Sale arrived here with two lists: their starting XV, and their non-starting catalogue of injured, which was only one short of the first. Now, there are times to be public and apologetic about the state of your playing staff, but perhaps just before kick-off at Kingsholm is not one of them. It rather sent the message that Sale had not travelled with much hope.
When they overthrew their first line-out after 10 seconds and had Mike Tindall, Andy Hazell, Iain Balshaw and finally the young prodigy of these parts, Ryan Lamb, charging straight through them, it seemed to confirm a certain lack of self-belief.
The only player who seemed impervious to the crisis was Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, playing as an open-side flanker. He covers everything from 6 to 8. If there is a finer all-round back-row forward in the game then he is hiding himself well. Which, since we're talking back row here, wouldn't help press his case, of course.
Anyway, Fernandez Lobbe was everywhere, at all heights: on the floor and up in the air at the line-out. Keep an eye out for him in September when Argentina throw themselves into the World Cup pool containing France and Ireland. He and his brother Ignacio might make a case for fraternite
Gloucester had the softer wool of Lamb to caress. The 20-year-old went from his try to a conversion to a drop goal and finally a penalty, for a full house of scores in 20 minutes. He then went through the even fuller range of rugby experiences - the new trend - and got himself injured, and limped off after 25 minutes, with an injury to his right ankle. Making an impact is not a problem for Lamb.
He kicked two conversions, the second after Balshaw ran in from 30 metres after a quickly taken penalty by Rory Lawson. If Mike Blair and Chris Cusiter do not play in the Six Nations, Scotland could still be well served at scrum-half by the crafty and industrious Lawson. As for Balshaw, he looked back to his gliding best, sound of limb and confidence. If he and Tindall are barometers of the England camp at the moment, good things are happening there.
Trailing by 14 points, the few fit visitors clawed their way back into the game. It was a nifty front peel that put scrum-half Ben Foden through a hole in the forwards. Sale's injury list is at least allowing Foden an extended run. He is a touch more flowing than Lawson, smooth but without the Scotsman's snap.
It was apparently a short-lived riposte. Just before half time, Gloucester shunted a five-metre line-out over the tryline and Olivier Azam was last up with the ball. Ludovic Mercier, on for Lamb, and a sort of left-footed metronome to the jinkier, jerkier Lamb - but no less revered here - made it a fully French seven points.
And then, just after half time, the Italy captain, Marco Bortolami - not in bad form himself at all - finished off a series of charges at the line by the heavyweights. The bonus point was secured; Gloucester were in the clear.
Before they could say: 'We're heading for the play-offs,' however, Sale had repeated their retaliation of the first half. When they managed to win any line-out ball - not always guaranteed - they looked as positive as they did at any stage of their run to the championship last season. A long pass from Richard Wigglesworth, a scrum-half standing in at stand-off, found large Dean Schofield free on the wing.
The second-row's gallop wasn't without a certain elegance, but it wasn't quite the curving arc that Chris Mayor etched on the middle of the field on his way to a try that was converted by Rhys Jones. The gap was reduced to 10 points.
Had Jones not been slightly off-target with a penalty attempt from five metres inside his own half it might have been a bit tense. As it was, the full-back missed for the first time. Instead, it was Mercier at the other end who plumped up the Gloucester cushion with a penalty of his own.
And when Olly Morgan ducked between two despairing defenders in the corner for the home team's fifth try the lead resembled a down-filled pillow of luxurious proportions, the sort found on posh wedding lists. That is the sort of list it's OK to publish.
GloucesterBalshaw; Bailey, Adams (Morgan 69), Tindall, Simpson-Daniel; Lamb (Mercier 35), Lawson (Richards 65); Califano (Wood 52), Azam(Davies 52), Nieto, Bortolami (capt; James 75), Brown, Buxton, Hazell, Balding (Boer 75)
Tries Lamb, Balshaw, Azam, Bortolami, Morgan Cons Lamb 2, Mercier 3 Pens Lamb, Mercier Drop Goal Lamb
SaleR Jones; Bell, Mayor, Taylor, Ripol (Vilk 42); Wigglesworth, Foden; Roberts (Evans 72), Titterell (Bruno 44), Stewart (Turner 43), Schofield, Day, C Jones (Tait 42), Fernandez Lobbe, Chabal (capt; Hills 75)
Tries Foden, Schofield, Mayor Cons R Jones 3 Pen R Jones
Referee T Spreadbury
