New recruits shine as Gloucester batter illness-hit Exeter Chiefs

New-look Gloucester got their season off to a cracking start with an emphatic 45-24 bonus-point victory over last season’s beaten Prem finalists Exeter at Sandy Park.

Inspired by impressive summer arrivals Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan and Jean Kleyn, it was Gloucester’s first league win on Devon soil since 2015.

Exeter, ravaged by illness on top of the squad absences they already had, looked out of sorts for large parts of the game and only in the closing stages once the outcome was beyond doubt, did they look more like their usual selves.

Gloucester’s tactical kicking game under new technical director Chris Boyd caused Exeter numerous problems in the opening quarter.

A beautifully judged kick-pass by full-back Ben Redshaw created a try after only five minutes for winger Ben Loader.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Exeter Chiefs

24 - 45

Full-time

Gloucester

All Stats and Data

Exeter responded with an intense period of pressure which resulted in tight-head prop Josh Iosefa-Scott burrowing over from close range, converted by Henry Slade.

However, more clever kicking from the Cherry and Whites, this time with an excellent chip over the defence by scrum-half Caolan Englefield, served up a touchdown for England centre Seb Atkinson.

Fly-half Charlie Atkinson added a conversion and to another try by Loader, his second of the game, after the former’s excellent crossfield kick found the wide man.

That made it 19-7 and Exeter were struggling to make an impression.

That all changed two minutes before the break when England A back rower Ethan Roots went on a barnstorming run down the left-hand touchline to score after Greg Fisilau’s initial break.

Exeter criminally gave away a soft penalty from the restart, Gloucester kicked to the corner and skipper and hooker Lake popped up with the ball from the driving maul to dot down in the corner for the bonus-point try, with Charlie Atkinson converting superbly from the touchline to give a 14-point lead at the interval.

It took only six minutes of the second half for Welsh international Lake to turn his contribution into a brace.

Gloucester all but wrapped the game up on the hour mark with a brilliant individual score from winger Will Joseph, who ran from halfway, skipping away from tackles to ground the ball under the uprights, with Charlie Atkinson converting.

Exeter hit back with Italian international scrum-half Stephen Varney racing away to cross against his old club and Slade improving the score for a 38-19 deficit.

A Redshaw tackle denied Varney a second try soon after, and even after blindside flanker Freddie Thomas was yellow-carded for an infringement close to his own line, Gloucester’s defence held firm once again.

The Chiefs managed to salvage something with a bonus-point score four minutes from time, with replacement hooker Louie Gulley rounding off a training-ground move on his Prem debut from a five-metre lineout, only for Junior Denny to add a seventh for Gloucester.