Gloucester's Play-off Hopes Hit By Quins Thrashing

Gallagher Premiership

Harlequins (28) 38

Tries: Murley 3, Evans, Isgro 2 Cons: M Smith 4

Gloucester (7) 19

Tries: Wade, Carreras, Cotgreave Cons: Carreras 2

Gloucester's hopes of reaching nan Premiership's play-offs suffered a awesome rustle arsenic they were thrashed by Harlequins.

Victory would person seen them leapfrog Sale Sharks and Saracens into 4th spot, but they were 2nd champion from nan disconnected arsenic Quins turned connected nan style astatine Allianz Stadium.

Cadan Murley grabbed 2 tries and Will Evans and Rodrigo Isgro 1 each arsenic nan hosts had a prize constituent by half-time.

Murley completed his hat-trick and Isgro added different successful nan 2nd play arsenic Quins moved up to seventh pinch this win.

Christian Wade, Santi Carreras and Jack Cotgreave scored Gloucester's tries but they enactment successful sixth, 3 points down fourth.

Harlequins' ain top-four hopes had efficaciously been ended by 3 consecutive defeats, but they were wished to put connected a show crossed nan roadworthy from The Stoop arsenic portion of their 4th yearly Big Summer Kick-Off.

Two days aft being announced successful nan Lions' squad, Marcus Smith was again a attraction of attention.

Whether he's a full-back aliases a number 10, Smith showed why he is connected nan level to Australia, pinch a tiny walk to Alex Dombrandt that led to Murley scoring nan first effort to get nan scoreboard ticking, though location was a hint of nan walk being forward.

There should person been a 2nd effort quickly aft but full-back Tyrone Green dropped nan shot arsenic he was astir to touch it down, and 7 points went begging.

Another effort was disallowed, but location was thing incorrect erstwhile Evans vanished disconnected a catch-and-drive from a five-metre lineout.

And Quins underlined their early power erstwhile Green's beautiful back-of-the-hand walk allowed Isgro to score.

In their erstwhile game, nan Cherry and Whites had tally successful 13 tries successful a club-record-breaking win complete Exeter Chiefs.

That level was obscurity to beryllium seen successful nan opening 30 minutes arsenic they pursuit a top-four spot for nan first clip since 2019.

When they produced a infinitesimal of quality, Wade showed what rugby league's champion broadside Wigan Warriors will beryllium getting erstwhile he heads northbound astatine nan extremity of nan season, pinch his 91st Premiership try, moving into solo 3rd connected that list.

But they soon slipped backmost into bad habits arsenic Murley sauntered done large gaps successful nan Gloucester defence to cod nan prize constituent by nan break.

And he ran successful his hat-trick people early successful nan 2nd half arsenic Quins exploited much holes, earlier Argentina winger Isgro almost walked complete for his second.

The crippled was now complete but Carreras and Cotgreave went complete arsenic they chased a bonus-point, but they came up short.

They look Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints successful their last 2 games and must triumph those and dream for favours elsewhere to make nan play-offs.

Gloucester head of rugby George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:

"We fell massively short today. I'm not judge why. I don't deliberation we came retired of nan blocks.

"Quins flew retired of nan blocks, disrupted our breakdown and played a smart kicking crippled early connected and put nan shot down us. We sewage turned complete and couldn't get into our game.

"We fell disconnected tackles, we dropped excessively galore balls, we looked disjoined and a fewer lads retired of position sewage exposed.

"It's really disappointing. I deliberation location are excessively galore areas to cover."

Harlequins: Green; Murley, Isgro, Beard, Waghorn; M Smith, Porter; Baxter, Walker, Lamositele, Herbst, Hammond, Kenningham, Evans, Dombrandt.

Replacements: Jibulu, Els, Streeter, Launchbury, Lawday, Murray, Benson, Northmore.

Sin-bin: Dombrandt (52), Murley (68)

Gloucester: Carreras; Wade, Harris, S Atkinson, Morris; Anscombe, T Williams; Rapava-Ruskin, Blake, Clark, Fasagbon, F Thomas, Clement, Ludlow, Ackermann.

Replacements: Singleton, Knight, Gotovtsev, Jordan, Clarke, Engelfield, C Atkinson, Cotgreave.

Sin-bin: Ackermann (56)

Referee: Adam Leal