A WEEK after admitting his charges would need a lot more than resilience against Harlequins, Gloucester director of rugby Nigel Davies saw them find much, much more against the reigning Premiership champions.
The 17-15 win may have been sealed by a late converted try by Akapusi Qera, but it was won more by an unstinting work effort, that famed resilience and no little skill.
There was, as Davies admitted afterwards, "a good deal of dog" for the home fans to savour as his young side dug in after trailing for more than an hour to launch yet another final quarter assault (and even more as they snuffed out Quins late response).
But the fluency that was so lacking in the ring-rusty win over bottom club London Welsh six days earlier was suddenly there for all to see.
As was a sense of adventure, willingness and ability to run from anywhere and stretch a well-organised Quins defence.
That multi-coloured line stretched and bent, but failed to buckle in the first period, but Gloucester had the patience and determination to keep on probing until the pressure told and Qera was able to land the killer blow.
"One of the main focuses going in was work rate," admitted Davies. "We had a couple of days longer to recover than Quins. We felt if we kept up that intensity, we would have the edge."
He was proved right, as was his gamble to throw on a completely new front row just three minutes after the break when Jonny May had finally managed to pierce the defensive wall for Gloucester's opening try.
The new arrivals stood firm in the scrum - which had creaked early on - and popped up alongside their colleagues in cherry and white with crucial tackles and carries, Dario Chistolini completing a fine personal week to see off pantomime villain Joe Marler, blond mohican et al.
But there was more to this win than mere resilience.
Quins came to play, had two hugely influential figures in Nick Easter and Nick Evans and were far more clinical in a first period where they played second fiddle to their hosts in terms of territory and possession, but turned round 12-3 ahead and fuming over a refereeing decision they felt ruled out a potentially decisive margin.
Two sides willing to keep the game flowing and a referee, JP Doyle, eager to do the same - albeit often courtesy of some erratic decisions - made for an absorbing, entertaining battle.
And against a side gunning for back-to-back titles, with an LV Cup success in their back pocket and a home Heineken Cup quarter-final on the horizon, Gloucester stood toe to toe and eventually outran, outslugged and outscored their visitors.
Qera and Sione Kalimafoni split the man of the match awards, while Tom Savage - captain after the fifth-minute loss of Jim Hamilton to an ankle injury - combined with his back row colleagues to complete a combative, destructive and creative force.
Behind, Jonny May popped up all over the place, Rob Cook continued his upward path, Henry Trinder produced an outrageous pass behind his back and while Billy Twelvetrees still looks in transition from Twickenham to Kingsholm, Freddie Burns was more like his old self.
Still not perfect from the kicking tee, but combining attacking threat, game management and some defensive work aping the back row in front of him.
It all leaves Gloucester in the heart of the play-off race, whatever their closest rivals do to each other over the weekend.
A top-four finish would have been seen as a remarkable achievement at the start of the campaign, but three games from the end of the regular season and they are more than making up the numbers in the higher echelons of the Premiership.
Victories over a very good Quins side are not easily achieved and this result will be noted with interest by their rivals for a top-four spot.
Not just the win, the attacking intent and the growing danger of this young back line on harder grounds - grass or artificial - but also that resilience.
Being ahead of Gloucester going into the final quarter is not enough any more. Unlike in previous seasons, there is a steel and belief that they can come back.
Without the wins and bonus points secured in the last quarter of matches throughout the season, they would be nowhere near the play-offs. With them, they are serious contenders.
As they are with the fluency and attacking spirit which was on show from the off.
But they fell behind as two early scrums ended in free kicks and first George Lowe almost sent fellow centre Tom Casson free and then Easter's quick tap created the room for hooker Rob Buchanan to barge over wide out.
Burns deservedly cut that gap after 20 minutes with a penalty, but a touch of class from Evans responded immediately - the ex-All Black spotting space in behind and perfectly weighting a chip for wing Sam Smith to canter onto and score unopposed. Evans converted for a 12-3 lead.
That could have been cut - Cook coming closest as Mike Brown just got fingertips to dislodge the ball as the line opened up in front of his opposite number but equally could have been stretched as the half ended in controversial fashion.
As Quins pressed, Twelvetrees tackled Casson fractionally before Danny Care's pass arrived. Lowe swept onto the loose ball to touch down, but not before Doyle had blown for a Gloucester scrum and ending play, rendering the TV replay official demanded by visiting director of rugby Conor O'Shea redundant.
And Gloucester took full advantage from the restart with a sweeping move to send May over.
It was started by Burns, who got on the end of Brown's pass at the end of a dangerous Quins move and almost sent Charlie Sharples scorching over in the corner.
They recycled his pass inside and quick passes allowed May to cross in the same corner as his epic effort - from rather further out - against Quins last season.
Evans responded with a penalty to make it 15-10, Burns failing with a chance to cut the gap.
And from that point, Gloucester turned down a string of kicks at goal as they ramped up the pressure, opting first to kick for the corners and then, when newly-arrived hooker Joe Gray was sent to the bin, attacking scrums.
The first was penalised, the second launched Kalimafoni into midfield and, finally, Qera over near the posts.
Burns converted to give Gloucester the lead and they reproduced the impenetrable wall Quins had created in the first half to snuff out the late response - late replacement Mike Tindall wrapping up the charging Easter to prevent a last-ditch drop-goal effort.
Davies called it the "best win of the season" and it is hard to question that.
There might, just might, be better to come.
Gloucester: R Cook (M Thomas 64); C Sharples, H Trinder (M Tindall 79), B Twelvetrees, J May; F Burns, D Robson (D Lewis 30); D Murphy (N Wood 43), K Britton (H Edmonds 43), S Knight (D Chistolin 43); L Lokotui, J Hamilton (capt) (W James 5); T Savage, A Qera (A Hazell 77), S Kalamafoni.
Tries: J May, A Qera; Con: F Burns (2); Pen: Burns
Harlequins: M Brown, R Chisholm, G Lowe, T Casson (M Hooper 77), S Smith; N Evans (B Botica 77), D Care (K Dickson 64); J Marler (M Lambert 61), R Buchanan (J Gray 54), J Johnston; O Kohn (C Matthews 58), G Robson; J Trayfoot (R Buchanan 68-78, J Clifford 78), L Wallace, N Easter. Replacement not used: W Collier
Tries: R Buchanan, S Smith; Con: N Evans; Pen: Evans
Referee: JP Doyle
Attendance: 14,699
