Gloucester-Hartpury 34 Chiefs 19
Gloucester-Hartpury Women 34
Exeter Chiefs Women 19
Mark Stevens at Queensholm
Having delivered some stellar on-field shows this season, Exeter Chiefs Women suffered a bout of stage fright in their quest to become Allianz Premier 15s champions for the first time.
Susie Appleby’s side had entered into the showpiece event with high hopes, but they were simply blown away by a powerful Gloucester-Hartpury outfit, who themselves were able to claim a maiden first title at the first attempt.
The Cherry & Whites bossed much of the match, bagging scores from Kelsey Jones, Rachel Lund, Sarah Beckett, Lisa Neumann and a penalty try, in front of a record final crowd.
However, the Chiefs will be disappointed at their own display, one in which they failed to hit the heights of previous games this season. They claimed tries through Emily Tuttosi, Liv McGoverne and Ebony Jefferies, but they were rare highlights on a tough afternoon at the office for them.
Lining for a second successive final, the Chiefs arrived in Gloucester having made two changes to their starting line-up from that which had defeated defending champions Saracens in the semi-final. Into the side came Irish flanker Edel McMahon for Abbie Fleming, while England star Claudia MacDonald was back for the first time in weeks to start on the wing ahead of Katie Buchanan.
The Cherry & Whites, meanwhile, named an unchanged starting line-up from their semi-final victory against the Bristol Bears. England stars Mo Hunt and Zoe Aldcroft led them into battle, alongside former Chief, Laura Delgado, who packed down in their front-row.
On a glorious summer’s day, it was the Chiefs who looked to set the tone from the outset, quickly looking to get the ball wide in a lively and energetic opening to the contest. It was just the kind of start Appleby who have craved from her side as they looked to go about their work.
However, a knock-on in the centre of the pitch allowed Gloucester the chance to work off a scrum and having pressed their way into the Exeter 22, they declined a kick in front of the posts for greater reward.
Using the five-metre line-out from which to attack, the Chiefs were unable to hold a second shunt from the hosts and it was hooker Kelsey Jones, who emerged from a mass of bodies to claim the plaudits from her jubilant team-mates.
It was no more than Gloucester – who had topped the table after the regular season – deserved for their efforts. They were ruling the roost and midway through the half they thought they had doubled their advantage.
Using another close-range line-out, they drove the Chiefs back towards their line, before Hunt linked cleverly with Ellie Rugman down the blindside before plunging for the line. The experienced England scrum-half looked for all money that she was going to score, but it was a brilliant, try-saving tackle from centre Gabby Cantorna that saved the day for the Devonians.
Threat averted; the Chiefs made the most of the let-off to finally position themselves back down field for the first meaningful time in the match. A relentless driving maul gave them decent inroads, before strong carries from Hope Rogers, Nic Fryday and Kate Zackary got them to within sniffing distance of the home line. Sadly, they were unable to capitalise, try-scorer Jones producing a quality try-saving turnover under the shadows of her own posts.
Appleby, though, would have been encouraged by the upturn in performance from her side, who then looked to counter once again, Zackary’s length pass to the left fumbled by MacDonald as she eyed up the space in front of her.
Exeter’s pressure was mounting by the minute and their cause was aided when, just before the half-hour mark, Gloucester No.8 Sarah Beckett was sent to the sidelines for a ten-minute stint following a high shot on Rogers. The No.8 could certainly consider herself lucky, given the numerous TV replays which didn’t look good on review.
That said, it took the Chiefs less than a minute to make their numerical advantage pay dividends, the forwards combining as one to propel Tuttosi over the line for Exeter’s opening try, which was converted by fly-half McGoverne.
Up and running, Appleby would have expected her side to use the score as a springboard from which to advance. However, an error from Fryday at the restart gifted possession and territory back to Gloucester who, after a succession of attacking phases, made the Chiefs pay as Lund squirmed her way over from their second score.
At the other end, the Chiefs were quickly back on the attack and No.8 Rachel Johnson thought she had broken clear from the base of a scrum, only to be called back for a pull back by McMahon on Gloucester’s Alex Matthews.
With playing parity restored just before the interval, it was Beckett – back off the bench – who landed a telling blow, blasting her way over from close range to claim Gloucester’s third try on the stroke of half time.
HALF TIME: GLOUCESTER-HARTPURY 17 EXETER CHIEFS 7
Up against it, the interval came at a good time for Appleby and her assistant, Steve Salvin, who would have used the 15-minute respite as a chance to regroup and revisit the overall game plan.
However, that plan was thrown up in the air within two minutes of the restart as a cross-field kick from George was batted out of play by MacDonald as she looked to cover the danger. Referee Dan Jones adjudged the actions of the Red Roses star were deliberate and banished her to the cooler for a stint, as well as awarding a penalty try.
It was the last thing the Chiefs needed, but their response was good and they came within a whisker of cutting the deficit almost immediately when, from a quickly-taken penalty by Flo Robinson, Rogers was held up on the Gloucester try-line.
A busy afternoon for referee Jones continued when he was forced to issue a third yellow card, this time to Gloucester’s Rachel Lund, for a high tackle on Johnson as she looked to cut through the heart of the home defence.
An initial chance came and went as the Chiefs lost a five-metre line-out, but when they came again, this time with a prolonged series of attacking phases, it was McGoverne who finished off to bring her side back into the game.
Gloucester, though, were refusing to lie down and when they got themselves back into Exeter’s half, they were able to force a penalty that allowed Sing to delivering a crucial kick as the game headed towards the hour mark.
The Chiefs looked to their bench in a bid to ignite their challenge, drafting on a complete new front five in the pack, but a catalogue of unforced errors were killing their hopes and gifting Gloucester the opportunity to clear their lines.
With time fast running out, things got decidedly worse for the Chiefs when, already under a penalty award against them, American centre Zackary saw yellow for a needless hack at a Hunt pass to the left. It was an action which kind of summed up Exeter’s day as a whole.
Gloucester didn’t need the helping hand, but their brutal pack of forwards didn’t care one bit and they made the Chiefs duly pay, providing the foundation from which the home side were able to send Neumann over for a fifth try of the afternoon.
The game was done and dusted right there but, credit to the Chiefs, they refused to go down without a fight and in a gutsy show of defiance late on, Jefferies burrowed her way over for a third score, converted by Cantorna, to give them a rare moment of joy late on.
Gloucester: E Sing; E Rugman, R Lund (S Bridger 60), T Heard (B Blackburn 70), M Venner; L George (L Neumann 63), N Hunt (cc); M Muir (K Buggy 72), K Jones (C Powell 63), L Delgado (S Tuipulotu 49); S Monaghan, Z Aldcroft (cc); A Matthews, B Lewis (N Jones 53), S Beckett (M Learned 74).
Tries – K Jones, Lund, Beckett, Penalty, Neumann; Conversions – Sing (2); Penalty – Sing
Yellow Cards: Beckett, Lund
Chiefs: M Doidge; E Sinclair, K Zackary, G Cantorna, C MacDonald (K Buchanan 74); L McGoverne (R Wilkins 74), F Robinson (M McDonald 74); H Rogers (S Turani 63), E Tuttosi (C Moloney 61), D Menin (C Jacoby 63); N Fryday (A Fleming 53), P Leitch (capt); E McMahon (E Jefferies 53), M Allen, R Johnson.
Tries – Tuttosi, McGoverne, Jefferies; Conversion – McGoverne, Cantorna
Yellow Cards: MacDonald, Zackary
Referee: D Jones
Attendance: 9,668