There have been few more entertaining games than this all season and, for Gloucester, none more satisfying. It is not often Toulouse are outdone for pace and vigour but this was a rare example of it, regardless of the qualification maths. This will go down as one of the great West Country nights, studded with brilliant scores and glorious ambition.

All present will certainly remember it for years, not least the final try by the outstanding Jonny May, his second of the match, barely five minutes from the end, which sealed the outcome. James Simpson-Daniel's break on halfway and pass inside to the flying May summed up a wonderful home effort, with Freddie Burns also kicking 14 points. If English rugby needed a pre-Six Nations boost, this was definitely it.

Toulouse have still qualified for the last eight but only by the frayed seat of their culottes. Had Harlequins won in Galway they would have been all but out of the competition. As things stand they are staring at an away quarter-final, always a serious hurdle. They have only themselves to blame, having mixed the sublime with the ridiculous just as they did against Harlequins before Christmas. Their winger Timoci Matanavou was among the offenders, scoring a brace of tries but also making a couple of costly defensive howlers.

Gloucester's own hopes of qualification had already disappeared but it was a stunning contest from the outset. Despite Nick Wood being sin-binned for reckless use of the boot at a ruck inside the first minute it was the hosts who scored first, courtesy of one of the season's more embarrassing defensive cock-ups. Under pressure behind his own line Matanavou changed his mind about 15 times before his attempted clearance was charged down by Akapusi Qera and pounced on by May.

Any Cherry and White euphoria did not last long. Within five minutes Thierry Dusautoir had seized on a loose ball and shown ominous pace to outsprint Rory Lawson to the line from 35 metres out. A nonchalent conversion and penalty from Lionel Beauxis restored the visitors' lead and reminded everyone to show a little respect. When Toulouse set out to play an all-court game there are few better sights in modern rugby and the finger-tip midfield passing which created a 17th-minute score for Matanavou was dextrous poetry in motion.

Gloucester might have been swept away but they have their own beguiling attacking talents. May is as quick as anyone in the country and his lust for adventure is shared by the England senior squad winger Charlie Sharples. The pair combined thrillingly down the right and, when the ball was recycled swiftly, Burns and Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu sent Qera galloping over to reward their team-mates' enterprise.

Tight and claustrophobic it was not but few were complaining. Both sides took it in turns to launch outlandish attacking surges and the Gloucester back row of Qera, Alasdair Strokosch and Luke Narraway lost nothing by comparison with their illustrious counterparts. England are looking for a No8 with a spring in his step and Narraway, in terms of mobility, is as good as anybody out there. With a touch more precision, the scoreboard would have whirred like a fruit machine.

The pace barely slackened in the third quarter. Mike Tindall's 47th-minute chip found space in Toulouse's 22 and May, enjoying a night of perpetual involvement, slipped a neat inside scoring pass to his mate Sharples. Burns's conversion ricocheted over via the left upright and the French champions were suddenly wobbling. Another Burns penalty caused alarm before Matanavou's second try set up a tense finale. May had been a menace all night and when he appeared on Simpson-Daniel's elbow there was nil chance of anyone catching him. "Jonny's always been a handful … he's a dangerous man," said Gloucester's director of rugby, Bryan Redpath. His side will not be involved in the last eight but this was rich compensation.

Gloucester May; Sharples, Tindall (Mills, 65), Fuimaono-Sapolu (Trinder, 58), Simpson-Daniel; Burns, R Lawson; Wood (Murphy, 71), S Lawson (Dawidiuk, 58), Harden (Knight, 64), Hamilton, Brown (James, 71), Strokosch, Qera (Cox, 71), Narraway (capt).

Sin-bin Wood (1min)

Tries May 2, Qera, Sharples Cons Burns 4 Pens Burns 2

Toulouse Poitrenaud; Matanavou, Fritz, Jauzion, Médard; Beauxis, Burgess; Steenkamp, Servat, Johnston (Poux, 58), Maestri (Lamboley, 48), Albacete, Nyanga (Bouilhou, 61), Dusautoir (capt), Picamoles.

Tries Dusautoir, Matanavou 2 Cons Beauxis 3 Pen Beauxis

Referee G Clancy (Ireland). Attendance 13,077.