Harlequins 38-19 Gloucester - Murley bags hat-trick for hosts who dominate the Big Summer Kick Off, as visitors' top-four hopes suffer colossal hit

Gloucester's hopes of a top-four finish are hanging by a thread after Harlequins ran in six tries, three from Cadan Murley, in a comfortable victory at Twickenham in the Big Summer Kick Off.

From the off it was clear Quins had raised their game to give the home fans cheer after a poor Premiership campaign, while Gloucester were well short of their best.

Murley took advantage of Alex Dombrandt’s good work to race under the posts and then, after Tyrone Green spurned a try by dropping the ball over the line in a comical error from an otherwise fantastic performance, Will Evans drove in after a line out and Rodrigo Isgro weaved through tackles to build a big lead.

Although Christian Wade got in the try column to give the visitors hope, Murley scored just before and after half-time to put the game beyond doubt.

Santiago Carreras and Jack Cotgreave got scant consolation scores for Gloucester, sandwiching Isgro’s second try, but the Cherry and Whites, in sixth, will have to hope Sale and Saracens both slip up in the final two games if they are to make the top four.

"We saw why Gloucester aren’t a top-four side," Healey said on TNT Sports.

"Top-four sides accelerate towards the line. Gloucester didn’t turn up mentally or physically. That's the difference between a side which finishes top four and one that finishes fifth or sixth.

"When you're just a fraction off, you can't compete with a firing Harlequins. I don't think many of their players will come off that exhausted today."

"I was a bit of a mess to be honest," Smith said on TNT Sports.

"I had training in the morning, finished around 12.45 and then did about 20 minutes, half-an-hour kicking and [thought] I need to go home.

"I was pretty nervous and it was a dream come true to be honest. Sat there waiting for my name was a special feeling. I was with my mum and my girlfriend.

"It hasn't been the easiest four or five months, I've learned a lot about myself, it means a lot to me to turn up today and play at Twickenham with some of my best mates. Hopefully we can build again for next season.

"It's been an up and down season for us, we're a bit disappointed about where we are. We've had some good honest chats this week.

"We're the lucky ones who get to play at Twickenham. It's a special place the home of English rugby and we owed it to ourselves and the fans who turn out in numbers every week."

But Gloucester's season has effectively ended - and in a tepid fashion.

And confirmed by David Flatman as the man of the match.

The ball is played wide to substitute Cotgreave who just gets over the line in the corner before being forced out. Williams misses the conversion.

Clark was driven into the floor and Launchbury is given a warning. Gloucester kick into the corner. Three points no use to them now.

Wade did very well to get the ball out under pressure from three tacklers and Carreras did some gymnastics to stay in bounds and leap towards the line touching down...but he was just out of bounds - seemingly with his other hand.

A nasty clash of heads which saw Wade run into Murley, who ducked his head, and as well as a busted and bloody nose the hat-trick man has to go off for a yellow card.

Maybe the man disadvantage is what they needed. A great burst from Singleton through the middle and passed wide to Carreras who rode a couple of tacklers before going over the try line.

Things could get even worse for the visitors, as the Quins have the advantage for a couple of minutes.

They are in the mood to keep piling on the points and put on a show for the fans as they shun kicking at goal.

Another miss from Smith as he just pulls the kick.

Isgro goes over in the corner and once more the try is created by Green who races outside two defenders and then fed the right winger who touches down in the corner.

We are back to level terms in regards to personnel.

"They are going through the motions," David Flatman says on TNT Sports. He wants to see more physical impact from the visitors when they hit the contest.

He stretched his arm out to deny Williams finding a team-mate with a pass. Isgro took the loose ball and ran under the posts but instead of conceding five points, Gloucester are now playing with a man advantage.

Those extra metres wider Murley's try mark was compared to where Green could have touched down may have made a difference as Smith misses his first kick. It seems unlikely to make a difference.