Important? Yes. Festive or entertaining? Forget it. As Dean Ryan said 30 minutes after his Gloucester players had headed off to scrape and shower away the clinging Kingsholm mud: "There won't be a lot of analysing of that."

In short, a game to forget and no way for two sides contemplating Europe to open the year. London Irish did not create a chance. Gloucester trudged their way back into the top four, but for 74 minutes made their fans uneasy and increasingly unhappy, kicking away almost every hint of possession.

The pitch was "rubbish" according to Brian Smith, London Irish's director of rugby, but the game had promised better when Olly Morgan went over in the corner within three minutes. Even then, the try-scoring move started with a mistake or two. Delon Armitage hoofed the ball directly to Ryan Lamb, who collected the ricochet off his own chest and hared diagonally across field to the safety of his own pack. Marco Bortolami emerged from the ruck clutching the ball and found the steadfast Peter Buxton outside him with Morgan sprinting along the touchline. The full-back chipped ahead and was the only man at the races.

The remainder of the first half was blown away by the wind and drowned in the rain. Both sets of half-backs kicked remorselessly and badly. The forwards toiled and were then asked to do the same again. Shane Geraghty managed a penalty when Morgan was spotted draping himself over Justin Bishop. Lamb missed two and the conversion but redeemed himself slightly with a chip that almost put James Simpson-Daniel over. The wing got to within five yards of the flag, only to be bundled into touch by Bishop again.

But with only the novelty of the new scrum laws to amuse them, the silent sell-out crowd grew restive. They know about scrummaging in these parts and tentative taps by the props on each others' shoulders only entertain for so long.

Whether he sensed the unease or just deemed that Lamb and Rory Lawson were running up a blind alley, Ryan decided enough was enough. His opposite number did the same, replacing Geraghty with Barry Everitt, and the chemistry changed. Mike Tindall turned down a chance to put the boot in, Andy Hazell took the ball into the Irish 22 and Jake Boer got to within a puddle or two of the line. Peter Richards, on for Lawson, slipped the ball to another replacement, Iain Balshaw, and Gloucester were home, if not dry.

Ryan said: "It was important that we didn't try too much and that's the sad indictment. The danger is that if we had gone looking for it, it could have been a nightmare. It's a shame. In decent conditions these two sides could have been worth the money."

Gloucester Morgan; Simpson-Daniel, Tindall, Allen, Foster (Balshaw, 66); Lamb (Walker, 57), Lawson (Richards, 63); Califano (Wood, 60), Davies, Nieto, Bortolami (capt), Brown, Buxton (Boer, 62), Hazell, Forrester.

Tries Morgan, Balshaw Pen Walker

London Irish D Armitage (Horak, 80); Ojo, Mordt, Mapusua, Bishop; Geraghty (Everitt, 63), Hodgson; Hatley (Paice, 56), Coetzee (Collins, 56), Rautenbach (Lea'aetoa, 70), Kennedy, Casey (capt; Hudson, 62), Roche, S Armitage (Magne, 77), Murphy.

Pen Geraghty

RefereeT Spreadbury (Somerset) Attendance 12,500