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Exeter book place in Premiership play-offs with home victory over Gloucester

By PA
(Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

Exeter booked their place in the Gallagher Premiership play-offs with three games to spare after beating Gloucester 35-22 at Sandy Park. The runaway league leaders posted a seventh successive Premiership win and look unstoppable as they target a fifth Twickenham final appearance on the bounce.

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A Gloucester team showing 15 changes battled hard but ultimately could not contain their opponents, with Exeter scoring tries through hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, number eight Sam Simmonds, lock Jonny Hill, wing Ian Whitten and scrum-half Jack Maunder.

Captain Joe Simmonds kicked five conversions, and the only downbeat note for Exeter was seeing their Scotland international full-back Stuart Hogg limp off in the 55th minute. Hogg pulled up after an Exeter attack, with his early departure coming 10 days before Chiefs’ Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Northampton. 

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Ireland 7s player and Love Island contestant Greg O’Shea guests on All Access, the Rugby Pass interview series hosted by Jim Hamilton

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Ireland 7s player and Love Island contestant Greg O’Shea guests on All Access, the Rugby Pass interview series hosted by Jim Hamilton

Gloucester’s best moments came early in the game, and they briefly led by a point after former England wing Matt Banahan’s try and a Billy Twelvetrees penalty, while Banahan added a second touchdown and flanker Josh Gray also crossed, with Twelvetrees landing two conversions.

Exeter were guilty of unforced errors at times, especially in the first half, yet it proved to be another case of job done, and a 15th Premiership victory from 19 starts means they march on. Gloucester were forced into late two switches following failed fitness tests for wing Charlie Sharples and prop Jamal Ford-Robinson. Alex Morgan and Logovi’i Mulipola were their respective replacements.

Exeter, unbeaten at home in the Premiership since January, were off and running inside four minutes when Cowan-Dickie powered his way over Gloucester’s line from close range. Simmonds converted, but Gloucester responded impressively and scored from their opening attack three minutes later thanks to a powerful finish from Banahan.

The visitors continued to impress, putting Exeter under pressure inside their own 22 and gaining a penalty that Twelvetrees kicked for an 8-7 lead. Gloucester had rattled their opponents, and some of Chiefs’ back play misfired badly, but Exeter delivered a second try midway through the second quarter, driving relentlessly from a lineout before Sam Simmonds touched down.

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His brother again added the extras, yet it was largely unconvincing from Exeter with the countdown firmly underway to their European showdown with Saints on Sunday week. They began to control territory, though, and Hill pounced for Exeter’s third touchdown on the stroke of half-time.

Simmonds’ conversion secured a 13-point interval advantage, while Gloucester had lock Charlie Beckett sin-binned as referee Christophe Ridley ran out of patience with the visitors’ repeated technical offending. It took Exeter 60 seconds of the second period to secure a bonus point, and it came following a scintillating break by Hogg.

He broke clear from deep inside his own half, and although Gloucester defenders managed to haul him down, they ran out of numbers when Exeter moved possession wide, allowing Whitten to sprint over. Simmonds’ fourth successful conversion meant Gloucester were 20 points adrift, and Exeter’s fifth try quickly followed, with Maunder the latest beneficiary of impressive approach work.

Banahan’s second score reflected a resilient effort by the visitors, and they continued taking it to Exeter despite being well adrift on the scoreboard. And Gloucester had the final say when Gray won the race to the line after he kicked into space, and Twelvetrees converted.

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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