It came to me in one of those flashes of inspiration that you only get when you’ve worked til 4am the night before, had one too many coffees already that morning and it’s the 60^th anniversary of Buddy Holly’s death. Don Maclean came to me in a vision and gave me my headline. He even gave me a line to tee it up in the preview. It was too good to resist – as long as Quins and Nick delivered on their end of the bargain.

Well, deliver they did. So here it is:

“And while the King was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown.”

To a certain extent, it does tell the story of the game. A moment’s inattention from the Gloucester backline, and the arch-jester was through with only the full back to beat. A hint of a dummy, a step, and he’s in under the posts. Quins may not have stolen the Premiership crown yet, but yesterday’s game was a statement of both intent and ability.

And yet… beyond that one try, the game raised bigger questions. I predicted a nailbiter, a potential classic and at least one losing bonus point. It certainly delivered on two counts, and there’s a debate to be had about the third.

Rarely does a low-scoring game rate as a classic in the eyes of the rugby-watching public. True, there is a hard core (including me) who delight in following the dark arts of breakdown play and mourn the decline of the rolling maul under the ELVs. But to most fans, a game needs to offer open, running rugby, deft handling and a high try count to rate as a classic. That, or 29 continuous phases ending in a drop goal well after the 80^th minute.

Nevertheless, there were times yesterday when I wondered to whether we were watching the future of Premiership rugby. Yes, a pair of back lines boasting 14 internationals between them (including subs) failed to deliver the hoped for try fest, but neither side could be accused of lack of ambition.

Gloucester regularly strung together multiple phases of play, and might have had two tries from neat counter-attacks. Quins, over and above Evans’s try, saw incisive breaks from Tiesi, Strettle (it’s good to have you back, Dave), Brown and Williams. That all this endeavour only resulted in two tries was down to some exceptional defence and breakdown play. Gloucester’s Andy Hazell was adjudged man of the match and Stuart Barnes, at least, felt he had handed Will Skinner a lesson. I tend to side more with Will Greenwood (well, I would, wouldn’t I?): yesterday saw two top class opensides at the top of their game. The ball was never quite quick enough for either side to unleash their backs.

We may need to get used to games like this: we are less than a season into the ELVs – which, remember, were designed to create more space for backs – and the smarter coaches have already worked out how to tighten the defensive structure to cope.

The game began brightly for Quins; a good take by Guest at the kick off and a clearance by Gomarsall pushed Gloucester back into their own half.

Following an easy lineout, Spencer kicked down the touchline. The ball initially bounced over Mike Brown’s head, but he gathered well and returned a trademark spiral kick, straight down the line from 22 to 22. It went right over Balshaw and left Gloucester with a pressure lineout. Titterrell’s throw wasn’t straight, and from the scrum Quins began a sequence of phases that ranged from touchline to touchline inside the Gloucester 22 but, aside from a neat half-break from Gomarsall, never quite threatened the tryline. Eventually, Dave Pearson blew up against Gloucester for not rolling away – something that would become a bit of a theme.

It looked initially as if Skins wanted to go for the try, but Evans volunteered to kick. It wasn’t from an easy position, but it was clear from the strike that it wasn’t going over. With hindsight, this may well have been down to the flu virus that saw Nev substituted at half time, but if so it was the only sign that he was off his game.

Tom Guest returned the 22 dropout to half way, and Gomars hacked the ball on for a lineout in Gloucester’s 22. Brown fielded the clearance kick and made yards upfield before being on the receiving end of what looked to this reporter like a high (but not malicious) tackle from Barkley. The officials didn’t notice (although they also didn’t notice an apparent knock-on in the ruck that followed). I suspect that Brown didn’t mind especially, because Gomarsall span the ball to Evans, who looked to pass but slipped through a gap in the Gloucester defence as it drifted to cover Quins’ numbers out wide.

Behind the first line of defence there was only Balshaw to beat. The much-maligned full back did the right thing initially, holding a careful line between Evans and Tom Williams and allowing one of Gloucester’s wings to get within tackling distance. But Evans dummied, stepped, and shimmied out of Balshaw’s grasp for an easy run home and a successful conversion in front of the posts. 7-0

Quins’ clearance from the kick off gave Gloucester the ball near the half way line. Despite repeated phases, Gloucester were unable to get far over the gainline before committed Quins defence brought them down. This was a feature of the home side’s play throughout the match – they defended the half way line almost as if it were their own goal line. Facing a long-range kicker like Barkley, this was a sensible move.

The passage of play eventually resulted in a penalty against Quins for not rolling away. Barkley’s kick, into the sun, was both short and wide, but Quins’ relief was short-lived. Although they took play back into Gloucester’s half, the Cherry and Whites turned the ball over in the ruck and Spencer put in a clever grubber kick that bounced awkwardly into the 22. Williams and Brown initially failed to gather but eventually shepherded it out.

Gloucester won the attacking lineout, Quins not seriously competing for the ball, and won a penalty for hands on the floor right in front of the posts. There was little doubt that Barkley would convert. 7-3

The restart sparked a passage of play that characterised much of the rest of the game. An exchange of kicks eventually saw Balshaw sky the clearance from an Evans kick and give Quins an attacking position in Gloucester’s half. Strettle appeared to knock on in chasing the original kick, but the referee didn’t blow; the first of a litany of errors that one of the Deans would invoke at the post-match press conference.

A good sequence of attacking phases from Quins eventually resulted in a turnover to Gloucester, and a superb clearance from Barkley left the ball scudding along the east touchline. Simpson-Daniel reacted quickly, with another player in support. Had he gathered the ball cleanly, it would almost certainly have been a try, but he knocked on from an awkward bounce and the Stoop breathed again.

Elements of this sequence would recur throughout the game. The teams had different defensive strategies but with much the same result: Quins were committing fewer at the breakdown, but slowing the ball down enough that their defence was always organised and Gloucester rarely made yards even when their most potent weapon, the resurgent Gareth Delve, received the ball at pace in midfield. Gloucester, on the other hand, seemed to leave more space out wide, but came away with turnovers from the breakdown. Gloucester looked more dangerous on the counter-attack, but Quins’ tactical kicking was stronger and they spent more time in Gloucester territory. Both sides made more handling errors than the conditions seemed to warrant.

As the game approached the half-hour, Gloucester had the ball in hand and were edging forward into Quins’ territory. A fine half-break from Spencer saw Gloucester into the Quins 22. In the ensuing passage of play, Pearson played a very long advantage for offside, allowing Gloucester to make 10 metres before blowing up. Barkley made certain of the points from near the middle and just outside the 22. 7-6

Three minutes later, Gloucester were back in Quins territory. A muscular tackle by Spencer on Guest led to a penalty for holding on that gave Gloucester a lineout on the Quins 10m line. Gloucester gathered the ball, despite interference, and tried to breach the line with a nice interchange of passes between Spencer and JSD. The Quins defence was not fooled, but a clever kick ahead saw Brown forced to concede a lineout on 5m.

The ball was overthrown, but the excellent Delve recovered it and drove forward. Gloucester worked it from one side of the pitch to the other, but the Quins defensive line held firm. The ball came back towards the east corner and Spencer looked briefly to run before passing to Simpson-Daniel. That moment of hesitation was enough for Jordan Turner-Hall: the double-barrelled centre was upon the double-barrelled winger so hard and so fast that the ball bounced loose and was gathered by the omnipresent Robshaw. Gloucester were quick to tackle, but JTH continued his personal quest to resurrect the rolling maul and physically dragged the other three players involved almost to the 22 before the tackle was completed. Gloucester conceded a penalty for not rolling away, and the pressure was off.

The next sequence of play saw more “controversial” refereeing. After an exchange of possession, a superb kick and chase from Strettle saw him tackle Spencer and drive him back over his own 22. Gloucester recovered the ball and kicked it straight out: lineout to Quins from where the ball was kicked: in this case the Gloucester 5m line. At the press conference afterwards, Dean Ryan questioned the decision and professed not to know the law. The relevant ELV states: “If the ball is passed or run back into the 22 and then kicked out on the full before a tackle, ruck or maul is effected, the resulting lineout is taken from where the kick was made,” and I have to say, I’m not clear myself. Spencer did carry the ball back over his own 22. But does the fact that he was being shoved by Strettle at the time mean that a maul or tackle was in effect? I am not sure.

Things only got worse for Mr Ryan. After a messy passage of play from Quins, Balshaw caught a high ball from Tom Williams. His momentum carried him into touch – but he called a mark on the way. Pearson and the touch judge did not hear him and awarded a lineout to Quins.

There followed a succession of mistakes: an overthrown lineout, a knock-on from Foster, a crooked feed. Gloucester kicked the resulting penalty straight out to put an end to the half.

The second half began with Malone taking the field for Evans, but continued in much the same way as the first. Quins’ tactical kicking lost little with the change of fly half, but Gloucester continued to force turnovers in the tackle.

Quins managed the first concerted attack of the half, a Gloucester defensive lineout going astray and the forwards driving to within 5m. Malone’s grubber kick through went over the dead ball line before an attacker could reach it – though it looked to me as if JTH might have been held back.

Gloucester came back with an attacking lineout on the Quins 10m line, but were unable to make serious headway and the ball eventually went over the touchline. However, Quins gave away a penalty while trying to recycle the ball from the lineout and Barkley converted to give Gloucester the lead. 7-9

By this point, the Sky commentators were talking about Gloucester’s domination of the game, but it didn’t feel that way in the stands. Yes, they had pulled their way into the lead, and they were creating turnovers, but it did not feel to me as if Quins were losing the battle. These days, being two points down feels like a minor nuisance that will be rectified in time.

The 50^th minute saw the beginning of the substitutions, Azam and Eustace taking the place of Titterrell and Bortolami, with Evans (J) on for Kohn shortly thereafter.

The next few minutes saw good half-breaks by Brown, Strettle and Tiesi come to nothing. Gloucester then had their first concerted attack of the half, Azam earning a penalty from the scrum (cue complaints in the press conference from the other Dean), which led eventually to another Quins scrum being driven backwards, and Gloucester getting an attacking lineout from Gomarsall’s scrambled clearance.

However, Gloucester made little ground in the resulting phases and eventually conceded a penalty for holding on. Quins caught and drove off the resulting lineout to the Gloucester 5m line, but some effective last ditch defence saw the visitors win a scrum.

At this point, around the 60^th minute, Ryan Lamb came on for Spencer. By this point, Junior Poluleuligaga was also on for Gomars. Meanwhile, the scrum was undergoing multiple resets. Eventually, although Gloucester looked strong, Quins wheeled the scrum and were awarded the put in under the “use it or lose it” rule. Gloucester dissent saw this turned into a penalty, which Malone missed. There was further dissent from Dean Ryan at the press conference; he didn’t see how the decision could have gone Quins’ way when the scrum, with Azam on board, had been going Gloucester’s way. Dean Richards had the answer: Azam’s been around the block and doesn’t scrummage legally.

More scrappy play followed. Lawson put a back pass over Balshaw’s head and the clearance kick went straight out, giving Quins an attacking lineout. But the throw wasn’t straight and Gloucester cleared to half way. Quins made little headway with the ball, but Gloucester conceded a penalty dead centre on the 10m line. Malone missed again, and an element of doubt crept in: how much would we rue 12 squandered points in a match this close?

Now in the final ten minutes, Quins threw a short lineout near the half-way line to Ceri Jones and Malone kicked the ball downfield. Pressure from Ugo Monye (on for Brown) and Turner-Hall led to another Gloucester kick going straight out.

A break by Gonzalo Tiesi from the lineout saw Quins reach the Gloucester 5m line. Could they finally convert the pressure into points? Repeated phases from the forwards worked the ball to the middle of the field and Turner-Hall charged for the line. He was stopped short, but Tom Williams was there in support and ducked round and under Delve to place the ball on the line. Pearson went to the TMO, but the decision was swift and in Quins’ favour. It was fair reward for a sterling afternoon’s work from Williams, and Malone made sure of the conversion. 14-9

Gloucester now swapped on Satala for Hazell, and he had an immediate impact. Gloucester won a scrum from the kick off, Satala broke off the base and the Quins line was threatened. The ball went wide to JSD, who broke back inside, ignoring a potential overlap, and was tackled. Gloucester worked the ball along the line and back again, eventually knocking on on the 5m line.

Nervous moments followed. It was Quins’ turn for their scrum to be wheeled, and the Shedheads in the north stand went wild. But Gloucester couldn’t get clean ball from their put in and a last ditch effort from Quins saw the ball carrier driven backwards and into touch. Quins threw the lineout to Jones at the front and Poluleuligaga cleared to end the match.

In the post-match interviews, Dean Ryan picked out two reasons for Gloucester’s loss: the referee and their tactical kicking. He felt that Spencer had done little wrong, but that Barkley and the back three had not done enough to put the ball in the right part of the field, and put themselves under unnecessary pressure. He also refused to analyse the missed chances in the dying moments, observing that Gloucester’s faults were earlier in the game. He praised Trinder and Sharples for stepping up to the mark against high class opposition.

I’ll agree with him on everything bar the refereeing. Pearson missed things that should have gone in Gloucester’s favour, but he also missed things that should have gone in Quins’ favour. And he never looked to the yellow card, despite the fact that Gloucester’s more aggressive approach to the breakdown resulted in regular penalties.

The kicking, to my mind, was ultimately the difference between the two teams. Evans, Malone, Gomarsall, Brown and Williams all pulled their weight and more in keeping Quins in the right parts of the field. For Gloucester, only Spencer was really firing on all cylinders with the tactical kicking. Let’s hope that Chris Malone’s replacement is as good at game management – or at least a fast study from Evans. Quins’ fans have blown hot and cold about Malone, but it says a lot that a coaching team with a game manager of the calibre of Mike Catt want him on their side next year.

The other Dean’s interview was, as usual, a masterclass in how to manage the media. “That win was vital, Dean,” came the opening salvo. “Was it?” deadpanned the DoR, before conceding that it was important for a number of reasons, mostly because the team liked to win in front of their home crowd. A question about whether he was concerned about the missed kicks was deftly turned to a dig at Olivier Azam’s scrummaging. Nick Evans’ substitution was because “he told me that for the last 50 yards [of his try] he felt a bit sluggish.” There was a careful hint to future referees: “We felt Gloucester’s defence was right on the line and they weren’t letting us play as much as we would like.”

Deano refused to be drawn on a target for the season. “We’re going all out to win every game we can, but there are certain things that are outside our control, like injuries and the refereeing. If we falter, we falter.”

He praised the team spirit, but singled out one player in particular: “Tommy Williams is playing out of his skin, his decision-making, his execution and his anticipation are excellent. We’re really pleased with his form, and he gives us options at wing and fullback.” It looks like there’ll be a real fight for the starting spots in the back three now that they are all fit.

In summary, this match was tense, but not, ultimately, a classic. There were too many unforced errors for that. Similarly, Quins answered a number of questions, but raised others.

Can they close out crunch games against top class opposition? Yes. Is their defence good enough to win silverware? Yes. Are they still vulnerable in places? Yes. There were too many turnovers, too many missed chances, and overall Gloucester’s pack seemed to have the edge in the set pieces. This was ultimately a good win but, one moment of Nick Evans brilliance aside, I don’t think Quins have properly stolen that thorny crown yet.

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