This was the stuff of Dean Ryan’s worst nightmares. Yet again Leicester came back to haunt him and yet again Gloucester face another summer wondering what might have been. Equally Ryan, the director of rugby, will be deeply troubled by his side’s failure to ram home their advantage and the naive manner in which they ended a game that was theirs for the taking.

In a match that ebbed and flowed and came to life dramatically in the final quarter, Andy Goode’s stoppage-time dropped goal snatched a late victory for the reigning champions and a place in the final at Twickenham – their fourth in succession – in 12 days’ time against London Wasps. It was another painful lesson in what it takes to win one-off, high-pressure matches. “You can’t keep talking about learning curves,” Ryan said. “It is about players fronting up.”

Ryan’s day had not started well as Mike Tindall, who had been at a royal wedding on Saturday, failed a late fitness test. It was not a good omen and the England centre’s experience during the frenzied finale could have made the difference. Leicester’s ability to turn around their fortunes was testimony to their refusal to bow to the inevitable and the collective knowhow of seasoned internationals. “We have great players and leaders who don’t just speak, but do,” Marcelo Loffreda, the Leicester head coach, said.

For much of that opening 40 minutes, Leicester were in dire straits, yet the longer they hung on in the second period, the more Gloucester’s nerves began to shred. Twice they held nine-point leads, only to allow Leicester to claw their way back.

They will rue not making more of their two-man advantage before half-time, when Jordan Crane and Harry Ellis were in the sin-bin, and a moment of unnecessary panic that undermined Gloucester’s ambitions. In the 64th minute, Ryan Lamb’s clearance bounced awkwardly on the Gloucester 22. It fell into the arms of Iain Balshaw, who sent his dive pass into the foot of the right-hand post, from where it fell invitingly for Aaron Mauger to score. It was such moments that prompted Ryan to talk about a lack of accountability. “What we chose to do was not good enough,” he said. “We committed suicide in the second half.”

The conversion reduced Leicester’s deficit to 22-20. Goode then kicked a penalty to put Leicester in front for the first time. However, working their way upfield, Gloucester’s forwards created space for Willie Walker to drop a goal off an upright with three minutes remaining. It should have been sufficient had Gloucester the wit to close the game down. But, using their experience and cunning, Leicester responded for one final assault.

Having turned around 12-3 ahead and then having built a 15-6 lead, Gloucester held the upper hand. But Alesana Tuilagi had other ideas. The Samoa wing received the ball 30 metres out and, in turn, steamrollered through Balshaw, Lesley Vainikolo and Lamb for a try that Goode converted. The riposte however, was almost immediate. Akapusi Qera’s brilliant dummy tight on the touchline created just enough space for James Simpson-Daniel to make it 22-13.

It was a measure of the pressure that Gloucester exerted on Leicester in the first half that the visting team conceded nine penalties, and for two minutes just before half-time were reduced to 13 players after Crane and Ellis were shown yellow cards for professional fouls. On both occasions Gloucester were in full cry and quick ball from the breakdown could easily have resulted in a try. Crucially, Gloucester could not make the important breakthrough, relying instead on Lamb to punish Leicester’s numerous indiscretions. The fly half kicked four penalties from five attempts, the last hitting an upright.

Scorers: Gloucester: Tries: Simpson-Daniel (56min). Conversion: Lamb. Penalty goals: Lamb 5 (5, 16, 31, 42, 48). Dropped goal: Walker (77). Leicester: Tries: Tuilagi (53), Mauger (64). Conversions: Goode 2. Penalty goals: Goode 3 (11, 41, 69). Dropped goal: Goode (80). Scoring sequence (Gloucester first): 3-0, 3-3, 6-3, 9-3, 12-3 (half-time), 12-6, 15-6, 15-13, 22-13, 22-20, 22-23, 25-23, 25-26.

Gloucester: W Walker; I Balshaw, J Simpson-Daniel, A Allen, L Vainikolo; R Lamb, R Lawson; N Wood, A Titterrell, C Nieto, M Bortolami (rep: W James, 66), A Brown, A Strokosch, A Qera, G Delve (rep: L Narraway, 48).

Leicester: G Murphy (rep: S Vesty, 29-36); T Varndell, D Hipkiss, A Mauger, A Tuilagi; A Goode, H Ellis (sin-bin, 41-44); B Stankovich (rep: M Ayerza, 56), M Davies (rep: G Chuter, 60), J White, M Wentzel (rep: R Blaze, 80), B Kay, M Corry, B Herring (rep: T Croft, 56), J Crane (sin-bin, 28-41).

Referee: D Pearson. Attendance: 16,500.