It was all conducted in the best possible taste, unless you happened to be from Newcastle. For stalwarts like Pat Lam, Doddie Weir, George Armstrong and Gary Armstrong this was no way to leave the club. Still, it was Gloucester's day and they chose to be generous. Give or take, that is, the odd chant of: 'You don't know what you're doing,' aimed at referee Steve Lander while the game was still a contest. Baiting referees, as far as anyone can tell, infringes no charter on race, human rights or the Geneva Convention.
Rob Andrew, whose apology for the remarks he'd made after the Premiership encounter finally gained him access to the ground, duly took his place and faced the Shed. The low-slung hotbed of West Country impartiality greeted their guest with a chorus of 'Ollie, Ollie,' a salute to Olivier Azam, the French hooker whose tussle with Epeli Taione had sparked all the trouble in the first place. What the terrace held for the Tongan Taione will remain a mystery. He was absent with a hand injury.
Just before the local action began, the announcer gave an update of the score from Leicester. Never has the Gloucester crowd raised such a cheer for Bristol. Generosity truly was the order of the day - including within the Newcastle ranks.
They began well enough, with a tackle by little Jonny Wilkinson knocking big Junior Paramore five yards backwards, but it wasn't long before their own scrum was going in a similar direction. Their line-out suffered a bit as well against the Gloucester drive.
Then Newcastle were suddenly without Wilkinson. He tried one of those darting, crabby runs that have become his trademark this season. Anyway, it ended with him being tossed around by the collar and turning an ankle on landing. Off he was carried.
Azam, patently 'pumped' by his earlier reception, took over the role of central character. He supported a break by Rob Fidler and took play over to the corner, from where his jumpers stole the ball on the Newcastle tryline. From the resultant movement, Henry Paul, the man about whom Kingsholm has been uncharacteristically ambivalent, dropped the ball, but Robert Todd was on hand to go over for the try.
Azam had a hand in the second try that followed shortly afterwards. He picked up a ball that nobody else seemed to be able to master and launched Paramore. With no Wilkinson to fell him, the No 8 powered on, and two passes later James Forrester was over.
The tries began to flow at regular intervals. They were all good, all the result of slick recycling and good interpassing. Ludovic Mercier passed 500 points for the season and Phil Vickery had a spectacular romp down the wing, swatting tacklers aside, for his try. But one other in particular is worth a mention.
It came five minutes from the end. Gloucester were building up a head of steam slowly, when suddenly their full-back cut in to inject real pace. The defences parted. Paul was through. The crowd roared him 20 yards to the line. He could consider himself accepted at last.
Paul was cuddled; the Newcastle director of rugby was taunted. 'Are you watching, Rob Andrew?' went the Shed. Several times. He was and probably wished he wasn't.
Gloucester: Paul; O'Leary, Fanolua, Todd, Simpson-Daniel; Mercier (Beim 75), Gomarsall (Yachvili 68); Collazo (Woodman 40), Azam (Fortey 74), Vickery (capt) (Deacon 74(, Fidler, Pearce (Gillies 67), Forrester, Boer, Paramore (Sewabu 71).
Tries: Todd, Forrester, Beim, Paramore, O'Leary, Vickery, Mercier, Paul, Fanolua. Cons: Mercier (4), Paul (2). Pen: Mercier.
Newcastle: Walder; Botham, Noon, May (Richardson 77), Stephenson; Wilkinson (capt) (Maclure 16), Charlton (Armstrong 50); Graham, Brotherstone, Hurter, Weir (Lam 40), Grimes, Vyvyan (Springgay 68), Devonshire, Arnold.
Pens: Walder (3)
Referee: S Lander (Liverpool).
Attendance: 8,000
