Gloucester beat Benetton to reach Challenge Cup final

European Challenge Cup semi-final

Gloucester: (15) 40

Tries: Hathaway, Blake, Hastings, Clarke, Thorley Pens: Hastings 2, Englefield Cons: Hastings 3

Benetton: (11) 23

Tries: Smith, Lucchesi 2 Pens: Albornoz 2 Cons: Albornoz

Gloucester stormed into their fifth European Challenge Cup final with a 40-23 win over Italian side Benetton at Kingsholm.

Tries from Josh Hathaway and Seb Blake helped Gloucester to a 15-6 lead before Rhyno Smith pulled a score back right before the break, while the hosts had a man in the sin bin.

But Adam Hastings and a showstopper-interception try from Freddie Clarke stretched the Cherry and Whites' lead either side of two Gianmarco Lucchesi scores before Ollie Thorley added a fifth score right at the death.

Gloucester will now face South African side Sharks in the final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on 24 May.

Gloucester remain on track for their third Challenge Cup victory, having won in 2006 and 2015 and also their second piece of silverware this season after winning the Premiership Rugby Cup in March, despite not having a season to remember in the Premiership.

The hosts got off to the perfect start with Hathaway – starting in place of experienced Argentine Santiago Carreras who has just had appendix surgery – collected a punt over the top from Chris Harris to dive over for the first try of the day.

Tomas Albornoz – on his 50th appearance for Benetton – pulled back some points with two penalties, to one from Adam Hastings, but Gloucester looked in control.

Hastings kicked a brilliant 50:22 after the Italians sloppily lost the ball in midfield to give the hosts an excellent attacking opportunity and, at the second time of trying from a line-out, Gloucester’s maul drove forward and over with Blake scoring the second try to stretch the lead to 15-6.

Yet the tide turned when Gloucester number eight Zach Mercer was sent to the bin, five minutes before the break for a deliberate trip and Benetton instantly capitalised.

Winger Onisi Ratave saw a try chalked off for an infringement in the build up before Smith ran over in the corner with the clock in the red zone to close the gap to four points.

The hosts came out firing and looked the stronger team for early parts of the second half, and while Hastings kicked a penalty, replacement hooker Lucchesi powered over from a maul.

But Hastings, who has seen another season ravaged by injury and will leave Gloucester at the end of the campaign to re-join Glasgow, darted between two defenders to score a crucial try at a pivotal point.

Clarke capped a sensational interception and sprint downfield with a dive under the posts to add Gloucester's fourth try seconds later as the momentum firmly swung the way of the hosts as they made it 32-16.

Lucchesi pulled another try back, rolling over from a driving maul, but it was too little from Benetton who were unable to become the first Italian side to reach a European Cup final.

Caolan Englefield's penalty created a bit more breathing space for Gloucester before Thorley added the extras in the final seconds, scooping up a loose ball to run over and delight the rocking Kingsholm crowd.

Gloucester head coach George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:

"I'm delighted. I think the biggest thing really is half-way through the season we sat down as a group and the Prem hadn't gone the way we wanted and we committed to two cups and said we've got two things we can go after.

"The boys committed to it and through thick and thin and maybe a few comments they've just stayed on task - I'm just chuffed we've got an opportunity to go for the second one.

"I thought the energy was brilliant, the commitment to the plan as well, we said in the changing room we knew there was moments Benetton would come into the game - they're a team full of Italian internationals and the energy's high.

"It's the months and months of sticking to the plan that's put us in this position that I'm most proud of this group for."

Gloucester: Hathaway, May, Harris, S. Atkinson, Thorley, Hastings, Englefield; Vivas, Blake, Gotovtsev, Clarke, Thomas, Ackermann, Ludlow © Mercer.

Replacements: Socino, Ford-Robinson, Knight, Tuisue, Clement, Varney, C. Atkinson, Hearle.

Sin bin: Zach Mercer (35 mins)

Benetton: Smith, Mendy, Menoncello, Brex, Ratave, Albornoz, Garbisi; Gallo, Nicotera, Ferrari, Scrafton, Snyman, Negri, Lamaro ©, Halafihi.

Replacements: Lucchesi, Spagnolo, Zilocchi, Cannone, Iachizzi, Izekor, Uren, Marin.

Referee: Nika Amashukeli