Quite astonishing, really. After performing like chumps for much of the afternoon, Gloucester secured a draw with the last play of the match when James Simpson-Daniel, whose first try, 10 minutes earlier, had given the home side a fighting chance, dived triumphantly over, close to the right-hand corner. Willie Walker's attempted conversion drifted just wide, so defeat would have been mighty harsh on a plucky Newcastle team, who have now won on the road only once since last November.

Such is the strength of the squad at Kingsholm nowadays that Dean Ryan, the Gloucester head coach, made 11 changes from the side that began against London Irish in the Guinness Premiership last Sunday - yet he was still able to field 12 Test players in his starting XV, including Jeremy Paul, the former Australia hooker, making his debut.

Alas for the Kingsholm faithful, Gloucester looked more like a bunch of park players than seasoned internationals when a somnolent defence waved through Ollie Phillips, the Newcastle right-wing, within the opening 90 seconds following a scrum.

And it didn't get a whole lot better for the home side in an error-riddled first half. Gloucester enjoyed more territory and possession and they created some decent attacking platforms. But they repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with a multitude of unforced handling errors and by coughing up the ball at crucial times.

All the while, Toby Flood, the only one of England's World Cup final squad to be in action yesterday, was orchestrating matters for Newcastle with a calm authority, pushing his team forward with some canny chips and releasing his backs with some deft distribution. Not that the visiting pack lost much by comparison, with Joe McDonnell having a powerful game on the loose-head. Newcastle gained their reward just before the break, when Matt Thompson was driven over following a catch-and-drive routine at the line-out.

The second period was scarcely more encouraging for Gloucester, whose set pieces became increasingly ragged, until the rousing finale. Though Walker reduced the deficit to 12-6 with a penalty goal on the hour mark, Flood responded with a well struck brace of his own penalties to extend the lead to 18-6.

With the game becoming more stretched by the minute, Tom May turned a glorious chance to confirm a Newcastle victory when, between Simpson-Daniel's two tries, he knocked on with the line at his mercy.

Kingsholm 10,356

Gloucester Balshaw; Pryce (Bailey 31), Simpson-Daniel, Allen, Foster; Paterson (Walker 43), Lawson (Cooper 58); Dickinson (Forster 50), Paul, Califano, James, Bortolami (capt), Strokosch, Qera (Narraway 59), Balding

Tries Simpson-Daniel 2 Con Walker

Pens Paterson, Walker

Newcastle May; Phillips, Visser, Jones, Rudd; Flood, Charlton (Grindal 56); McDonnell (capt), Thompson (Long 66), D Wilson, Perry (Oakes 66), Sorenson, Parling, B Wilson, Winter (Williamson 75)

Tries Phillips, Thompson Con Flood

Pens Flood 2

Referee B Robertson