Watch - Louis Rees-Zammit scores another wonder try

George Skivington hailed Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit’s quality after his spectacular solo try sparked Gloucester’s thrilling 27-21 Gallagher Premiership victory over Wasps.

Gloucester missed out on the title play-offs by just two points last term, and they started the season terribly at Kingsholm, trailing 21-0 at half-time.

But wing Rees-Zammit scored a 90-metre breakaway try early in the second period, and Gloucester ended up with a bonus-point triumph.

It was their biggest comeback win in Premiership history, eclipsing a 20-point turnaround to beat Newcastle 19 years ago.

On Rees-Zammit, Gloucester head coach Skivington said: “I back him all day long if he has got the ball in space.

“He knows the importance that, when those moments are created for him, he is there to finish them off.

“We’ve seen a few of those moments. Anything that puts him in space, you don’t have to cross your fingers that he is going to get there, because you expect him to.

“He has got those moments in him – he’s special and he can produce something like that, and sometimes you need that.”

Tries from fly-half Charlie Atkinson, flanker Brad Shields and centre Burger Odendaal took Wasps clear, with Atkinson converting all three scores.

But Rees-Zammit signalled a turning of the tide, before scrum-half Charlie Chapman added a second try in two minutes during the third quarter.

Adam Hastings added a conversion and penalty, before Gloucester were awarded a penalty try 12 minutes from time, with Wasps seeing two players – Tom Willis and Biyi Alo – yellow-carded in rapid succession.

With Wasps still down to 13 players, lock Freddie Clarke completed Gloucester’s stirring response by crashing over from close range and securing a bonus point in the process.

Chasers deserve huge kudos here #GLOvWAS | Credit: @btsportrugby pic.twitter.com/giuJ033TfG

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 11, 2022

Skivington added: “Wasps were definitely the better team in the first half, and we didn’t execute our plays or what we had set out to do. We had a couple of defensive wobbles, and Wasps took advantage.

“I didn’t go to the hairdryer (at half-time). The challenge was more that we’d had two months of pre-season working on various things, and it didn’t look like we had worked on them.

“We just got a bit clunky in the first half – poor connections in defence. I think we were calmer in the second half.

“No-one is going to be defined on the first game of the season. Every game is intense and tight. They ebb and flow, and there are no poor teams in the Premiership.

“I expect us to be better than we were last season, I think it is going to be a ferocious league, but I expect four or five teams to be better. I think it will be a real dogfight.”

Reflecting on the result, Wasps boss Lee Blackett said: “In the first half we looked in total control and were always in the right half (of the pitch).

“In the second half it was the complete opposite. You know when you come here with players like Rees-Zammit you don’t dare make mistakes.

“Coming here and getting a point is not an absolute disaster, but we could have got more.”