Rugby Union: NO MERCI FROM BRILLIANT LUDO; GLOUCESTER 29 NORTHAMPTON

NEW fly-half Ludovic Mercier looks set to be worth his weight in gold for Gloucester.

The left-footed kicker, top scorer in the French league last season, landed 17 of their points, including a mighty penalty from half-way which was the turning point of the match.

Until Mercier booted his howitzer between the posts in the 36th minute Gloucester had been trailing and Philippe Saint-Andre's major personnel changes looked questionable.

But there was a zest about Gloucester's play that was often missing last season as they took the game to the Saints.

Pint-sized Argentinian Diego Albanese was constantly urging his cosmopolitan colleagues onwards and Mercier was dynamic in the field as well as with his lethal boot.

Another of Saint-Andre's new boys, Italian prop Federico Pucciarello, was also a tremendous inspiration with turns of speed and pace which belied his 108 kilos of Parma ham.

Four minutes after Mercier had landed his long range kick, Gloucester number eight Junior Paramore bounded over for the try that decided this game.

It was a superb score, started with a run by winger Daren O'Leary, who chip-kicked ahead. The ball went into the tight and scrum half Dimitri Yachvili, -another new import from France, fed to Pucciarello, who sucked in the Saints defence before feeding Paramore.

The big Samoan ran in from 15 metres with time to place the ball behind the posts and set up an inevitable conversion for hero Mercier.

Saints fought back in the second half but could not add to the three penalties landed by fly half Paul Grayson.

Gloucester, however, were able to notch up one more score in a closely-contested second half - from Mercier, of course. He landed a 47th minute penalty but from then on neither side could break through.

The result delighted the majority of the 8,682 crowd as Gloucester gained revenge for conceding the double to the Saints last season.

The only black mark for Gloucester was the sin-binning of Paramore for an off-the-ball offence as the game got superheated in the 72nd minute.

But that did not stop the Gloucester fans giving the Samoan the biggest cheer as he left the field after several minutes of cheering and applause for what promises to be a bright new dawn at Kingsholm.

Northampton had started the more lively and drew first blood with a second minute penalty by Grayson. Mercier replied with one from in front of the posts, but Grayson then took Northampton 9-3 clear with another in the 12th minute and his last in the 29th.

It was a 100 per cent kicking quota for the England fly half - better than Mercier, who missed two of his eight kicks at goal.

However, by the 33rd minute he had levelled it and then came his big one to turn the tables and put Gloucester on course for victory.SCORERS - Gloucester: Tries: Paramore. Cons: Mercier; Pens: Mercier 5. Northampton: Pens, Grayson 3.

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