Gloucester thrash Harlequins 48-0 to top Premiership standings

The Prem

Gloucester (24) 48

Tries: Loader, Morgan, Trenholm, C. Atkinson, S. Atkinson, Englefield, Joseph, Barton Cons: Barton 4

Harlequins (0) 0

Gloucester thrashed a limp Harlequins at Kingsholm to go to the top of the early Prem standings.

The Cherry and Whites ran in eight tries to make it two wins from two in the league and three on the bounce in all competitions.

Gloucester, who named three new signings in their starting line-up including Wales internationals Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake, completely outplayed their opponents in all facets of the match.

Visitors Quins, who handed a debut to England full-back George Furbank, struggled to get a handle on the game from the outset and remain bottom of the table without any points after failing to get on the scoreboard.

A progressive move down the right gave Gloucester fly-half Charlie Atkinson – three days after he signed a new deal committing his long-term future with the club - the opportunity to find Ben Loader free on the left with a pinpoint kick, and the winger dotted down to open the scoring.

Harlequins, in their desperation to keep Gloucester out on their own try line, lost Will Evans to the sin bin and mere seconds later Wales flanker Morgan barged over in the left corner to extend Gloucester's lead.

On the stroke of half hour, Morgan's strong carry allowed Will Trenholm to force over Gloucester's third try from close range before George Barton slotted the conversio superbly from touch.

A spectacular 50:22 from scrum-half Caolan Englefield then put Gloucester in another great position and Charlie Atkinson broke a tackle to go over next to the sticks, as Barton kicked an easy extra two to give the hosts a 24-point advantage at half-time.

The interval did not change the momentum as two short passes saw Seb Atkinson race to the line and power over Gloucester's fifth of the evening and Quins' day was perhaps summed up best when Connor Slevin's poor restart failed to go 10 metres.

Gloucester ruthlessly made their visitors pay once more as with their next attack Will Joseph's outstanding run and offload allowed Englefield to dive over.

Joseph then grabbed the try his own performance deserved, diving in to the right of the posts to claim Gloucester's seventh try and third inside 12 minutes after half-time.

Another kick to the corner from Charlie Atkinson found Barton who juggled successfully and managed to extend over for Gloucester's eighth.

Joseph thought he had scored his second with the final act of the match to take Gloucester past 50 points, but his try was chalked off for a knock-on in the build up.

Gloucester: Barton; Thorley, Joseph, S. Atkinson, Loader; C. Atkinson, Englefield; Rapava-Ruskin, Lake (capt), Fasogbon, Kleyn, Clark, Thomas, Morgan, Trenholm.

Replacements: Innard, Bleuler, C. Knight, Clement, Ludlow, Robson, W. Knight, Denny.

Harlequins: Furbank; Anderson, Beard, Bradley, Murley (capt); Slevin, Porter; Hobson, Walker, Delgado, Dun, Browne, Kenningham, Evans, Carr.

Sin-bin: Evans (17 mins)

Replacements: Riley, Wenger, Kerrod, Petti, Cunningham-South, Friday, Lang, Green.

Referee: Sara Cox.