A new season but the same old story for Harlequins. The side with the worst home record in the Premiership last season surrendered the points with the defensive laxity which was a main factor to their flirtation with relegation last season.

Loud cheers greeted news of Leeds's shock victory over Leicester but the fewer points the Yorkshire minnows secure the more reassuring it will be for Quins who, despite the ballast provided by Laurent Gomez in the scrum and the security offered by Nathan Williams at full-back, look as if they will be more concerned about events at the bottom of the table than at the top.

Part of their problem is where they play. The Stoop is not a ground where opponents fear to tread: its atmosphere is convivial rather than menacing, which often translates into decisions going against the only club in the Premiership that can now call itself London-based.

Gloucester's opening try in the first half came from a line-out after the Quins' outside-half Paul Burke was adjudged to have kicked directly into touch from just outside his 22. Yet five minutes earlier when the visiting full-back Thinus Delport had more obviously made the same mistake, his touchfinder was allowed to stand and there was barely a reaction from the crowd.

Gloucester's pretension to Leicester's crown hinges on their away form. They won on Saturday despite being some way below their best. Ten points down in the opening quarter, they frittered an 18-10 lead in the second half before the prop Trevor Woodman sprinted 20 yards for the winning try three minutes from time. Quins had only just regained the lead through Burke's drop goal and they secured possession from the kick-off before winning a line-out on halfway. With the impressive Alex Codling off the field with a hamstring strain, Keith Wood threw long and for the first time in the match missed his target.

Woodman burst through the weak tackles which were a feature of Marcel Garvey's try and for all their tightening up at forward, as well as a well-crafted try which bore the imprimatur of the backs' coach Paul Turner who arrived from Gloucester in the close season, Quins remain fallible.

"The game could have gone either way and small things count in a league as competitive as the Premiership," said the Quins' head coach Mark Evans. "Andre Vos will make a difference to us when he arrives from South Africa and I know we are a better team than last season."

Gloucester need to be if they are to emerge from the Tigers' shadow as their rugby director Nigel Melville appreciates. "Leicester lost at Leeds last season and still won the title," he said "We made mistakes but the players now have a belief that they can win away from home."

But there is playing at the Stoop and playing away.

Harlequins: Williams; Moore, Greenwood, Bell, Gollings; Burke, Powell (Bemand 60min); Leonard (capt), Wood, Gomez, Davison, Codling (Evans 57), Tiatia, Sanderson, Diprose.

Try: Moore. Con: Burke. Pens: Burke 3. Drop goal: Burke.

Gloucester: Delport; Garvey (Mercier 48), Fanolua, Todd, Simpson-Daniel; Paul, Gomarsall; Woodman, Azam (Fortey 65), Vickery (capt), Pearce (Fidler 72), Cornwell, Boer, Hazell (Forrester 61), Paramore.

Tries: Garvey, Paramore, Woodman. Cons: Paul, Mercier. Pens: Paul 2.

Yellow card: Cornwell.

Referee: S Lander (The Wirral).