Gloucester have secured a devastating 55-0 win in their opening European Challenge Cup Pool Five clash against CA Brive this evening, with Charlie Sharples scoring a hat-trick of tries at Kingsholm.
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The Aviva Premiership side broke the deadlock in the 16th minute when Sharples, making his 150th appearance for the Cherry and Whites, collected a pass from Jonny May before crossing over.
Scrum-half Greig Laidlaw then curled a conversion between the posts to put the hosts 7-0 up, before kicking a penalty just after the half-hour mark.
The first half ended 10-0, but Gloucester were rampant in the second half, surging into a 27-point lead by the 50th minute thanks to tries by James Hook and Sharples and two more successful conversions by Laidlaw.
Another flurry of points came the way of the Cherry and Whites just after the hour, as Darren Dawidiuk crossed over the line for the bonus try before Sharples completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute.
The home side weren't done yet, as yet more good play from May set up Dan Robson, who scored his side's sixth try on the night.
Right at the end, the referee then awarded Gloucester a penalty try as the final action of the game.
Giuseppe Labellarte
