SATURDAY’S PREMIERSHIP CLASH between Gloucester and Bath descended into an all-out brawl with referee Tim Wigglesworth brandishing five yellow cards and two reds.
Bath required a late penalty try to take an 18 – 17 win and the hosts would end the game with just 11 men on the pitch.
The visitors themselves had two players sin-binned in the first half with Carl Fearns and Matt Garvey shown yellow cards, but they only trailed 9-6 at the break.
The second half swung on Sila Puafisi’s red card for a high tackle on Nick Abendanon, before Stuart Hooper surged his way over the line for a Bath try.
Dave Attwood then went into the bin for Bath, and Gloucester made the most of the numerical advantage with a Henry Trinder score.
A dramatic final 10 minutes followed as the hosts saw Mike Tindall and Huia Edmonds sin-binned before Ford’s converted penalty try handed Bath the victory.
There was time for more drama, however, as a melee at the end of the game saw Gloucester down to 11 when scrum-half Tavis Knoyle was sent off.
