Worcester 16 Gloucester 16

A late penalty goal from Freddie Burns earned Gloucester a draw against Worcester after they appeared to be heading for defeat.

Andy Goode thought he'd done enough to give Worcester the victory when he stroked home a three-pointer with just over a minute remaining. But Burns kept his nerve with the final kick of the game to ensure the scores were level when the final whistle was blown. There was little to shout about from either side during an uneventful first half, with a solitary penalty from Goode all the hosts had to show for their efforts. Gloucester didn't fare much better, but two Billy Twelvetrees goals ensured they held a narrow lead at the interval. Worcester's cause wasn't helped in the final minutes of the first period, when Goode was sin-binned for obstructing an opponent off the ball. Joe Carlisle took over the kicking duties in Goode's absence and was on target two minutes into the second half to level the scores. But it would be another 20 minutes until we saw the match's next points and the first try. That crucial first breach was made by Gloucester's Henry Trinder, who capitalised on slick interplay from team-mates Shane Monahan and Jonny May to finish in fine style. Burns converted, but the visitors lead didn't last long, and, when James Currie finished off a Josh Drauniniu break for Carlisle to convert, the scores were level once again. The quickfire brace of tries set up a grandstand finish and, despite booted attempts to win it from Burns and Goode, the match finished a draw, and perhaps rightly so.