SAVE the best till last.

As sporting ambitions go, it’s up there with the best. Apply it to a knockout competition and you win the thing. Translate it to the league and, if you’re competing at the business end, it’s worth its weight in gold. Apply it in a defensive dog-fight and salvation, as it so nearly was for Newcastle, is a real possibility.

Even when there’s not much else to play for, a commanding last-day performance can send departing favourites off in style and give everyone connected with the club a warm and fuzzy feeling that will last well into the close-season. London Irish ticked all the boxes on Saturday to give England-bound Mike Catt a ringing endorsement of his coaching philosophy and green-shirted fans the feeling that a seventh place finish this season holds a promise of better things to come.

Gloucester have always prided themselves on being contrary – not swanky like Harlequins, or flashy like Bath, but spiky, irreverent, non-conformist and, above all, nobody’s soft touch. On Saturday , they not only acted completely out of character but seemed to lose the plot as well. Statistically as well as obviously they saved their worst to last.

The 52 points they conceded to London Irish at the Madejski on Saturday was the most they had conceded all season. If Tom Voyce hadn’t nipped in for a consolation score at the end, the margin of defeat would have eclipsed the 42-6 humiliation handed out by Harlequins at the Stoop back in September.

But Harlequins were top of the table then – and ended the season top of the pile. London Irish, however, had no such delusions of grandeur. They had lost to Gloucester at Kingsholm and, wallowing in the bottom half of the table for much of the season, had long given up hopes of qualifying for the Heineken Cup. They started Saturday afternoon a couple of places adrift of the Cherry and Whites.

And didn’t have to do much to play Gloucester off the park. Most of the damage at the Madejski was self-inflicted. Jim Hamilton’s sending-off was the most obvious sign of the lack of self-discipline in the Gloucester ranks but the rash of penalties conceded – allowing the Premiership’s leading marksman Tom Homer to help himself to 22 points in the match – was a complete give-away.

It was embarassing, as interim head coach Carl Hogg admitted afterwards. The admirable Scotsman, who stepped up to the position in the wake of Bryan Redpath’s ugly and appallingy-managed departure, deserved far better from his team. So did Mike Tindall, who should have been given the sort of send-off the Irish accorded their own World Cup winning centre.

It was close to being unforgivable, but sport doesn’t work like that. The true fan will always forgive the men who fuel his dreams. Gloucester is the home of the true fan, as a recent newspaper survey into the Premiership confirmed, and, though they will be squirming all summer, Cherry and White supporters will allow their heroes to start next season with a clean slate.

As well they might. Gloucester, despite the way the current campaign collapsed, are in a good place. The youngsters will mature, a new head coach will be appointed. Gloucester will get better.

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