Leeds may have been granted a stay of execution last week, but any Rotherham supporters making the short trip to West Yorkshire yesterday would have been convinced that it is only a matter of time before they replace their neighbours in the Premiership.
Like the Leeds Marathon yesterday, which cruelly finishes on a steep gradient, this was always going to be an uphill struggle, but apart from the opening half-hour Leeds rarely looked like avoiding a seventh successive Premiership defeat.
Leeds's director of rugby Phil Davies admitted: "Maybe there would have been more of an edge to it if this had been a relegation game, but we'll come back a lot stronger for the experience next season.
"I've got a lot of sympathy for Rotherham, but we don't make the rules."
Steve Bachop, playing his last game for Leeds, made an early impression, kicking astutely from hand, but it was his loose clearance on the half-hour that opened the floodgates after the impressive Chris Hall had scored an early try to help Leeds run up a 10-point lead.
Bachop's kick bounced straight to Henry Paul, and the former Bradford Bull, booed for his league connections whenever he touched the ball, created space for James Forrester to break the Leeds cover and score the first of Gloucester's seven tries.
The Gloucester back line, coached by the former Wales fly-half Paul Turner, is full of ingenuity, and a little sharp thinking by Andy Gomarsall gave Junior Paramore the chance to cruise over and put Gloucester ahead just before the break.
Trevor Woodman went over in the corner after another surge by Paramore had set up a ruck, and when Forrester broke from his own 22, he put James Simpson-Daniel in space. The seriously quick star of England's recent Hong Kong's Sevens victory darted between Chris Murphy and John O'Reilly on a scorching, diagonal run to the line.
Daren O'Leary took all of 30 seconds after coming on as a substitute to get in on the try-scoring act before Simpson-Daniel broke from his own half, swapped passes with Terry Fanolua and ran in the best try of the afternoon.
By now some of Gloucester's counter-attacking was of the exhibition variety, and another break from Simpson-Daniel set up a try for Koli Sewabu.
This fixture might have attracted a five-figure attendance had Leeds's Premiership future been at stake. As it was, only 4,145 turned up to watch Gloucester consolidate first place for a play-off quarter-final against Newcastle at Kingsholm next Saturday.
Gloucester should have the new England captain Phil Vickery back in their starting line-up by then. The Raging Bull survived a cut near his eye to finish the match after coming on as a replacement 20 minutes from the end.
Leeds: Scarbrough; Bartolucci, Mulder, Van Straaten (Benson, 50), Hall; Bachop (Davies, 65), Benton (O'Reilly, 50); Wring (Fullman, 60), Holt (Luffman, 49), Shelley (capt), C Murphy (Jones, 60), P Murphy, Hyde (Mather, 60), Ponton, Hogg. Tries: Hall, Scarbrough. Cons: Van Straaten, Benson. Pen: Van Straaten.
Gloucester: Paul; Albanese (O'Leary, 62), Fanolua, Todd, Simpson-Daniel; Mercier, Gomarsall (Jachvili, 66); Woodman (Kollazo, 60), Fortey (Azam, 76), Pucciariello (Vickery, 60), Pearce (Caillet, h-t), Fidler, Forrester, Boer (capt), Paramore (Sewabu, 65).
Tries: Forrester, Paramore, Woodman, Simpson-Daniel 2, O'Leary, Sewabu. Cons: Mercier 6. Pen: Mercier.
Referee: D Pearson (Northumberland).
Attendance: 4,145.
