Aviva Premiership: Saracens 25-12 Gloucester
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 20/02/16 7:43pm
Despite a first-half red card, Saracens secured a 25-12 home win over Gloucester thanks to the boot of Charlie Hodgson.
The hosts survived the 30th-minute dismissal of Schalk Brits to bounce back from their rout by Wasps with an ugly Premiership victory at Allianz Park on Saturday.
Brits was sent off for punching Nick Wood, an act that ended the visiting loosehead prop's afternoon as he never returned from the blood bin.
Saracens, who were crushed 64-23 at home by Wasps last Sunday, were clinical as they squeezed the life out of Gloucester, with Hodgson's right foot keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
Full-back Ben Ransom ran in the only try in the third minute, as an arm-wrestle ensued for the remainder of the game.
An otherwise uneventful first half was overshadowed by the red card shown to Brits. With Barritt having received a yellow card for a tip-tackle on Ross Moriaty as the first quarter drew to a close, Saracens were forced to play 20 minutes of the first half with only 14 men.
However, that disadvantage did not prevent them from compiling a 13-6 interval lead, thanks to Ransom's chip ahead which he gathered himself for the try converted by Hodgson.
Two further penalties from Hodgson kept them in front, but with prop Rhys Gill limping off and Richard Wigglesworth departing the field while clutching his hand, their playing resources were depleting rapidly.
Gloucester were being pinned back in their own half and could only produce two penalties from James Hook, who also saw one promising break end when man-of-the-match Will Fraser knocked the ball from his hands in the tackle.
Replacement prop Dan Murphy showed surprising pace as he surged into a gap, only for the supporting Hook to drop his pass as the try-line loomed.
Hook began the second half with a penalty but Saracens were soon back onto the front foot and after a spell of sustained pressure from a series of five-metre scrums, Hodgson was able to add three points to his tally.
It set the tone for the remaining half hour as Saracens continued to pile the pressure on their visitors, and each time they extracted a penalty, Hodgson was able to slot the shots at goal as he added a further two penalties to close the game out.
