Gloucester ready for tough draw

Gloucester secured their place in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals tonight as rugby director Nigel Melville declared: “We did what we needed to do.”

Gloucester clinched their place in the knock-out stages by demolishing Italian champions Treviso 42-11 at Kingsholm.

They knew that victory would be enough for them to progress, but Munster’s win against Bourgoin means Gloucester qualify as the best runner-up and seventh seeds.

The probability is that they will play Munster away in mid-April, but Wasps and Llanelli are also possible quarter-final opponents, with both those teams in action tomorrow.

Gloucester have already played Munster twice this season, winning at home but losing away, and if they do end up returning to Ireland then it will require a colossal effort to reach the semi-finals.

“We did what we needed to do, and we will now wait and see what comes next,” said Melville.

“I was pleased with the way we handled the first half, when we built up a 28-6 lead into the wind.

“No-one wins the European Cup playing at home. You have to go away in the semi-final and the final, and you have got to handle these things.

“Whoever we play in the quarter-finals is not in our control.”

Gloucester scored six tries from James Simpson-Daniel, Marcel Garvey, Jon Goodridge, Peter Buxton and Robert Todd, while there was also a penalty try and six conversions from prolific goal kicker Henry Paul.

Gloucester are joined in the last-eight by Munster, Stade-Francais, Toulouse, Biarritz, and Edinburgh, with the final two places being decided tomorrow.