Chiefs 17 Gloucester-Hartpury 25
Exeter Chiefs Women 17
Gloucester-Hartpury Women 25
James Fowler at Sandy Park
Runners-up last season, Exeter Chiefs suffered disappointment on their seasonal bow in their latest Allianz Premier 15s campaign, crashing to defeat at home to rivals Gloucester-Hartpury
The visitors led from start to finish at Sandy Park, using their experience to not only ease past a youthful Chiefs outfit, but at the same time avenge their defeat to Susie Appleby’s side back in October in the Allianz Cup.
A second minute try from centre Sophie Bridger set them on their way, before a conversion and penalty from Emma Sing put the visitors 10-0 up inside the opening quarter.
The Chiefs rallied to reduce the arrears with a score from flanker Ebony Jefferies, but Mo Hunt’s opportunist try meant the visitors went in at the break leading 17-5.
It was an advantage they extended with a try from Rachel Lund, plus a further penalty from Sing, before the Chiefs set up a dramatic conclusion when they claimed late tries from Katie Buchanan and Cliodhna Moloney.
In the end, however, it was all a little too late and it was the Cherry & Whites who headed back up the M5 with the points.
On a cold November afternoon, which seemed a million miles away from the Chiefs last outing in this competition, last season’s Grand Final back in June, the Chiefs retained many of their young stars who have served the club so well during the early parts of the season.
However, it was the more experienced visitors who dominated the early exchanges. Indeed, they were rewarded with an early score for Bridger, who seemed to glide through the Chiefs defence almost unopposed.
Full-back Sing landed the conversion, plus a penalty, as the Chiefs scrum which struggled throughout much of the afternoon, was penalised.
Hardly the start they would have craved, the home side finally managed to find their rhythm and after concerted patient pressure inside the Gloucester-Hartpury 22, Jefferies showed her strength from close range, as she barged her way over for the home side.
The try seemed to galvanise the Chiefs and prop Lizzie Hanlon very nearly restored parity for the hosts, however the Gloucester-Hartpury defence did well to hold her up. Shortly afterwards, Linde van der Velden thought she had scored when she went in under the posts unopposed off the back of an attacking scrum, but referee Charlie Gayther chalked the No.8’s effort off when he adjudged that Flo Robinson had obstructed opposite number Hunt, much to the frustration of the bumper home crowd.
Threat averted, the visitors made the most of the let-off to position themselves back down field and deep inside the Chiefs 22. With the hosts trying to clear their lines from a scrum, quick-thinking from England international Hunt saw her pounce on a loose ball and dot down with ease. Sing added the extras to ensure a maximum haul for the visitors.
HALF TIME: EXETER CHIEFS WOMEN 5 GLOUCESTER-HARTPURY WOMEN 17
Adrift at the turn, the Chiefs knew they needed to come out firing on the resumption. Sadly for them, it was the visitors who were again first to show, increasing their lead when Lund crashed her way over in the right-hand corner from a first phase move.
Head coach Appleby looked to her bench to try and inject some momentum into their play and it was one of those replacements, prop Panashe Muzambe, who thought she had got her side back into the game from a close-range drive.
Unfortunately, the Scottish international was denied her first league try for the club by Gayther, who deemed she was just short of the line.
These missed opportunities really summed up the afternoon for the Chiefs. Whereas they huffed and puffed in attack, Gloucester-Hartpury proved to be far more clinical, and this again showed when Sing added her second penalty of the afternoon, after Irish international Moloney was caught coming in at the side of a ruck as she tried to steal the ball.
With time fast running out, the Chiefs needed to find some kind of way back into the game. Throwing everything at their Westcountry rivals, the tactic soon paid dividends as they were rewarded with two late tries.
The first of these came from Buchanan, who dived in after the Chiefs forwards skilfully managed to work an overlap for her. Then Moloney finished off the scoring for the afternoon, as she went over from a close-range driving maul, an area which has become a real strength for this Chiefs side in the early parts of the season.
Although the Chiefs landed the conversion through Liv McGoverne, there was no time for any late heroics as the final whistle blew
Exeter Chiefs: M Doidge; J Ounsley (C Woodman 69), D Preece, S Langford (G Cantorna 49), K Buchanan; L McGoverne, F Robinson; A Middlebrooke (P Muzambe 30), C Nielson (C Moloney 49), L Hanlon; N Fryday, P Leitch (capt); E Jefferies, M Allen, L van der Velden (A Fleming 49). Replacements (not used): G Grimes, N Orchard, M McDonald.
Tries: Jefferies, Bucahanan, Moloney; Conversion: McGoverne
Gloucester-Hartpury: E Sing, M Venner, R Lund, S Bridger, E Rugman; L Goulden (K Lake 58), M Hunt (capt); K Buggy (R Samuda 65), N Jones (A Dale 64), L Delgado (C Hale 65); J Isherwood, S Monaghan (C Cooney 64); A Burtonshaw, G Brock, S Else (S Tuipolotu 64). Replacements (not used): C Hale, S Tandy
Tries: Bridger, Hunt, Lund; Conversions: Sing (2); Penalty: Sing (2)
Yellow Card: Brock
Referee: C Gayther
Attendance: 1,156