Heineken Champions Cup: Lyon 55-10 Gloucester

Eight of Gloucester's starting XV were making their Champions Cup debut

Weakened Gloucester suffered a heavy defeat in their Heineken Champions Cup opener as they were overpowered by a more experienced Lyon side in France.

Eight of Gloucester's starting XV were making their tournament debut, with several regular starters absent.

Debutant Seb Nagle-Taylor scored the visitors' only try, while Lyon claimed a first-half bonus point.

After the break, wing Xavier Mignot completed a hat-trick and the hosts sealed an eight-try victory.

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Gloucester struggle without star players

England wing Jonny May, Ollie Thorley, Louis Rees-Zammit and Danny Cipriani were some of the players on a lengthy absentee list for Gloucester and the lack of experience showed against a slick Lyon side.

The hosts' powerful forwards created plenty of space for Mignot to score his first after nine minutes and France international Noa Nakaitaci crossed moments later.

Lyon are on a run of five straight wins in France's Top 14 and were unrelenting against a young Gloucester side, with Australia lock Izack Rodda going over next.

But Gloucester soon ventured into Lyon's 22 and hooker James Hanson threw a canny long line-out leading to Hartpury loan Nagle-Taylor's try.

Former centre Mathieu Bastareaud, now playing at number eight, sealed a four-try bonus point before George Barton's penalty reduced the deficit.

Lyon's sharp offloads led to free-flowing play after the break and centre Charlie Ngatai and flanker Dylan Cretin both got on the scoresheet, while Mignot crossed twice more for his hat-trick.

Gloucester welcome Ulster to Kingsholm on Saturday and Lyon travel to Glasgow next, but the Cherry and Whites may struggle to turn things around in the new shortened group-stage format.

Each team plays two other sides from their 12-team pool in home and away fixtures before the top four in each pool advance to the quarter-finals.

Line-ups

Lyon: Arnold; Mignot, Barassi, Ngatai, Nakaitaci; Wisniewski, Couilloud; Chiocci, Ivaldi, Ric, Lambey, Rodda, Goujon, Cretin, Bastareaud

Replacements: Maurouard, Chaume, Devisme, Geraci, Fainga'a, Doussain, Berdeu, Regard

Gloucester: Moyle; Morris, Trinder, Seabrook, Morgan; Barton, Varney; Ford-Robinson, Hanson, Knight, Atkins, Gibson, Clement, Ludlow, Nagle-Taylor

Replacements: Gleave, Saville, Tyack, Craig, Gray, Thomas, Chapman, Sharples

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