It’s game day.
Gloucester Rugbyface South African side the Hollywoodbet Sharks at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday night in the final of the 2023/24 EPCR Challenge Cup.
The Cherry and Whites are unbeaten in cup competitions this season – winning 14 games so far this campaign – having already claimed the Premiership Rugby Cup to end a nine-year wait for silverware. Knock-out wins over Castres Olympique, Ospreys and Benetton have earned George Skivington’s side a place in the final.
The Durban-based Sharks become the first South African team to reach a ‘European’ final after clubs from the Southern hemisphere were introduced to the tournament two years ago. They beat Zabre, Edinburgh and Clermont in the knockout rounds to reach the London final.
The game kicks off at 8pm on Friday night.
Follow all the build-up, team news, live play-by-play match updates, reaction, stats, analysis and highlights from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with regular updates below…
22:04John Evely
No Champions Cup rugby for Gloucester
The Cherry and Whites will play in the Challenge Cup again next season as a result of tonight’s defeat.
22:02John Evely
Reaction from Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington speaking to TNT Sports
Skivington said:
“It is tough to swallow, there are some real quality blokes leaving us next year.
“We didn’t really get a foothold in the game.
“They turned it into the game they wanted and we got dragged into it.
“I thought our boys fought really hard. They have got some guys who know how to win these games and they did some things they haven’t done all season
“We couldn’t live with it. They blew us away for most of that game.
I am proud of the guys but we probably learned a few lessons out there.
That first 10 minutes was good but we let ourselves down with moments of inaccuracy.
“I am gutted, we made some bold decisions to go for this tournament and to not win it is gutting and we have to swallow that.
“There are so many supporters here who we would have loved to have won a second trophy for this season.
22:00John Evely
Match action
21:54John Evely
Official player of the match
Sharks tighthead Vincent Koch takes the official player of the match award.
I just said to my colleague if I was doing player ratings for the Sharks I would have given him 10/10.
The prop was magnificent.
21:52John Evely
Stay tuned
Full reaction to come….
80 minsKey Event
FULL TIME – Gloucester Rugby 22 The Sharks 36
The Sharks become the first South African side to win a ‘European’ title as they are crowned the 2023/24 EPCR Challenge Cup winners.
Gloucester played their part in the game but there is no fairytale ending for Jonny May, Adam Hastings or Santi Socino on their final appearances for the club.
22-36
79 minsKey Event
TRY – Gloucester Rugby – 22-36
Freddie Clarke gets on the scoreboard again to make the scoreline look a little better for the Cherry and Whites.
Ollie Thorley created it with a burst out of his 22, slipping but still having time to get back to his feet, take it on again and out Clarke away for a 40m run in.
Adam Hastings misses with the wide left conversion.
22-36
76 minsKey Event
TRY – Gloucester Rugby – 17-36
Gloucester finish with some champagne rugby.
Chris Harris steps in and out to beat the first defender and then offloads over the top to Max Llewellyn who does well to hold on.
The ball is spread wide and Santi Socino takes an inside pass to burst over the line.
Adam Hastings adds the conversion.
17-36
74 minsJohn Evely
Line out stolen
Gloucester have a lineout on The Sharks 22 but the South African side are still competing everywhere and Eben Etzebeth gets up to steal the ball at the front of the line out.
10-36
71 minsKey Event
NO TRY – Gloucester Rugby – 10-36
That is a moment of collective magic from Gloucester but it is not going to count.
Zach Mercer makes a break through the middle to get the Cherry and Whites on the frontfoot.
Adam Hastings puts in a cross-field kick to Jonny May who vollys the ball on and Stephen Varney wins the chase to touch the bouncing ball down.
But….
Varney was in front of Hastings when he made the first cross-field kick forward and never stopped or retreated so, by the letter of the laws, is offside.
That is a pity for the Cherry and Whites and the home fans don’t like it.
10-36
70 minsJohn Evely
A hero’s welcome
The Sharks’ high profile frontrow of Ox Nche,. Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch do make way to a huge cheer from the South African support.
They have won this game.
10-36
68 minsJohn Evely
No subs made by The Sharks
We have just noticed the South African side are yet to change a single player from the starting XV while Gloucester have pretty much emptied their bench.
Why change a winning formula I guess?
10-36
66 minsJohn Evely
Scrum penalty to the Sharks
Mayco Vivas is penalised for boring in.
To the naked eye it looked like Gloucester were dominant in that scrum, but a replay shows why as the Argentine changed his angle.
The Sharks kick down-field.
10-36
63 minsKey Event
PENALTY GOAL MISSED – The Sharks – 10-36
Adam Hastings is penalised for changing his line to block Grant Williams who is chasing his own kick through.
The Gloucester fly-half kicks away the cheapest of penalties as a result.
But Siya Masuku – who has kicked like a dream – pulls his kick narrow to hand Gloucester a let off.
10-36
60 minsKey Event
TRY – The Sharks – 10-36
The Sharks are playing with some swagger.
Santi Carreras is unable to take a high up and under that lands perfectly just outside his 22 meaning he can’t call the mark and is hit hard.
The South African side gather the ball and Siya Masuku puts in a pin-point cross-field kick for Makazole Mapimpi to take without breaking stride to allow the winger to score with a dive.
Masuku adds the conversion.
10-36
57 minsKey Event
TRY – Gloucester Rugby – 10-29
The Cherry and Whites aren’t dead yet.
They win a penalty off the restart and kick to the corner.
The catch and drive drill is good and new man on the pitch Albert Tuisue is spun in-field and over the line.
Adam Hastings sweeps home the conversion with his right foot.
10-29
54 minsKey Event
TRY – The Sharks – 3-29
That is a killer blow.
Aphelele Fassi is over under the posts, finishing with a dive for the camera after quick hands exposes Adam Hastings flying out the line…again.
3-29
52 minsKey Event
PENALTY GOAL – The Sharks – 3-22
That is a painful fall
Santi Carreras and Makazole Mapimpi go up in the air to compete for an up and under from the Sharks.
Matthieu Raynal is being very lenient with not protecting players in the air.
Carreras knocks on and Gloucester have conceded a penalty, I think for not supporting their weight trying to turn it over.
The Gloucester fans don’t like it and to a chorus of boos Siya Masuku lands the central kick from 30m out.
3-22
49 minsKey Event
PENALTY GOAL – The Sharks – 3-19
Ouch.
Mayco Vivas is penalised for not engaging and holding back in an attempt to force the The Sharks to collapse. It feels a harsh decision.
Siya Masuku knocks over the easy three points from 10m out and right in front of the posts.
3-19
47 mins John Evely
Vital turnover
Santiago Socino comes up with a huge turnover close to his line as he gets over the top of a ruck to get his hands on the ball and win it back.
The ball gets trapped in the following ruck as both sides fight for it so the game will restart with a Cherry and White scrum.
Can the new frontrow deliver the goods again?
The game could hinge on this scrum.
3-16
45 minsJohn Evely
Interception
A floaty Zach Mercer pull back pass, which he has done a few times this game, gets picked off by the rapid Grant Williams who takes off.
The Sharks work the ball wide and go deep into the Gloucester 22 through full back Aphelele Fassi and the Cherry and Whites concede a penalty defending their try line.
This is a critical moment in the game.
3-16
43 minsJohn Evely
Scrum penalty
That is massive in the context of this game.
The Cherry and Whites win a penalty at the scrum on their put in.
Santi Carreras kicks down-field for a lineout.
3-16
42 mins John Evely
First scrum of the second half
The Sharks set a maul from a lineout near halfway and get a good drive on but Lewis Ludlow goes through the middle and gets his hands on the ball to win a turnover for his side.
It will be a scrum though, how will the new frontrow do?
3-16
21:04Key Event
SECOND HALF KICKS OFF
Caolan Englefield gets the second half underway and Ollie Thorley chases hard to put in a thumping tackle, but then then gets caught on the wrong side of the ruck and penalised.
3-16
21:02John Evely
George Skivington looks to have rolled the dice
Wow.
Gloucester have changed their entire frontrow at half time, on come Santiago Socino, Mayco Vivas and Kirill Gotovtsev.
The Cherry and Whites need to change the narrative at the scrum and George Skivington has brought on his two international props to do it.
Big call.
3-16
20:56John Evely
Match action
20:53John Evely
Chris Harris comes up just short
20:51John Evely
Trylights – Phepsi Buthelezi goes through the Gloucester defence
20:50Key Event
HALF TIME – Gloucester Rugby 3 The Sharks 16
After a bright start from Gloucester, but no points to show for it, The Sharks have been dominant for the last 30 minuted and go in at half time with a comfortable lead.
George Skivington is going to have to make some changes at the break as his side are losing the physical confrontation.
3-16
39 minsJohn Evely
The Sharks turn the ball over
Gloucester successfully get the ball away at the scrum for a second time and Zach Mercer breaks away again before linking up with Adam Hastings who tries to slip Santi Carreras through a gap with an inside pass but the full back is well tackled and flanker Vincent Tshituka jackals over the ball to win a penalty for not releasing.
3-16
37 minsJohn Evely
Thorley surivies a TMO check for foul play
Sharks full back Aphelele Fassi has come down horribly trying to take the restart after he collisdes with his own man.
Ollie Thorley smashed into the player that causes the fall but the Gloucester winger is judged to have done nothing wrong by the TMO and referee Matthieu Raynal awards the Cherry and Whites a scrum for the knock on.
Finally the English side get the ball out the back of the scrum quickly and Zach Mercer explodes off the back.
That is the first successful scrum of the game for Gloucester.
3-13
36 minsKey Event
PENALTY GOAL – The Sharks – 3-16
Santi Carreras goes up with Makazole Mapimpi to compete for a high ball, both men come down from the night sky with their hands clamped on the ball.
Its not coming out so referee Matthieu Raynal awards a scrum, handing the ball to Gloucester.
But Jamal Ford-Robinson is pinged at the scrum again, that is four penalties from four at the scrum, two against the head.
The tee comes on and Siya Masuku knocks over his fourth successful kick of the night.
3-16
32 mins John Evely
Tightheads kicking
The Sharks are growing in confidence and tighthead prop Vincent Koch puts in a 50/22 kick to give his side a brilliant platform to attack from, but the Cherry and Whites steal the ball at the lineout and counter through Zach Mercer down the blindside but again he is hit hard.
3-13
30 minsKey Event
PENALTY GOAL – The Sharks 3-13
The Sharks have weathered the early storm from Gloucester and sucked the air out of the lungs of the Gloucester fans.
Freddie Clarke is penalised for knocking the ball down and Siya Masuku knocks over a penalty from 30m out and right in front.
The scoreboard is getting away from the English side.
3-13
29 minsJohn Evely
Every scrum ending in a penalty
Jamal Ford-Robinson is penalised for dragging down the latest scrum to give The Sharks an easy out from deep in their half.
Siya Masuku kicks his side deep into Gloucester territory.
3-10
25 minsKey Event
TRY – The Sharks – 3-10
That is a stunner.
Vincent Koch offloads off the ground to number eight Phepsi Buthelezi who slips a tackle from Fraser Balmain and opens up his legs and sells a dummy to Santi Carreras who is caught defending a two on one.
Siya Masuku converts.
3-10
22 minsKey Event
PENALTY GOAL – Gloucester – 3-3
Caolan Englefield has a rocket on him.
The scrum-half isn’t a big man but smashes over a 59m kick from deep in his own half.
Wow.
3-3
20 minsKey Event
PENALTY GOAL MISSED – Gloucester – 0-3
Santi Carreras is looking majestic in the air.
The Argentina star takes two high balls under tones of pressure in quick succession with the second leading to a penalty as the Sharks are penalised for not releasing.
The tee comes on but Carreras misses with the 42m effort on the angle.
0-3
18 mins John Evely
Pure power
Sharks hooker Bongi Mbonambi scoops up a loose ball and explodes into the Gloucester defensive line, picking a mismatch with Caolan Englefield who gets driven back 8m in the collision.
That sadly represents the way this physical battle as gone so far in this final.
0-3
17 minsJohn Evely
Back to 15 v 15
Aphelele Fassi is back from the sin bin with The Sharks 3-0 up from the full back’s time off the pitch.
Gloucester are really struggling to get over the gain line.
0-3
16 minsJohn Evely
The Sharks are shackling Mercer
Gloucester are back on attack again with everything coming through Zach Mercer who is almost playing like a fly-half.
But the Sharks are rushing up and shutting down the number eight effectively.
Santi Carreras says enough of this and boots the ball end over end deep into The Sharks half.
0-3
14 minsKey Event
PENALTY GOAL – The Sharks – 0-3
Siya Masuku makes Gloucester pay with a wonderful kick from 40m out and near the right touchline.
The Cherry and Whites can’t afford to make any mistakes in their own half or this South African side are going to punish them.
0-3
13 minsJohn Evely
Sharks dominating in the scrum
The all Springbok tight five of the Sharks are delivering at scrum time.
Two scrums, two penalties.
The second against the head sees Fraser Balmain lifted clean off his feet.
The kicking tee is coming on.
0-0
12 minsJohn Evely
Big defensive play
The Sharks have possession for the first time but Ollie Thorley comes up with a huge tackle to force a knock on.
0-0
8 minsKey Event
NO TRY – Gloucester – 0-0
Chris Harris is inches short of dotting the ball down.
Gloucester throw to the back of a 5m lineout to Arthur Clark who drops the ball down off the top.
The ball is spread out to the backs to Seb Atkinson who ships a short pass to Harris. The Scottish international thinks he can reach out and score but has it dislodged by Eben Etzebeth and knocks on.
So close for the Cherry and Whites, but great defence from the Sharks skipper.
0-0
6 minsKey Event
YELLOW CARD – The Sharks – 0-0
Aphelele Fassi is sent to the sin bin after four or five quick penalties against the Sharks.
The South Africans are down to 14 for 10 minutes.
0-0
5 minsJohn Evely
Gloucester finding gaps
Caolan Englefield makes a snipe from the back of a ruck to break the resolve of the Sharks defence and then gets hit high.
The attack continues with Jonny May crapping across the pitch looking for a gap but he can’t find one.
Ollie Thorley and Adam Hastings take the ball in but Gloucester can’t find a way through.
The Sharks have gone offside though.
This is all Gloucester
0-0
4 minsJohn Evely
The Sharks survive the early pressure
The Sharks illegally drag down Gloucester’s first catch and drive attempt from a 5m lineout.
The Cherry and Whites kick to the corner again, but at the second attempt to catch and drive the Sharks drive the English side’s maul into touch.
That is a big defensive moment.
0-0
2 minsJohn Evely
High tackle
Gloucester are turning down the early points.
Makazole Mapimpi catches Santi Carreras high with a seat belt tackle on the edge of the Sharks 22.
Santi Carreras kicks to the corner for a 5m line out.
0-0