Lesley Vainikolo marked the start his new Rugby Union career with five tries at Headingley Carnegie to ruin Leeds Carnegie's party on the opening day of the Guinness Premiership season, losing 49-24.
The game had been evenly poised on the hour with Leeds trailing by a single point at 25-24 however Vainikolo then took control with four tries in 16 minutes.
Stuart Lancaster gave four players their home debut with Jon Goodridge starting against his old club.
For the visitors, Lesley Vainikolo started his Rugby Union career where his Rugby League career had ended since his summer move from Bradford.
Gloucester played with a strong wind at their back in the first half and they put pressure on Leeds early on. The home side were desperate to make a good start and early nerves led to a number of penalties which Gloucester drilled into the the corner. Eventually the pressure told as James Simpson-Daniel made the extra man out wide. Ryan Lamb could not convert though in the windy conditions.
It was certainly a hammer blow to Leeds' early confidence but they came right back at the visitors and were in front three minutes later.
Last season's Player of the Year, Jon Dunbar, picked up a loose ball 25 metres out and powered his way down the Main Stand touchline, handing off three would be tacklers to score. Alberto Di Bernardo cooly stepped up to add the conversion and take lead.
Leeds had their tails up now and they were not prepared to let their momentum end there. Several waves of pressure in the Gloucester half eventually led to a penalty for offside and Di Bernardo was on target again to make it 10-5 after 13 minutes.
He had another chance ten minutes later but from a more difficult angle and distance, however the Argentinean was unperturbed and slotted over his effort to make it 13-5.
Gloucester finally got some possession in the Leeds half when a long range punt from Di Bernardo went dead in goal. Vainikolo caused problems down the South Stand wing before Gloucester switched play right across the field and Iain Balshaw was the extra man to score on his return to Headingley Carnegie. Lamb missed the conversion but the lead had been cut to 13-10 after 27 minutes.
The game then entered a frantic period in the lead up to half time. Firstly, Lamb levelled the game with a penalty after 32 minutes however three minutes later Di Bernardo replied with a kick of his own to make it 16-13.
However, that was to be the last part he played in the game as he was replaced by James Brooks after suffering a suspected fracture in his hand in the first tackle of the game. However, that was not before Vainikolo gave Rugby Union fans a taste of what he can do by holding off four defenders before powering over in the corner. Lamb missed the conversion but Gloucester now led 18-16.
But then with the last kick of the half Brooks gave Leeds the lead once again with a penalty from in front of the posts.
Gloucester came out fired up at the start of the second half and elected to kick for touch instead of goal after they had been awarded a penalty within range. The move paid off but not after they were given a let off when it appeared there was as knock on following the line out. However, referee Rose saw no problem and Anthony Allen stepped his way through the Leeds defence to score. Lamb was able to convert this time and he took the lead to 25-19.
Leeds were unbowed however and, just as they had done in the first half, they hit right back at the Cherry and Whites. Five minutes later Biggs and Welding combined to create an overlap and Tom Rock raced in from 15 metres out for the try. Brooks was unable to convert from the touchline but Leeds now were within a point.
The game was evenly balanced with twenty minutes remaining but Leeds needlessly turned over possession 30 metres from their own line and Gloucester struck for their fourth try to wrap up the bonus point. Vainikolo had the ball in time and space and was never going to be stopped. Lamb's conversion struck the post and bounced away so the home side were still within a converted try of the lead.
However, any hope of that was extinguished when Lesley Vainikolo powered his way over for a second half hat trick inside 11 devastating minutes. Two of the tries came when he found himself in space out wide and galloped his way over whilst his fourth try came when he latched on to a cross field kick by Anthony Allen. Lamb could only convert one of the scores but Gloucester had taken an unassailable 42-24 lead.
Leeds: Goodridge, T Rock, Welding, Hepworth, Biggs, Di Bernardo, Bedford, Cusack, Rawlinson, Noon, Hooper, Myall, Dunbar, Fourie, Oakley.
Replacements: Hopcroft for Noon (44), Parkes, Bouza for Dunbar (58), Lock for Fourie (23), Brooks for Di Bernardo (36), Holtby for Hepworth (70), Hinton for Goodridge (60)
Gloucester: Balshaw, Simpson-Daniel, Lloyd, Allen, Vainikolo, Lamb, Prendergast, Callazo, Azam, Nieto, Pendlebury, Brown, Buxton, Hazell, Narraway.
Replacements: Titterrell for Azam (50), Califano for Callazo (76), Tuohy, Strokosch for Pendlebury (58), Lewis, Mercier, Morgan
Ref: David Rose
Attendance: 10,674