Gloucester rout not enough
Gloucester beat Agen 60-7 on Thursday night but were still unable to make further progress in the Amlin Challenge Cup.
Last Updated: 20/01/11 11:11pm
Gloucester scored an emphatic 60-7 victory over Agen on Thursday night but were still unable to make further progress in the Amlin Challenge Cup.
The Cherry and Whites scored eight tries at a cold and misty Kingsholm, with James Simpson-Daniel and Henry Trinder each picking up braces.
However, with La Rochelle beating Rovigo, the result was academic. It also meant that Bryan Redpath's side failed to reach the last eight of European rugby's second-tier competition for the first time in 10 years.
Freddie Burns scored 21 points in the first half as Gloucester raced into a 41-0 half-time lead - England wing Simpson-Daniel having set the tone when he crossed in the very first minute.
The home side went onto score four further first-half tries through Trinder, Burns and Tom Voyce.
The visitors frustrated Gloucester for most of the third quarter, with captain Jean Monribot leading his side from the front and scoring their only try after 47 minutes.
But Simpson-Daniel's second try shifted momentum back to the hosts. Olly Morgan scored Gloucester's seventh try three minutes later before Luke Narraway rounded off the rout.
Even so, La Rochelle topped Pool Five to qualify for the quarter-finals. They ran in 11 tries against their Italian opponents, including one by full-back Greg Goosen who finished with a 21-point haul.
La Rochelle finished three points ahead of Gloucester and their bonus-point win ensures them home advantage in the quarter-finals.
