Match Report: Exeter Chiefs 22 – 15 Gloucester

A thunderous, sell-out Sandy Park crowd roared Exeter Chiefs to their first Gallagher Premiership victory of the season against Gloucester this Sunday afternoon.

There was utter jubilation for the home crowd when two minutes in Exeter’s number two, Dan Frost, scored the first try of the day. Gloucester had a lineout on the Chiefs five metre line, but an overthrow was leapt upon by the hooker who was crashing down over the line before many of the opposition could even clock what had happened.

Henry Slade struck the conversion cleanly to award his side the full set of points.

Minutes later, a penalty for hands in the ruck nearly cost the opposition more as Slade elected to go for a shot at goal with the penalty. Unfortunately for the fly half, the ball pulled wide of the left upright.

With 10 minutes on the clock, Gloucester had a kickable penalty of their own in the Chiefs’ half when there was a high tackle called against Tamati Tua. Santi Carreras took the tee and slotted the three points.

A second of the day for Chiefs, true to form for an Exeter side, all traced back to a tap-and-go metres out from the line. As forwards thrust their bodies into crushing contact, Gloucester were drawn into the tight phases. Biding his time, Slade caught the opportunity to chip the ball out to the wing for Tua to dance around a last remaining defender for the score.

Slade converted to take his side two scores ahead.

Despite much jostling for territory and some strong, competitive work at the breakdown from Chiefs that was how the half was to end – with Chiefs in an 11-point lead.

Half-time: Chiefs 14 – 3 Gloucester

It was a frustrating start to the second half for Chiefs when Gloucester fly half Gareth Anscombe intercepted a pass from Frost on the Chiefs’ 10 metre line to run the ball in beneath the posts.

Carreras’ conversion brought the two sides within four points of one another.

Gloucester were reduced in fire power in the early stages when Christian Wade was removed for a HIA – which he subsequently failed – and Matias Alemanno was forced from the field with his shirt cradling his arm in a make-shift sling.

However, replacement Jamal Ford-Robinson brought enough power onto the field to burrow across the line for Gloucester’s second try just after the hour. Chiefs managed to repel the first two onslaughts before a tearaway group enabled the prop to find space to ground the ball.

With chasers tearing down upon him, Carreras’ conversion attempt shanked wide to the right making things a one-point game.

In the restart passage of play, Chiefs battled hard for a breakdown penalty and, having received it, Slade called for a shot at goal as he quickly kicked his side back into the lead.

Chiefs knuckled down to the hard graft on 69 minutes when Gloucester worked the short phases within inches of the line. The Exeter men kept out the try but they were unable to avoid infringing.

The nervousness around Sandy Park was palpable as Carreras stepped up to the tee but with the sky overhead beginning to turn to night and the Exeter faithful in voice, his kicked once more veered off course.

Determined not to be held in their own back yard for long, Chiefs went on the offensive. Powerful maul work from the pack got them into the Gloucester half just shy of the 10 metre line. Quick hands enabled Will Haydon-Wood to break the gain-line, giving the offload to fellow replacement Zack Wimbush for the second carry.

A cantering Franco Molina was a site to see before Rusi Tuima replicated his work. The all-important last carry from less than a metre out belonged to Josh Iosefa-Scott as the prop crashed over for the try.

The conversion attempt was judged unsuccessful but as the Chiefs fought out the closing minutes of the encounter, it was not to be detrimental to their result.

As Sandy Park erupted into rapturous applause, Rob Baxter’s men had secured their first win of the domestic season. They head into the New Year with their heads held high but with more yet to prove.

Full-time: Chiefs 22 – 15 Gloucester

Chiefs: J Hodge; O Woodburn (Haydon-Wood 71’), B Hammersley, T Tua (Wimbush 63’), T Wyatt; H Slade, S Townsend (Cairns 63’); S Sio (Goodrick-Clarke 49’), D Frost (Innard 63’), M Street (Iosefa-Scott 49’), D Jenkins (c) (Tuima 69’), R Capstick (Molina 63’), E Roots, J Vermeulen, G Fisilau.

Tries: Frost, Tua, Iosefa-Scott Conversions: Slade 2 Penalties: Slade

Gloucester: S Carreras; C Wade (Barton 44’), M Llewellyn (Harris 57’), S Atkinson, J Hathaway; G Anscombe, T Williams; M Vivas (Ford-Robinson 47’), S Blake (Singleton 51’), K Gotovtsev (Knight 51’), F Thomas, M Alemanno (Jordan 56’), J Clement, L Ludlow (c), R Ackermann (Tuisue 60’).

Replacements: Englefield

Tries: Anscombe, Ford-Robinson Conversions: Carreras Penalties: Carreras

Referee: Ian Tempest