Half-time: Gloucester 9 Cardiff Blues 3: Three Olly Barkley penalties have given Gloucester a 9-3 half-time lead against Cardiff Blues, who had Tom James sent off for inexplicably butting Olivier Azam.

The game was finely balanced at 6-3 – and Cardiff had just enjoyed a lengthy stay in the Gloucester 22 – when winger James thrust his head into Azam's and was shown a straight red card.

His foolish dismissal threatens to derail Cardiff's bid to extend their Pool Six winning run to five from five matches.

Gloucester, who had Mike Tindall (dead leg) and Olly Morgan (dislocated finger) ruled out 24 hours before kick-off, took an early lead when Barkley landed a 53-metre penalty after Cardiff were penalised at a scrum.

The hosts threatened to add to their early score but were unable to find a way through a resilient Blues defence before the Welsh side levelled with a Leigh Halfpenny penalty following an offside.

Barkley made it 6-3 when Cardiff killed the ball – and then came the drama which saw James sent off just seconds after a promising Blues attack had faded just metres from the line.

Cardiff went over the top at a ruck, allowing Barkley to make it 9-3, and the centre hit the bar with another penalty shortly before the break as Gloucester began to assume control of the game.

Gloucester: W Walker; I Balshaw, M Watkins, O Barkley, J Simpson-Daniel; R Lamb, G Cooper; A Dickinson, O Azam, C Nieto, M Bortolami, A Brown, A Strokosch, A Satala, L Narraway (capt). Reps: A Titterrell, N Wood, W James, A Eustace, D Lewis, A Allen, M Foster.

Scorers: Pens – Barkley (3).

Cardiff Blues: L Halfpenny; G Thomas, T Shanklin, J Roberts, T James; N Robinson, J Spice; G Jenkins, G Williams, G Powell, D Jones, S Morgan, M Molitika, M Williams (capt), A Powell. Reps: T Filise, T R Thomas, B Davies, X Rush, D Allinson, C Sweeney, J Robinson.

Scorers: Pen – Halfpenny.

Sent off: James (30, striking opponent with head).

Referee: A Lewis (Ireland).