FOR a second weekend running, Gloucester ran into an opponent with a misfiring goal-kicker – but Quins still held a 13-5 half-time lead at Kingsholm.

After Butch James missed all five of his kicks against Gloucester a week ago, Chris Malone failed with his first four this afternoon.

But his side took a deserved lead into the break after tries from young England stars Mike Brown and Danny Care.

Gloucester replied with a try from a talented young Englishman of their own – Olly Morgan – but Malone finally found his radar toward the end of the half to increase Quins' lead to eight points.

David Strettle set up the opening try with a scintillating jinking run into the 22, before Care slipped the ball to Brown to score.

Malone's conversion miss took his points tally of missed kicks to eight, but Quins were soon celebrating a second try when Brown just about managed to control his own teasing up-and-under, before setting up Care, who hacked ahead and beat Morgan to the ball to score.

Again Malone missed the conversion, and it looked as though his miss could prove costly when Morgan took Mike Tindall's pass and held off two defenders to score.

But Malone found his touch to make it 13-5 – before the half drew to a close with a number of referee Rob Debney's decisions infuriating the home crowd.

Gloucester: O Morgan; M Watkins, M Tindall (capt), O Barkley, L Vainikolo; W Walker, G Cooper; N Wood, O Azam, C Nieto (A Dickinson 15), W James, A Brown, A Strokosch, A Hazell, L Narraway. Reps: A Titterrell, M Bortolami, P Buxton, R Lawson, R Lamb, M Foster.

Scorers: Try – Morgan.

Harlequins: M Brown; D Strettle, G Tiesi, J Turner-Hall, U Monye; C Malone, D Care; C Jones, T Fuga, M Ross, O Kohn (J Evans 33), G Robson, C Robshaw, W Skinner (capt), N Easter. Reps: G Botha, M Lambert, T Guest, A Gomarsall, T Williams, W Luveniyali.

Scorers: Tries – Brown, Care. Pen – Malone.