Glaws get LV= defence off to winning start

Skipper Luke Narraway says a good run in the LV= Cup could help the team improve in the Premiership after their see-saw start to the season, and a 58-27 win over Sale at Kingsholm in their first game in defence of the trophy isn't a bad start.

Narraway was one of seven try-scorers as Glaws raced clear  late in the game after twice being behind and only three points ahead at the break.

It was fitting revenge for the previous week's narrow Premiership defeat at Sale, and at least got Glaws back on the right tracks after that setback.

But it wasn’t as easy as the scoreline might suggest, Sale slumping badly in the final quarter as Glaws tightened their grip on the game.

Lesley Vainikolo scored after a minute, but Glaws failed to capitalise on that great start and were even behind before Jonny May ran half the length of the pitch to start what should have been a winning rally.

But it didn’t arrive, and they fell behind again. But when former Kingsholm favourite Alasdair Dickinson was binned, Narraway went over and sub Scott Lawson added another as Sale fell apart and three more tries came from Rory Lawson, Charlie Sharples and Freddie Burns to extend the winning margin.

It was all right at the end, but there were many worrying moments before that and Bryan Redpath will be keen to sort things out before next weekend’s LV= trip to Leicester.

He told the club website: “We started well and finished well, but defensively we were disappointed with most of the first half.

“We’ve got a lot to work on from that game, but we should be happy we scored seven tries.”

That sums up Gloucester’s season so far ... good in some parts, not so good in others.

But injuries appear to be clearing up and World Cup players are coming back, so Redpath will have a bigger squad to choose from.

One of them will hopefully be Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, who has been given a six-month suspended ban after his Twitter outburst against ref Nigel Owens. The Glaws centre must apologise to Owens, complete 100 hours rugby community work in his native Samoa and pass a referee’s course.

Presumably Redpath will be telling him to do all three, and to get rid of his Twitter account as well.