Leicester Tigers went down to a 33-16 Aviva Premiership defeat to Gloucester Rugby at Kingsholm on Saturday afternoon.
Gloucester scored three tries in the space of 17 first-half minutes to hold a 30-9 lead at the break and effectively seal the win.
Nick Wood scored the first midway through the half after Freddie Burns saw a clearance charged down, before England wings Charlie Sharples and Jonny May exploited gaps on the Leicester right to score a try each for the hosts.
Replacement scrum-half David Mele grabbed a consolation score for the Tigers on full-time, which was converted by Owen Williams to add to three first-half penalties.
But it was not enough for the Tigers, who went down to a third successive defeat in the Premiership for the first time since the 2011 World Cup.
Lock Brad Thorn and prop Michele Rizzo made their Tigers debuts after recovering from bicep and knee injuries respectively.
Thorn teamed up with Graham Kitchener in the Tigers second row, with Rizzo alongside Leonardo Ghiraldini and Fraser Balmain in the front row. Rizzo's Italy international teammate Robert Barbieri returned to the starting line-up at No8.
Tigers started positively with Miles Benjamin making good ground after fielding the kick-off and Vereniki Goneva picking off Billy Twelvetrees’ pass on halfway. And when Gloucester were caught offside in midfield Owen Williams’s kick from 45m just had the legs to clear the bar and give Tigers a 3-0 lead.
It was a short-lived lead, scrum-half Greg Laidlaw landing a simple penalty in the fourth minute after Rizzo was pinged at a ruck.
Benjamin was then alert to Rob Cook’s run off the right wing but when play was moved inside the Tigers defence was caught offside and Laidlaw’s penalty gave the hosts the lead for the first time in the game.
A knock-on gave Tigers possession from the restart. The ball was spun to Benjamin on the right but his space was closed out as the home defence scrambled across.
Referee Andrew Small awarded Gloucester a penalty for offside in midfield and spoke to captain Ben Youngs before Laidlaw landed his third penalty of the game. It gave Gloucester a 9-3 lead after 14 minutes.
Tigers were then awarded their own penalty as Gloucester infringed in the tackle area and Williams landed his kick from a central position to cut the deficit to three points.
Tait was replaced by Matt Smith after 19 minutes with Scully moving to full-back and Matt Smith slotting in on the wing.
Tigers were still coming to terms with the changes when Burns’s clearance was charged down by Tom Savage. Savage scopped up possession in the Tigers 22 and offloaded for Nick Wood to score under the posts, despite the efforts of Kitchener.
Laidlaw added the extras before striking a post with a penalty from the right touchline.
Gloucester crossed for a second try after 27 minutes. The hosts, with the advantage of a penalty, worked an overlap on the right where Sharples used Cook on his outside as a decoy before crossing to score. Laidlaw’s converson moved Gloucester 23-6 ahead.
Gibson stole Gloucester lineout ball on their 22 and set Tigers on the attack. Benjamin’s run took him to within 10m and when play was moved back inside Matt Kvesic’s hands in the ruck allowed Williams to cut the deficit by three.
Gloucester responded with a smart backs move to create their third try of the first period. Gloucester flooded the wide areas on the left and wing Jonny May found himself in space to dive over at the corner. Laidlaw landed the touchline conversion to give Gloucester a 30-9 lead at the break.
A 50m break by Ben Youngs turned defence into attack and took Leicester up to the Gloucester 22 right at the start of the second period. However, his offload was knocked on by Rizzo as he joined the ruck, bringing the attack to an end.
It was a good start to the second half by Tigers with Burns’s kicks to the corners giving them good territory. However, a knock-on at an attacking lineout brought one attack to end before Youngs was ruled offside as he swooped on the ball at a scrum, despite the ball looking like it had squirted out of the side.
Tigers played much of the third quarter in the Gloucester half but were unable to find a way through the hosts’ defence. And when Burns intercepted a quick Gloucester lineout for Williams to cross, play was brought back by referee Small.
Hook’s break took Gloucester into the Tigers 22 for the first time in the second period. Williams failed to roll from the tackle and Laidlaw landed a simple penalty to extend Gloucester’s lead to 33-9.
A smart break by Benjamin down the right had Tigers back into the Gloucester half but their momentum was stalled when Gloucester failed to release and conceded the penalty. Tigers went for territory with the kick but the position was lost when David Mele, on as a replacement for Youngs, was pinged for a forward pass.
Tigers went down to 14 men with 15 minutes remaining when Goneva was shown a yellow card for a no-arms tackle.
Gloucester looked to make the most of their numerical advantage at a series of scrums 10m from the Leicester line. Tigers weathered the storm, eventually winning a penalty as John Afoa came in on an angle on replacement loosehead prop Tom Bristow. Burns then tackled Cook into touch as Gloucester attempted to flood the narrow channel.
Benjamin burst onto Burns’s chip to get Tigers back into the Gloucester half. Salvi almost broke away at the next phase but was scragged by Ben Morgan before another knock-on brought the attack to an end.
Gloucester were close to a fourth try with five minutes remaining. Sharples pass out of the back of the hand put Hook away and the wing rejoined the move but could only knock-on the return pass with the line in sight.
Instead it was Tigers who grabbed the next try. Scully broke a tackle on the right and fixed last man Cook, offloaded for Salvi and then Mele, who had a free run to the line for a consolation score. It was converted by Williams for the last action of the game.
Gloucester scored three tries in the space of 17 first-half minutes to hold a 30-9 lead at the break and effectively seal the win.
Nick Wood scored the first midway through the half after Freddie Burns saw a clearance charged down, before England wings Charlie Sharples and Jonny May exploited gaps on the Leicester right to score a try each for the hosts.
Replacement scrum-half David Mele grabbed a consolation score for the Tigers on full-time, which was converted by Owen Williams to add to three first-half penalties.
But it was not enough for the Tigers, who went down to a third successive defeat in the Premiership for the first time since the 2011 World Cup.
Lock Brad Thorn and prop Michele Rizzo made their Tigers debuts after recovering from bicep and knee injuries respectively.
Thorn teamed up with Graham Kitchener in the Tigers second row, with Rizzo alongside Leonardo Ghiraldini and Fraser Balmain in the front row. Rizzo's Italy international teammate Robert Barbieri returned to the starting line-up at No8.
Tigers started positively with Miles Benjamin making good ground after fielding the kick-off and Vereniki Goneva picking off Billy Twelvetrees’ pass on halfway. And when Gloucester were caught offside in midfield Owen Williams’s kick from 45m just had the legs to clear the bar and give Tigers a 3-0 lead.
It was a short-lived lead, scrum-half Greg Laidlaw landing a simple penalty in the fourth minute after Rizzo was pinged at a ruck.
Benjamin was then alert to Rob Cook’s run off the right wing but when play was moved inside the Tigers defence was caught offside and Laidlaw’s penalty gave the hosts the lead for the first time in the game.
A knock-on gave Tigers possession from the restart. The ball was spun to Benjamin on the right but his space was closed out as the home defence scrambled across.
Referee Andrew Small awarded Gloucester a penalty for offside in midfield and spoke to captain Ben Youngs before Laidlaw landed his third penalty of the game. It gave Gloucester a 9-3 lead after 14 minutes.
Tigers were then awarded their own penalty as Gloucester infringed in the tackle area and Williams landed his kick from a central position to cut the deficit to three points.
Tait was replaced by Matt Smith after 19 minutes with Scully moving to full-back and Matt Smith slotting in on the wing.
Tigers were still coming to terms with the changes when Burns’s clearance was charged down by Tom Savage. Savage scopped up possession in the Tigers 22 and offloaded for Nick Wood to score under the posts, despite the efforts of Kitchener.
Laidlaw added the extras before striking a post with a penalty from the right touchline.
Gloucester crossed for a second try after 27 minutes. The hosts, with the advantage of a penalty, worked an overlap on the right where Sharples used Cook on his outside as a decoy before crossing to score. Laidlaw’s converson moved Gloucester 23-6 ahead.
Gibson stole Gloucester lineout ball on their 22 and set Tigers on the attack. Benjamin’s run took him to within 10m and when play was moved back inside Matt Kvesic’s hands in the ruck allowed Williams to cut the deficit by three.
Gloucester responded with a smart backs move to create their third try of the first period. Gloucester flooded the wide areas on the left and wing Jonny May found himself in space to dive over at the corner. Laidlaw landed the touchline conversion to give Gloucester a 30-9 lead at the break.
A 50m break by Ben Youngs turned defence into attack and took Leicester up to the Gloucester 22 right at the start of the second period. However, his offload was knocked on by Rizzo as he joined the ruck, bringing the attack to an end.
It was a good start to the second half by Tigers with Burns’s kicks to the corners giving them good territory. However, a knock-on at an attacking lineout brought one attack to end before Youngs was ruled offside as he swooped on the ball at a scrum, despite the ball looking like it had squirted out of the side.
Tigers played much of the third quarter in the Gloucester half but were unable to find a way through the hosts’ defence. And when Burns intercepted a quick Gloucester lineout for Williams to cross, play was brought back by referee Small.
Hook’s break took Gloucester into the Tigers 22 for the first time in the second period. Williams failed to roll from the tackle and Laidlaw landed a simple penalty to extend Gloucester’s lead to 33-9.
A smart break by Benjamin down the right had Tigers back into the Gloucester half but their momentum was stalled when Gloucester failed to release and conceded the penalty. Tigers went for territory with the kick but the position was lost when David Mele, on as a replacement for Youngs, was pinged for a forward pass.
Tigers went down to 14 men with 15 minutes remaining when Goneva was shown a yellow card for a no-arms tackle.
Gloucester looked to make the most of their numerical advantage at a series of scrums 10m from the Leicester line. Tigers weathered the storm, eventually winning a penalty as John Afoa came in on an angle on replacement loosehead prop Tom Bristow. Burns then tackled Cook into touch as Gloucester attempted to flood the narrow channel.
Benjamin burst onto Burns’s chip to get Tigers back into the Gloucester half. Salvi almost broke away at the next phase but was scragged by Ben Morgan before another knock-on brought the attack to an end.
Gloucester were close to a fourth try with five minutes remaining. Sharples pass out of the back of the hand put Hook away and the wing rejoined the move but could only knock-on the return pass with the line in sight.
Instead it was Tigers who grabbed the next try. Scully broke a tackle on the right and fixed last man Cook, offloaded for Salvi and then Mele, who had a free run to the line for a consolation score. It was converted by Williams for the last action of the game.