European Challenge Cup

Gloucester 20 La Rochelle 10

GLOUCESTER are within reach of a European Challenge Cup quarter-final place after they did what needed to be done against La Rochelle at Kingsholm on Saturday.

Italians Zebre await them in Parma next weekend and a win should cement one of the quarter-final spots for the reigning champions, who won the tournament last year when beating Edinburgh 19-13 at the Twickenham Stoop.

Gloucester were 17-3 up at half-time after full-back Rob Cook booted the ball into the La Rochelle half and, having hacked on again, dived on it for the opening try of the match.

And, with seconds left of the opening period, centre Billy Twelvetrees, rejected by new England coach Eddie Jones for his RBS Six Nations Championship squad on Wednesday, picked up a loose ball on halfway and dashed 50 metres to the right hand corner for the second touchdown.

Both tries were converted by scrum-half and captain Greig Laidlaw, who also booted a first-half penalty against one penalty for the Frenchmen by scrum-half Julian Audy.

But it was not the best half Gloucester have ever played and the second was worse as La Rochelle came out with more purpose and, by the end, had won the second period 7-3 thanks to a converted try from full-back Benjamin Lapeyre against a second Laidlaw penalty.

The conditions were not great on a soggy, cold Kingsholm but La Rochelle, with their pack causing problems in the loose situations and replacement fly-half Zack Holmes dashing through gaps at will, were not like a French team that gives up once they go behind away from home.

A bonus point to go with the victory could have put Gloucester in a stronger position going into the final weekend.

They are not guaranteed one of the four quarter-final places yet. Irish side Connacht, Welsh region Newport Gwent Dragons, French outfit Grenoble and Premiership rivals Harlequins are all in with a crack at the four spots up for grabs, with the other four places going to the best Champions Cup sides that do not reach the quarters of that tournament.

Director of rugby David Humphreys, who confirmed the signing of Scottish international and Edinburgh centre Matt Scott for next season before kick-off, said: "The important thing from the game was getting the win and getting five out of five.

"We did that and I thought the first half was pretty good. Going in 17-3 up was a good score to have. La Rochelle are a very good team, as you saw with a big, physical pack. They came today with nothing to lose so had the freedom to play.

"We knew we had to defend well but there were one or two disappointing missed tackles. In the second half, we did not take our opportunities."

Now for Zebre and Humphreys added: "We need a win to get to the quarter-finals. They are a very good team and caused us problems in the first round of the competition.

"They are very competitive at home and have key players who come in from abroad and give them direction. One of our goals is to secure a home quarter-final and to do that, we will probably have to go to Italy and win."