Premiership: Wasps 21-35 Gloucester as Cherry and Whites earn bonus-point win

Charlie Sharples scored two of Gloucester's four tries at the Ricoh

Gloucester climbed up to fourth in the Premiership with a 35-21 bonus-point win at Wasps.

Dan Robson gave Wasps an early lead but Gloucester hit back to go into half-time 20-7 in front with tries from Ben Vellacott and Charlie Sharples.

Wasps threatened a comeback when Elliot Daly and Juan de Jongh went over.

But Sharples' second try and a Lewis Ludlow score, plus 15 points from the boot of Danny Cipriani, secured an impressive away win for Gloucester.

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The Cherry and Whites' victory, their third this season, moves them to within a point of third-placed Wasps and sees them go into their opening Champions Cup game against Castres next Sunday on a high having headed for the Ricoh on the back of successive defeats by Saracens and Harlequins.

However, it could have been different had Sharples' second try been referred to the Television Match Official when Gloucester were leading 23-21.

Wasps were convinced that Jason Woodward's offload to the winger was forward, but Cipriani took the conversion quickly - hitting the post with his drop-kick effort - to prevent the officials taking another look.

Soon afterwards Ludlow was driven over from close range to seal Gloucester's victory and a bonus point.

Wasps, who made eight changes to their starting XV, which included the England duo Elliot Daly and Nathan Hughes, began the brighter and scored early on when Robson - another who was back in the team - raced through a gap at a ruck and beat the covering defence.

Gloucester replied when Cipriani and Vellacott combined down the left before the scrum-half latched on to a neat kick from September's Premiership player of the month to touch down, before Sharples raced in from Tom Hudson's pass.

Daly cut through the Gloucester defence and De Jongh touched down Craig Hampson's kick either side of Cipriani's third penalty against his former club to make it a two-point game.

But Gloucester's two late scores secured their first away win of the season.

Wasps director of rugby Dai Young:

"We lacked real intensity and energy. We were a little better in the second half but there was no oomph to anything we did despite a rallying call at half-time when we made our feelings known.

"We didn't fire many shots and didn't build much pressure so Gloucester deserved their win as they were sharper than us.

"We had two very good results away from home but we rode our luck as they still weren't good performances. There was a blatant forward pass for one of their tries but our luck just run out."

Gloucester head coach Johan Ackermann:

"We showed more composure under pressure but we started poorly and chucked away a lead so the way we responded was the biggest positive.

"Our forwards were good and we nicked a couple of turnovers.

"At the end, Ed Slater and Danny showed good body language to help get us over the line."

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Wasps: Miller; Wade, Daly (capt), De Jongh, Bassett; Searle, Robson; Harris, Taylor, Brookes; Rowlands, Gaskell, Johnson, Carr, Hughes.

Replacements: Cruse, Zhvania, Stuart, Myall, Young, Hampson, Le Bourgeois, Lovobalavu.

Gloucester: Hudson; Sharples, Twelvetrees, Atkinson, Banahan; Cipriani, Vellacott; Hohneck, Hanson, Balmain, Slater (capt), Grobler, Polledri, Ludlow, Morgan.

Replacements: Marais, Adkins, Knight, Clarke, Evans, Braley, Williams, Woodward.

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys.