qualify for the Heineken Cup through the league; they want to win the second-tier cup for its own sake and no wonder Ryan is upset not all of their supporters may be able to get in to see it.

Gloucester: O Morgan (L Mercier, 40); J Simpson-Daniel (J Bailey, 40), M Tindall, A Allen, M Foster (Bailey, 18-20); R Lamb, P Richards; P Collazo, M Davies, G Powell (J Forster, 66), A Eustace (J Pendlebury, 69), A Brown, P Buxton (capt; L Narraway, 40), J Forrester, A Hazell (Pendlebury, 65-69)

Worcester: N le Roux; G Trueman, D Rasmussen, T Lombard, U Oduoza; S Drahm, M Powell; T Windo, C Fortey, T Taumoepeau (L Fortey, 39-40, 78), P Murphy (E O'Donaghue, 75), C Gillies, P Sanderson (capt), K Horstmann, T Harding (S Vaili, 68).

Referee: C Berdos (France).