Match Centre: Gallagher Premiership: Gloucester 29-28 Harlequins

Gloucester 29-28 Harlequins, Kingsholm

Jamal Ford-Robinson scored the decisive try in the closing stage as Gloucester Rugby edged out Harlequins 29-28 in the opening round of the Gallagher Premiership at Kingsholm on Saturday.

The win will be a relief to Gloucester, who had lost their final six matches in the previous season but it was the Quins, who started the game with on a positive note with Alex Dombrandt picking up and dived over the line for the opening try inside two minutes and Will Edwards kicked the conversion to make it 0-7.

The Cherry and Whites had an early injury setback with Charlie Chapman replacing the field and was replaced by Steve Varney but they stepped up the gears as Arthur Clark dotted down on his Premiership debut and George McGuigan crossed the whitewash after a series of breakdown infringements from Quins.

George Barton kicked both the conversions as the home side stretched their lead to 14-7 before the gap came down to two points as Will Evans crossed the whitewash at the back of a driving maul but Edwards missed out on the conversion. As Quins were penalised for holding on, a penalty kick from Barton made it 17-12.

Nevertheless, the visitors went into the break with a two-point lead after Luke Northmore went past couple of defenders to score their third try and Edwards followed with a conversion.

The momentum once again shifted towards the Cherry and Whites as Lewis Ludlow on his 200th appearance for Gloucester powered his way over and Barton improved to make it 24-19 before Jarrod Evans kicked three straight penalties to make it 24-28 but missed a fourth attempt which would have put the visitors seven point ahead.

As the game was heading for the closing stage, Jarrod Evans was sin-binned for making contact with the head in a tackle providing Gloucester a chance as Ford-Robinson made a dramatic finish with the decisive try which was awarded after a consultation with the TMO. Barton missed the conversion but it did not cost Gloucester as they edged away with a one-point victory.

Team line up:

Gloucester: Evans, Morris, Llewellyn, Atkinson, Thorley, Barton, Chapman, Elrington, McGuigan, Balmain, Clarke, Clark, Donnell, Ludlow, Mercer.

Reserves: Blake, Ford-Robinson, Knight, Thomas, Clement, Varney, Hillman-Cooper, Reeves.

Harlequins: David, T Green, Joseph, Northmore, Lynagh, Edwards, Porter, Baxter, Riley, Collier, Launchbury, Hammond, Kenningham, W Evans, Dombrandt.

Reserves: Jibulu, Garcia Botta, Chawatama, Herbst, Chisholm, M Green, J Evans, Beard.