Despite late pressure from London Scottish, Gala held out for a memorable victory.

Gala's dynamic start set the tone as Lee Millar kicked an early penalty and then converted a try by Grant Somerville after the visitors had lost the ball in contact. But London Scottish found their composure, their bigger forwards making dents in Gala's defence and their backs operating with a smooth efficiency, the pressure resulting in a James Love penalty.

Samoan PJ Gidlow was proving a threat in attack and when the powerhouse centre barged through the middle, Miles Mantella was on hand to finish with a try in the corner.

The Exiles' driving mauls were putting Gala in difficulty and when Chris Weir was sin-binned for illegally stopping one of these human bulldozers, London Scottish took advantage with close range tries in quick succession by Willie Lipp and Colin Quigley, the latter's converted by Love.

However, tries by skipper Opeta Palepoi and Craig Robertson, both converted by Millar, put Gala back in the ascendancy only for Love to put over a penalty.

Gala, though, found the energy to mount an attack that ended with Millar dropping a goal. Then, under sustained pressure, the home line held firm as their front row provided the ultimate bulwark in defence to secure a memorable win.

London Scottish Director of Rugby, Simon Amor, acknowledged Gala's scrummage skills, saying: "They were very effective towards the end of the game."
He added: "Gala played with passion and a huge amount of energy. We rested a few players for this match, but that is no excuse for this performance. "