Gloucester seal play-off spot with 24-45 win over Agen

Agen 24-45 Gloucester Rugby, Stade Armandie
Scorecard

Gloucester Rugby ran a six-try riot as they sealed a quarter-final berth in the European Rugby Challenge Cup with a 24-45 win over Agen at Stade Armandie on Friday.

The Cherry and Whites now have 21 points and are at top of Pool 3 but Pau will reclaim first place if, as expected, they beat rock-bottom Zebre on Saturday and then it will be a showdown between them and Gloucester for top spot at Kingsholm next Friday.

Winger Henry Purdy crossed over in the 5th and 10th minute while Owen Williams slotted the extras to take Gloucester to 0-14 and it soon became 0-21 after scrum-half Callum Braley went past the line in the 17th minute that was improved by the fly-half.

Agen's response came in the 29th minute when flanker Marco Kotze scored a try but Gloucester soon went to achieve the bonus point with their fourth try coming from Jason Woodward as the first half ended with a 5-28 lead for the visitors.

Mark Atkinson's try immediately after the restart further emphasised Gloucester's dominance and, although Agen rallied through scores from Johann Sadie and Akapusi Qera to add to Marco Kotze's first-half effort, the English side never looked in serious danger of letting the match slip away.

And they finished off Agen's slim hopes with a 68th-minute try from captain Ed Slater - influential Wales fly-half Owen Williams again adding the extras with his sixth conversion - before Jessy Jegerlhener earned Agen a bonus point of their own with his side's fourth try.