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Struggling Gloucester scored what could prove to be a season-turning victory, beating Leicester Tigers 12-9 at Kingsholm.

The boot of Freddie Burns (pictured) proved the ultimate difference as he outscored Jeremy Staunton, but it was a huge collective effort that had Kingsholm rocking at the full-time whistle.

This was only the third victory of Gloucester's season, lifting them from third-from-bottom in the Guinness Premiership up to a rather more comfortable seventh.

The first half was very much a contest of the fly-halves as Burns and Staunton traded kick for kick, with Gloucester's flankers making the early difference.

Peter Buxton in particular had a big impact for the home side, although it was Leicester who took the lead through an early Staunton penalty.

Burns levelled the scores immediately and then four minutes later had the Kingsholm crowd cheering again as he split the posts for 6-3.

Unsurprisingly Anthony Allen was looking to make an impression on his old stomping ground, but both he and Lote Tuqiri found themselves decked by hard challenges - much to the delight of the home fans.

Their entertainment was doubled by visiting stand-off Staunton, who missed an ugly attempt to level, allowing Gloucester to march up the other end and apply some real pressure through their set piece.

That pressure eventually earned a penalty, but Burns did not wait for the free shot, backing his drop goal technique to extend the lead to 9-3.

Leicester responded, as they so often do, ploughing their effort into the forwards, but Buxton and Jake Boer provided outstanding resistance for the home side.

Staunton eventually chalked up a three-pointer for 9-6, and that would be how the scores remained until the break after Burns struck an upright with the last kick of the half.

The Gloucester fly-half made amends immediately after the interval, taking advantage of Tom Voyce's excellent clearance to snaffle an opportunist drop goal for 12-6.

Leicester are never out of any game though, and back they came straight away, Staunton finding his accuracy from the touchline to once again reduce the deficit to three points.

An injured Burns was then replaced by Carlos Spencer with half an hour remaining, and twice that change looked significant as Gloucester turned down kickable positions with their regular kicker off the pitch.

Nevertheless, with Spencer on the pitch the Kingsholm side built up 20 minutes of sustained pressure, eventually leading to the sin-binning of Scott Hamilton for slowing the ball down after Lesley Vainikolo's break.

Fourteen-man Leicester were not about to give up though, and it took a superb last-ditch rearguard effort by Gloucester to hold on, Tuqiri's knock-on eventually sparking jubilant scenes around Kingsholm as the final whistle sounded.

Ben Blackmore / Eurosport