Ryan - We made hard work of it

Dean Ryan was relieved after Gloucester scored a late try to defeat Newcastle 11-10 to reach the EDF Energy Cup semi-finals.

Gloucester boss praises opponents after late try seals narrow victory

Gloucester director of rugby Dean Ryan praised opponents Newcastle after watching his side defeat the Falcons 11-10 to reach the EDF Energy Cup semi-finals. The visitors made hard work of a third consecutive Group A victory, trailing the Falcons with just four minutes to go when replacement flanker Apo Satala grabbed the match-winning try at Kingston Park. The Falcons had earlier taken the lead through a Jon Golding try and Rob Miller conversion, but two Olly Barkley penalties had kept the visitors in it before a Rory Clegg penalty increased the home side's lead. But Satala then had the final say to set up a semi-final clash with The Ospreys in March. A relieved Ryan said: "We made hard work of it and Newcastle deserve credit, they worked very hard. "Both Apo and Dave Lewis made the difference when they came on."

Bates reaction

Falcons' director of rugby Steve Bates said he was "bitterly disappointed and really upset that we didn't clinch it earlier." He added: "A little bit of desperation was creeping in near the end and we gave away a lot of penalties. "It was pretty even in terms of creating and taking chances."