Lamb puts Gloucester on top
By Administrator
Last Updated: 28/07/24 10:11pm
Stand-off Ryan Lamb was in inspirational form as Gloucester beat Saracens 21-12.
Gloucester 21-12 Saracens, Guinness Premiership, Kingsholm
Stand-off Ryan Lamb was in inspirational form as Gloucester beat Saracens 21-12 to go top of the Guinness Premiership.
The 20-year-old set up two first-half tries for his centre Rudi Keil, as Gloucester's enterprising brand of running rugby kept Dean Ryan's side as the only unbeaten one in the Premiership.
Gloucester started in lively fashion and quickly forced a penalty for Cobus Visagie playing the ball on the ground, Willie Walker knocking over the three-pointer.
Saracens were struggling to cope with Gloucester's sparky, quickfire approach and gave away two more penalties to keep the hosts on the front foot.
After seven minutes Lamb's superb step-and-go beat Visagie's despairing lunge and a pass off his left hand sent centre Keil crashing over for his first Premiership try.
The 20-year-old Lamb (pictured) struggled in last week's Heineken Cup defeat by Agen but back on more familiar territory in the Premiership, time and again the fly-half proved a thorn in Saracens' side.
Another penalty for a late hit by Seymour on Lamb earned Gloucester 70 metres and when Gloucester's drive from the line-out was pulled down illegally, Richard Haughton was sent to the sin-bin and Walker stretched the lead to 11 points.
Saracens finally got into the game on 18 minutes when Gloucester were guilty of pulling down a line-out. Glen Jackson was a couple of metres short with his penalty try, but when Saracens earned another penalty moments later for not rolling away three metres closer, Jackson made no mistake.
It was another slick piece of skill from Lamb - combined with poor defending from Saracens - which gave Gloucester their second score on 25 minutes.
Lamb's pass was well-timed, Keil's line was good, but the gap in the Saracens defensive line was unforgiveable and the former Natal Shark went over for his second try.
At 18-3 in front of a baying Kingsholm, Gloucester looked set to race clear, but they were halted in their tracks by two sin-bininngs in the closing stages of the half.
First Adam Eustace was sent to the cooler for interfering with Saracens' ball in front of his own posts, then Keil was binned for a dangerous tackle on Dan Scarborough.
Jackson knocked over two penalties and at 18-9 at the break - and with Gloucester set to resume two men down - Saracens were right back in the contest.
Gloucester gifted Saracens three more points six minutes into the second half when they strayed offside, Jackson making no mistake from in front, 40 metres out.
Haughton's howler as he knocked on in trying to take a quick mark five metres from his own line delighted the Shed but they were less happy when the ball went to ground as Gloucester tried to run in another try from the scrum.
Saracens battered away at the Gloucester defence but failed to create a great deal of space - there was plenty of power but not much of the fluency and creativity which gives Gloucester the hope of opening up a defence at the merest glimmer of opportunity.
But in the final quarter Gloucester opted to try and shut up shop, the mercurial Lamb replaced by the solidity of Ludovic Mercier.
The reward came when there was yet another offence in the ruck - this time from Saracens - and the Frenchman slotted over the kick from the right touchline with some help from the upright.
That stretched the lead to beyond a converted try with 12 minutes remaining and Gloucester were able to run down the rest of the clock without a great deal of alarm, despite the sin-binning of James Bailey for tackling the player in the air with five minutes left.
In fact, the principal interest in the closing stages was the introduction of Andy Farrell. The former Great Britain rugby league skipper did not have a great deal of impact in the 11 minutes allotted to him, but perhaps the crucial point is where he was asked to play - at inside centre.
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