Burns' night for Gloucester
Full-back Freddie Burns kicked 19 points to help Gloucester upset Saracens 29-28 in a Guinness Premiership thriller at Kingsholm.
Last Updated: 03/04/10 8:27pm
Saracens failed to keep pace with Leicester and Northampton at the top of the Guinness Premiership as they suffered a 29-28 defeat at Gloucester.
Freddie Burns was the hero of the Kingsholm faithful, kicking five penalties and two conversions to finish with a personal haul of 19 points.
The talented young full-back also set up Charlie Sharples' second try of the night, the winger having already crossed for the hosts in the opening half.
Sarries still had a chance to win it at the death but substitute Derick Hougaard's long-range penalty attempt was both short and wide.
Absorbing encounter
A losing bonus point was the very least that the visitors deserved for their efforts in an absorbing contest, though it will be of little comfort to them considering both the Tigers and Saints had won earlier on Saturday.
Despite the heavy going, both teams played an expansive game to grab two tries apiece. The difference, in the end, was Burns' boot.
The 19-year-old traded penalties with Glen Jackson inside an opening quarter-of-an-hour that had seen an Alex Goode try ruled out by the TMO.
Gloucester also came close to scoring themselves early on, Apo Satala, replacing the injured Andy Hazell in the back row, swooped on a loose line-out throw from Schalk Brits to gallop through the mud towards the line.
Quickly recycled ball from the breakdown looked set to lead to an overlap but lock Will James wrongly opted to run it himself rather than send it out to the backs waiting outside him.
Despite the missed chance, a penalty from a scrum soon after allowed Burns to boot the Cherry and Whites ahead for the first time in the contest.
That lead remained until shortly before the half-hour mark when Sarries centre Brad Barritt started and finished a superb team move from deep.
Gloucester delivered an instant riposte - Sharples sliding over untouched on the right after centre Tim Molenaar has breached the defensive line with a bursting run down the middle.
Burns converted from the right and, after Jackson responded with three points, the Bath-born back slotted over a penalty, this time from the left touchline, to make it 16-13 in favour of the home team at half-time.
Brilliant Burns
The break allowed both sides to catch their breath before coming out for more of the same in the second half - starting with a second Gloucester try after 47 minutes.
Saracens had only themselves to blame, though, turning over the ball inside their half. Burns showed he's just as good kicking out of hand as he is off of a tee, lofting a chip out towards Sharples, who finished bravely under pressure.
The conversion was added by Burns, who also knocked over a pair of second-half penalties to cancel out a try from Saracens winger Chris Wyles.
Hougaard came on to slot over a penalty that cut the gap to eight points and the margin was down to just one when Goode darted over, the full-back accepting a pass from centre Adam Powell to canter over near the posts.
Hougaard added the simple conversion but missed his chance of glory as the seconds ticked away.
On the Highveld he would have been confident of making it, but the conditions meant the South African's effort never came close to going over the bar.
