Bonus points could make the difference, says Matson

Harlequins boss Tabai Matson believes the two bonus points the visitors claimed could prove vital come the final reckoning.

Asked whether he felt the race for the play-off spots would go down to the final day of the regular season, the head coach said: “Absolutely. It’s great when the table changes every weekend – it will definitely come down to the last weekend and those two points could be very valuable. We are running out of runway. The games we have left have become must-wins.

“When we were in the lead with 10 minutes to go and we made those subs it was really about consolidating but Gloucester took a couple of moments nicely.

“I wouldn’t say it got away because it was always going to be tough. There was a real tussle at the breakdown and they punished us in the first half with the maul. We probably didn’t give them that opportunity in the second half because we were a bit more disciplined.

“Gloucester deserved the win but we scored four tries here and they are one of the best defensive sides in the league.

“With 10 minutes to go we had it in our sights, so there are lots of positives.”