Carreras artistry too much for Quins

By TOM BRADSHAW

Gloucester ………………….. 28pts

Tries: Blake 5, Thorley 18, Carreras 72, Rees-Zammit 74

Conversions: Carreras 6, 18, 73, 75

Harlequins ………………….. 26pts

Tries: Lawday 11, Murley 52, Riley 61, Jurevicius 80

Conversions: Allan 13, 62, 80

THE spotlight naturally fell on the return to action of a certain jet-heeled Welshman but it was the slippery, smart-visioned artistry of an Argentinian that ultimately guided Gloucester to a vital win in the race for the play-offs.

Not for the first time this season, Santi Carreras was world-class. Signed by Gloucester to cover the back three, he is currently delivering as the Premiership's in-for m 10. It tur ns out he knows how to write a great script, too. As he wriggled his arms free while being tackled with six minutes to go, he managed to pop the ball plumb into the arms of a hurtling Louis Rees-Zammit.

With Rees-Zammit off the bench for the first time since injuring his ankle against Leicester on Christmas Eve, there was an air of Hollywood inevitability to the winger scoring the decider. But make no mistake, it was Carreras who was the producer of this blockbuster, as Gloucester boss George Skivington acknowledged in his understated way.

“Louis has been sitting on the sidelines for a little while and we know what he can do, but you've still got to go and do it,” said Skivington. “Some boys put him into some really nice positions and gave him the opportunity and he capitalised on that.”

Carreras was giving players opportunities all night, including a sumptuous cross-field kick for Ollie Thorley's try. It was his just reward when he made one for himself, too, cutting through the Quins line eight minutes from time.

And let's not forget his goal-kicking, which saw the Puma use the breeze beautifully and ultimately provide the two-point difference between the sides.

There was intelligent game-control from Gloucester from the off. Following James Chisholm's early yellow for cynical work at the breakdown, the Cherry and Whites immediately deployed their reliable lineout maul to put Seb Blake over.

But Quins got a foothold in the game via tries by Tom Lawday and Cadan Murley, and a ferocious and disciplined defensive effort was needed by Gloucester to keep them in the contest.

Harlequins are a cut above when it comes to counter-attacking panache, and have been lethal this season off firstphase strikes from their scrum. But, despite them having the lion's share of both territory and ball, Gloucester largely succeeded in containing them – making almost double the number of tackles as their visitors.

Central to this was the work of Val Rapava-Ruskin, who once again delivered a performance that threatened to rewrite the manual on how props should play.

All of which conspired to slightly dampen Danny Care's record-breaking 352nd appearance for Quins. What a servant he has been, and what a credit to the game that he was beamingly getting his picture taken with Gloucester fans following the final whistle.

Sam Riley's touchdown had given Quins the lead with a quarter of the game to go, but Carreras and Rees-Zammit then stepped centre stage. The Wales winger had a jaw-dropping solo effort disallowed by the TMO, but there was nothing to quibble about as the duo then conspired to score 14 points in three minutes.

“I think it's safe to say that's the last we'll see of Louis for a few weeks,” said Skivington, resigned to losing him to Warren Gatland for the Six Nations.

But Quins' labours weren't wholly in vain. Matas Jurevicius's try with the clock dead gave the visitors two precious bonus points. It could prove a decisive contribution to the play-off arithmetic.