Second half comeback helps Gloucester beat Saracens 23-17
Ollie Thornley helped Gloucester fight back
©PA
Gloucester Rugby 23-17 Saracens, Kingsholm
Scorecard
Gloucester came up with a spirited second half performance that saw them beat Saracens 23-17 in their Aviva Premiership encounter at Kingsholm on Friday.
Despite the defeat, Saracens continue to top the table with 29 points but Gloucester break into top three following their fifth win this season.
Billy Twelvetrees got the Cherry and Whites off the mark with an eighth minute penalty but his efforts were negated when Alex Lozowski responded with a three pointer of his own two minutes later.
Former Harlequins scrum-half Karl Dickson marked his Premiership debut as referee since retiring at the end of the previous season. Lozowski missed out on a drop goal from 30-metre but soon made amends with his second penalty coming in the 17th minute to take Saracens to 3-6.
An attempted clearance from Billy Burns was charged down by Lozowski to allow the visitors a period of pressure but a knock-on from Schalk Burger relieved the danger. At the stroke of half time, Lozowski kicked his third penalty as the Sarries ended the first half with a 3-9 lead.
The home side showed better intensity in the second half which saw Twelvetrees kicking his second penalty to bring down the gap to three points but a burst from Schalk Burger helped Schalk Brits to score the opening try of the game in the 52nd minute to give Saracens a breathing space as they increased the lead to 6-14.
A third penalty from Twelvetrees helped Gloucester narrow down the gap to five points at the end of the third quarter and they soon took in charge of the game with back to back tries coming from Ollie Thorley and Tom Hudson in the 61st and 66th minutes respectively. A double conversion from Twelvetrees meant Gloucester had a 23-14 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.
Replacement Ben Spencer kicked a last minute penalty for Saracens but it did not prove enough as Gloucester held on to their lead and completed a six point victory over the European Champions.
