Sports03 October, 20262 min read
Gloucester Thrash Harlequins 48-0 At Kingsholm To Go Top Of Early Prem Standings
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Gloucester beat Harlequins 48-0 at Kingsholm, eight tries scored. The win moves Gloucester to the top of the early Premiership standings.
Gloucester thrash Quins
Gloucester thrashed Harlequins 48-0 at Kingsholm to go to the top of the early Prem standings, with the Cherry and Whites running in eight tries to make it two wins from two in the league and three on the bounce in all competitions. Gloucester head coach George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucestershire, "I expected us to be good in defence, I expected us to try and back up what we did last week but nilling a team is outstanding". Harlequins head coach Jason Gilmore said, "The performance was totally unacceptable and you are not going to win a game with a 21-5 penalty count against you."
“The performance was totally unacceptable and you are not going to win a game with a 21-5 penalty count against you.”
Gloucester fly-half Charlie Atkinson set up the opening try by finding Ben Loader free on the left with a pinpoint kick, and the match report recorded Barton converting four. The BBC match report listed Harlequins as bottom of the table without any points after failing to get on the scoreboard, while Gloucester named three new signings in their starting line-up including Wales internationals Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake.
Prem round-two results
Bath Rugby opened the round with a 40-34 victory over Exeter Chiefs, and Bristol Bears defeated Northampton Saints 41-26, in a Saturday slate that also featured Gloucester Rugby winning 48-0 against Harlequins. The Cordoba XV report said Argentine players Pedro Rubiolo and Benjamín Grondona started for the winners against Harlequins, with Grondona playing 61 minutes before being substituted. Gloucester fly-half Charlie Atkinson was central to the Cherry and Whites' electric start, and the BBC described him as having set up the opening try and then a pinpoint crossfield bomb for Ben Loader.
The BBC also recorded that Harlequins handed a debut to England full-back George Furbank, while Gloucester's George Barton slotted the conversion from touch after Will Trenholm forced over the third try. The Cordoba XV standings placed Gloucester Rugby first on 10 points, with Bristol Bears second on 10 and Bath Rugby third on 10, while Harlequins sat bottom on 0 after the 48-0 defeat.
England in Nations League
England achieved a 7-0 victory against Croatia in a Nations League match held at HNK Rijeka Stadium, with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka each scoring two goals. The BBC did not cover this match, but the Nacionale News report said Kane opened the scoring in the 8th minute after an assist from Bellingham, and it recorded Bellingham scoring in the 21st minute and Saka ending the first half with the fourth goal in the 45th minute. Nacionale News also said Kane scored the fifth goal in the 53rd minute, Saka scored the sixth following a Croatian defensive error, and Rogers completed the match with the seventh goal in the 87th minute.
The report placed the result as a significant step for England in Group A3 of the Nations League, and it said England’s next match will be against the Czech Republic on October 6. Nacionale News added that Croatia had several opportunities including a missed chance by Mateo Kovacic, but the team failed to match England’s speed and strength.