Gloucester 106 Bucuresti 3 | 29 October 2005 | European Challenge Cup

Team: Ollie Morgan; Rob Thirlby, James Simpson-Daniel, Mike Tindall, Marcel Garvey; Ludovic Mercier, Haydn Thomas; Nick Wood, Mefin Davies, Phil Vickery (captain), Adam Eustace, Quentin Davids, Pete Buxton, Andy Hazell, Luke Narraway.

Replacements: Peter Richards, Mark Cornwell, James Forrester, Terry Sigley, Anthony Allen, Simon Amor, Rob Elloway

A week before this game Gloucester had started their Challenge Cup campaign with an encouraging win in France over Bayonne 26-10. It was accepted that Bucuresti would be the minnows in the group, but few expected the margin of victory to be quite so great. Bucuresti were totally outclassed, and by the final quarter were exhausted as the Cherry and Whites launched one flowing attack after another.

It took only four minutes for Gloucester to register the first try. Having won a scrum against the head, Narraway broke down the blind-side with Garvey in support. Mike Tindall carried the move on, passed to Buxton, who in turn put Narraway away for the try. Thirlby scored the next two tries, the first following a burst up the middle from Vickery, and the second involving an attack from Mercier, Hazell, Thomas and Vickery. The bonus point try was scored by Thomas who pounced on a loose ball behind the scrum. Garvey raced home for the fifth try, and with Mercier converting them all, Gloucester led 35-3 at half-time, Bucuresti having managed a penalty.

Early in the second-half, replacement Peter Richards broke free to put in Wood for a try, and followed this up by starting a move, which, following a passage through several hands ended with Simpson-Daniel scoring. Soon after Forrester kicked through, charged down an attempted clearance for Allen to pick up and score. With half an hour to go, Bucuresti had little defence left, and conceded a further fifty points. Allen and Forrester combined to set up a try for Hazell. Eustace scored the next. With a typical weaving run Simpson-Daniel scored and completed a hat-trick following a brilliant combined attack. Thirlby set up a try for Forrester, before Simpson-Daniel got his fourth. Garvey scored his second try, before the century was passed with a penalty try.

In all the Cherry and Whites had scored 16 tries. Mercier converted ten of them, and Amor three.

Gloucester went on to win the Challenge Cup, beating London Irish 36-34, in the final, after extra-time.

#Thursday Tales: Gloucester Rugby's biggest ever win

Related News