Paul's conversion seals the Gloucester revival

Gloucester 51 Saracens

Eight tries for Gloucester, spread with almost metronomic efficiency throughout the 80 minutes, and each a step along the road to redemption after the previous week's calamitous beating in Munster. There was even a conversion of Paul to finish it off – Henry adding the two points to the final try – to emphasise the Damascean effect.

Paul had not been scheduled to play. The expensive recruit from rugby league made too many costly errors at Thomond Park, when England's Premiership leaders fell to the pride of Ireland, to expect more than a place among the replacements yesterday. However, Robert Todd turned up for duty with a calf-muscle strain, and Paul, having previously missed only a single match all season, started in the centre.

What with the consequent move of Thinus Delport, the former Springbok, to his old Test position of full-back, and the restoration of James Forrester, who did not feature in Munster, everything clicked into place for Gloucester. By the end you would not have known they had a care in the world, with a cup semi-final place comfortably secured, but before the start there was that tangible feeling of nervousness about Kingsholm that goes with a side used to winning who have received a thoroughly unpleasant jolt. Leicester, for instance, have been well used to it of late. Tom Walkinshaw, Gloucester's owner, chatted at pitchside with his director of rugby, Nigel Melville, while the man on the public address teased the Shed: "Ain't it quiet here after last week?". But though the Cherry-and-Whites were certainly pipsqueaks in some eyes, they got a rousing cheer from the terraces on their routine warm-up jog.

It had been no joke in Limerick, not even when a taxi driver claimed to have found Gloucester's game plan in the back of his cab. And the Shedhead fanzine was moved to produce a fine 22-verse response – each stanza, of course, a five-line limerick – including the following: "The heroes from Munster were proud/At the end they sung to their crowd/Till that final bell/Did they fight like hell/While we were hopeless and cowed".

Gloucester's captain, Phil Vickery, admitted that the hurt would last a long time. But Vickery, like Todd, was unable to put things right on the field, having suffered a back spasm overnight that forced his withdrawal an hour before kick-off. The rest of the side were immediately into their stride against a Saracens team who had lost 44-14 here in the Premiership last October. In the third minute, Forrester exploded off the short side of a scrum from his slot at No 8, and battered into the right-hand corner. Ludovic Mercier, a contender with Paul for villain of the Munster piece, was unable to convert, and missed three more conversions before half-time. But there are times when errors of judgement at place kicks are unimportant, and this was one of them. Gloucester were 23-8 up at the break, after two tries by the rangy Delport and one from Terry Fanolua, and that was with the benefit of the following wind to come.

Saracens saved a few bob by travelling down yesterday morning, and spared the limbs of their England flanker, Richard Hill – under the terms of the 32-match maximum – by leaving him on the bench. Though Adryan Winnan's neat chip-and-chase try had provided a filip after 12 minutes, and Nicky Little added a penalty goal soon after, Sarries were muddlesome around the fringes and too easily turned over at close quarters.

The more time went on, the more Gloucester's mood improved. Mercier's kicks began to find their target – three conversions out of three – and Paul showed his undoubted ability to beat a man in one-on-one situations. Saracens scored first in the second half, when Tom Shanklin muscled through, but Andy Gomarsall finished off some smart work by James Simpson-Daniel, then Adam Eustace brilliantly collected Fanolua's overhead pass for the home side's sixth try. At 37-13 up, they could even afford a spell in the sin-bin for the stand-in skipper, Jake Boer, after a set-to with Stuart Hooper. There was spontaneous hilarity, too, when Gloucester's hooker, Olivier Azam, grappled with Kris Chesney. Finding himself with the opposing No. 8's scrum cap, for want of anything better to do with it, Azam popped it on his own head. Trust the French to get the haute couture right.

A try to each side from Rodrigo Roncero and Richard Haughton maintained parity during Boer's absence, before Simpson-Daniel sent Forrester in for the latter's second try, and Paul's stylish concluding kick from the touchline.

While Gloucester head off to Saracens for an immediate rematch in the Premiership next Sunday, Paul will be in Brisbane with England Sevens. Kingsholm comforts are one thing, but the Munster misery will not quickly pass.

Gloucester: T Delport; J Simpson-Daniel, T Fanolua, H Paul, T Beim; L Mercier (S Amor, 74), A Gomarsall (C Stuart-Smith, 78); R Roncero (D Molloy, 76), O Azam (C Fortey, 65), A Deacon, A Eustace (R Fidler, 68), M Cornwell, J Boer (capt), J Forrester, A Hazell (P Buxton, 77).

Saracens: A Winnan; T Shanklin, B Johnston (R Haughton, 49), T Horan, D O'Mahony; N Little, K Bracken (capt; D Kirton, h-t); M Storey (A Croall, 68), R Russell (J Parkes, 72), J Marsters, S Hooper (B Skirving, 25-32), C Yandell (Skirving, 60), B Russell (R Hill, 60), K Chesney, T Roques.

Referee: D Pearson (Northumberland).