HEAD coach Johan Ackermann wants Gloucester to be more ruthless when they have chances of scoring tries as they get down to the business end of the Aviva Premiership.

The Cherry and Whites should have won with a try bonus point on Saturday but, instead, they drew 25-25 when Wasps scored a last gasp converted touchdown.

The Kingsholm clash looked to be heading towards a Gloucester win as they led 25-18 going into the final minute but Jimmy Gopperth held his nerve to kick a conversion to Christian Wade's.

Gloucester boasted an unbeaten record at home in the Premiership this season and tries from hooker Richard Hibbard and wing Charlie Sharples plus eight points from the boot of Billy Twelvetrees put them in charge at the interval.

Gopperth added to his two first-half penalties by converting Dan Robson's try while Thomas Young tied the match up when he crossed.

Wing Henry Trinder re-established Gloucester's lead and the Cherry and Whites had Wasps pinned on their own line in the closing two minutes but retreated the length of the pitch to give up the try and conversion that levelled the match.

Ackermann said: “We were so close. There was two minutes left and they got the ball and we went back a full 100 metres.

"Credit to them. It was great composure they showed and a great try at the end. Then again, I am proud of the guys because we started and played with more direction and intensity.

"Where we let ourselves down was that we did not capitalise on opportunities and, right at the end, we had a few from the line-out and scrum.

"Even when we were on the goal-line, we could not get through and that is where we need to improve, when we get all those opportunities in a match, we have to get more out of that.

“We must be more ruthless when we get the opportunities in the attacking half to get something out of that and that is what showed today.

“When they (Wasps) had the opportunities, they finished and the one thing they showed as well was why they have been in knock-out games in the last few seasons. They showed a lot of composure when the chips were down.”

Gloucester are down in sixth place but the push for the Premiership’s final play-off spot is so tight that a five-point win on Saturday could have kept them in fourth and closed the gap to one point on Wasps, who are third.

Ackermann knows the areas they have to look at – possession and missed tackles – if they are to have a chance of competing for the title this season.

He added: “You cannot get so many opportunities and not finish. On the stats, we only had 40 per cent possession and you are going to struggle if you are going to play week after week on 40 per cent.

“You need more possession and then use your opportunities.

“The other concerning stat was the missed tackles. Thirty four missed tackles. If you go above the 20 mark, you start to tread on dangerous water so I think, even in the build-up to the last try, there were some tackles missed.

“We definitely got a lot of work to do but I am proud of the guys.

“This game was not from a lack of effort. We have a lot of work to do and when it will click, I am not sure but we are not playing for that full eighty minutes.

“Part of the challenge was to start better than last week (at Worcester) and they did that but, then again, you have to back it up with a second-half and we didn’t.”

“Someway we must get that balance. The one thing about any game is that there will be momentum swings. It is seldom that you will play from the first minute to the 80th minute and totally dominate a side.

“We must be more ruthless when we get the opportunities in the attacking half to get something out of that and that is what showed today.

“When they (Wasps) had the opportunities, they finished and the one thing they showed as well was why they have been in knock-out games in the last few seasons. They showed a lot of composure when the chips were down.”

Now Gloucester must regroup to face Newcastle at home on Saturday. Ackermann said: ““If we are going to worry about the outcome of the season, we are going to put too much pressure on ourselves.

“The reality is we play another quality side which is high on confidence, have got a good run of games, they beat Harlequins (on Saturday) away from home, they have beaten us in the Anglo-Welsh Cup. For us, it is just another opportunity for the players to improve as a group.

“It is not your right to put on the jersey, it is a privilege and it is up to us to go and fix those mistakes and keep on working.”