These are dark times in this cathedral city where rugby is so important. After a heavy defeat at home by London Wasps 11 days ago, a makeshift Gloucester were outclassed by five tries to one last night by an equally stopgap Australia side playing the first game in these islands of their European tour.

Speed, inventiveness and individual skill were demonstrated by the Australians; honest endeavour, plodding play and a lack of skill by the home side.

This was an odd game, one between a team, Australia, who had lost six of their past seven internationals, and another, Gloucester, who were beaten by Sale Sharks on Friday and, with one eye on another important game against Cardiff Blues on Sunday, fielded a team containing only nine first-team regulars.

What was immediately evident and became more so the longer the game went on was that the Australia XV were full of running, inventive, quick and superb at the breakdown. Though at times the visiting team looked out of touch, time and again a Gloucester player lumbered into the contact area to be met by two Australians who robbed him of the ball and recycled it in the blinking of an eye.

It looked grim for Gloucester when they conceded two tries in the first half, two well-worked scores, too, even though the home side laboured towards the Australia line with a series of penalty kicks to touch by Carlos Spencer. Why not go for goal was the predominant thought. Then Spencer produced a deft cross-kick and Charlie Sharples, having caught it, shipped it on to Freddie Burns for Gloucester to score their first and only points of the night.

The arrival of Dave Attwood added some beef to Gloucester and until they conceded three tries in the final 15 minutes, their play for much of the second half was more spirited. Nevertheless, it always looked as though almost any Australian could score from almost anywhere. Soon one did. Dave Dennis, who has not played in the Super 14 competition, broke from a lineout, ran 50 yards, breaking through a limp tackle by Tom Voyce, and set up an easy try for Drew Mitchell. And Dennis is a second-row forward.

Poor Gloucester tackling was another mark of the game. Mitchell ran through several home players as if they were not there to score his two tries, while the touring team simply worked the ball through so many pairs of hands for Quade Cooper’s try that he had yards in which to work.

England will not come up against many of these Australians at Twickenham on Saturday, but that does not mean the touring team will not provide a stern test.

Scorers: Gloucester: Try: Burns (25min). Australia XV: Tries: Cross (13), Smith (30), Mitchell 2 (65, 75), Cooper (79). Conversions: Cooper 4. Penalty goals: Cooper (3).
Scoring sequence (Gloucester first): 0-3, 0-10, 5-10, 5-17 (half-time), 5-24, 5-31, 5-36.
Gloucester: F Burns (rep: J Simpson-Daniel, 54); C Sharples, H Trinder (rep: J May, 72), T Molenaar, T Voyce; C Spencer, D Lewis (rep: J Pasqualin, 60); P Doran-Jones (rep: R Harden, 70), D Dawikuik (rep: B Phillips, 67), P Capdevielle, W James, A Eustace (rep: D Attwood, 41), J Boer, A Qera, D Williams (rep: A Satala, 62).
Australia XV: K Beale; L Turner, R Cross, T Smith, D Mitchell; Q Cooper, L Burgess; S Kepu (rep: M Dunning, 50-72), T Polata (rep: P Cowan, 38), S Ma’afu, D Dennis, D Mumm, M Chapman, M Hodgson, R Brown.
Referee: A Small.
Attendance: 16,121.