Mills seals Gloucester win

Ryan Mills: Kicked Gloucester's winning penalty with 10 minutes to go

Teenager Ryan Mills was the hero for Gloucester on Saturday when his penalty handed them a 14-11 Aviva Premiership victory over local rivals Bath at The Rec.

On as a replacement, the 19-year-old calmly slotted the crucial three-pointer with 10 minutes to play, meaning that the Cherry and Whites have now completed the double against their near neighbours.

Gloucester had led 11-5 at the break thanks to a try from prop Nick Wood and two Freddie Burns penalties.

Bath had opened the scoring after wing Tom Biggs showed good footballing skills to touch down and a penalty apiece from centre Olly Barkley and fly-half Tom Heathcote levelled matters entering the final quarter, only for Mills to swing the match Gloucester's way.

The win dents Bath's hopes of Heineken Cup qualification but Gloucester's success leaves them well-placed to fight for a place in the Aviva Premiership semi-finals.

Clashes between the two sides have always been feisty and this meeting proved no different as both lost a man to the sin bin after just two minutes.

A clash between second rows Jim Hamilton and Ryan Caldwell escalated into a confrontation involving all 30 players. The two locks were handed yellow cards by referee Wayne Barnes and continued to exchange words as they headed to the touchline.

Better start

Bath had the better of the territory in the early going and they made the most of it as Biggs claimed the opening try after 10 minutes.

After Gloucester were penalised for an early lift at a line-out on their 10-yard line, Bath took the free-kick quickly and it was the unlikely figure of hooker Lee Mears who put a grubber in behind Charlie Sharples for Biggs to pounce.

The visitors hit back with a well-worked try eight minutes later, the move starting when Burns made a half-break through three Bath forwards.

He fed centre Eliota Fuimaomo-Sapolu before the Samoan in turn put Mike Tindall clear.

Although the England centre did not have the pace to make it, the ball was worked back left where a depleted home defence was punished as James Simpson-Daniel's long pass put prop Wood in at the corner, despite Olly Woodburn's desperate covering tackle.

Wood then used his more usual scrummaging abilities to force a penalty out of Anthony Perenise, but Burns somehow missed the resulting three-pointer from in front of the posts.

However, the fly-half did give Gloucester a deserved lead with his second penalty attempt, although it came after flanker Akapusi Qera blew a certain try by ignoring a two-man overlap and then dropping the ball as he reached for the line having been hauled down by Matt Banahan.

Off target

Barkley then missed a sitter of his own and while Burns was himself off target moments later, he did reward another period of Gloucester pressure by closing the half with a long-range penalty after flanker Tom Savage was on the end of a high shot from Biggs.

Gloucester started the second half with an impressive scrum and driving maul, while the combination of full-back Jonny May and wing Simpson-Daniel looked dangerous on the counter.

Bath then hit back, though, as a lovely rehearsed move sent Woodburn scything through the Cherry and Whites' defence.

The hosts battered away at the line and were repelled by illegal means, allowing Barkley to trim the gap with his first successful penalty before Heathcote tied the scores with a three-pointer of his own moments later.

But that good work was undone when Banahan was penalised for not rolling away in the tackle and Mills punished the indiscretion.

Bath had one last chance to snatch victory but a knock-on at the crucial line-out gave Gloucester the win.