Gloucester: (21) 30 |
Attempt: Mercer, May, Llewellyn pen: Carreras 3 Cons: Carreras 3 |
Castor: (10) 25 |
Attempt: Dumora, Zarantonello, Raiske pen: popeline 2 Cons: popeline 2 |
Gloucester held off the rising Castres and advanced to the last eight of the European Challenge Cup.
The Cherry and Whites are aiming for cup success despite a slump in the league and have already won the Premiership Rugby Cup.
Tries from Zac Mercer, Jonny May and Max Llewellyn took the lead in the first half and they will face either Sale or Ospreys in the home quarter-final.
Castres were replaced in the second half by Loris Zarantonello and Josiah Raiske, but Gloucester held firm.
Gloucester are already celebrating their 150th anniversary after defeating Leicester last month to win the English Domestic Cup, but now have their sights set on the European final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 24th.
As the second seed they are guaranteed a home draw if they reach the final, but Castres is the slowest player in an impressive run in the cup.
The French side lost 35-5 to Gloucester in a dead rubber group game in January, but this time they made 11 changes to their starting XI and were much stronger.
And they showed plenty of intent, with full-back Julien Doumora completing a well-paced attack within the first three minutes to give the visitors the lead.
Gloucester started to move with great force, keeping the ball alive three times with a flurry of attacks down the right, allowing Mercer to race through and equalize.
Gloucester denied a shot from a right-hand corner kick near the post and immediately moved the ball to the left from the lineout, allowing May to shoot through the gap and take the lead.
The impressive Mercer once again nailed a fast ball from the lineout to feed Llewellyn, who overcame three tackles and powered over, with Santi Carreras all three in windy conditions. Gloucester were blessed with the decision.
Pierre Poperin's two penalties gave them the lead, but Carreras hit back with two of his own as Gloucester looked to pull away.
When Sarrantonello reversed the lead with a driving maul and cut the lead to seven points, Castres rallied for a big finale.
Another Carreras penalty ended any worries, and Raiske's try from another maul was too late to affect the result.
lineup
Gloucester: Carreras. May, Llewellyn, S. Atkinson, Thorley. C. Atkinson, Bernie. Raskin, Socino, Gotovtsev, Clark, Thomas, Ackerman, Ludlow, Mercer.
Replacement: McBurney, Bibas, Ford-Robinson, Jordan, Tuicheux, Clement, Chapman, Harris.
Castor: Dumora. Raisuke, DuPont, Goodhue, Nakosi. Poperin, Dubrel. Walker, Bartlot, Hazard, Pieters, van Verberghe, Delaporte, Maravat, Payson.
Replacement: Sarantonello, De Beneditis, Chiracaba, Nakarawa, Babillo, Fernandes, Segre, Shabouni.