Exeter 14-22 Gloucester: Redemption for Cherry and Whites in final Prem Cup pool round

02/17/2025 05:58 AM

This fixture was the last pool match in the Premiership Cup for the two teams. The last time reigning champions Gloucester played host to the Chiefs at Kingsholm, and saw a 31-7 defeat. It's been almost three months since the match Gloucester fans were quick to forget, and since the start of the six nations, many kept players on both sides have left for international duty; will this have an effect on the outcome of the game?

SCROLL DOWN FOR EXETER CHIEFS AND GLOUCESTER PLAYER RATINGS

A silent welcome to the visiting Cherry (closer to teal) and whites was followed by a swift cheer for the home side who came out in their pink away kits also. Haydon-Wood kicked off but the ball was knocked back by Brown-Bampoe to keep the possession with Exeter. Swift shape and quick ball play got the home side within the Gloucester 5-metre line but a penalty was given for holding on to the ball.

Poor discipline from Gloucester gave Exeter a lineout penalty. Their forward pack pressure was well matched by Gloucester, before a quick pass outside to Townsend saw Exeter open the scoring for the first five points. It was easily converted by Haydon-Wood.

Gloucester started to gain confidence after handling errors, and discipline in tackles from Exeter was giving penalties that were desperately needed and welcomed. A line-out won possession for Gloucester, before a misread tackle gave Louis Hillman-Cooper all the space he needed, to glide over the goal line to get Gloucester their firm points of the afternoon.

A fantastic run from fullback Jake Morris was the key move for Gloucester, and only a short hand off to Jack Cotgreave got Gloucester their second try, and took the lead of the game. The conversion was missed by Atkinson, and the missed conversion gave Exeter fans some hope that Gloucester had peaked.

Halftime score: Exeter Chiefs 7 – 12 Gloucester Rugby

The second half began with the sound of Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' and the Exeter Chiefs took to the field. Gloucester returned to just one person clapping.

Silly handling errors and tackling errors were the downfall of the chiefs and the reason that Gloucester kept play in their half. With over half of time in the second half played in the fixture, and no points scored, Exeter fans became restless. Groaning every time the referee blew his whistle. Charlie Atkinson finally said enough is enough, and scored 3 extra points for the visitors, which took their lead beyond a try score.

A miracle happened for the chiefs, in the body of Tamati Tua, as his line break and calm thinking got Exeter to their goal line, but he was taken down, Tua then calmly handed it off to Josh Hodge who, despite the best efforts off Atkinson, scored the home teams second try. It was converted by Haydon-Wood, bringing the game to a one point decider, and Sandy Park woke up.

A fight broke out just outside the home 22-metres, and all players got involved (I'm sure to break it up). Gloucester got the advantage, less than four minutes to go, and Exeter fans were behind their team. The ball was thrown in, a maul was formed. But Exeter number 15 Tommy Wyatt was show a yellow card, and a penalty try was given to Gloucester. At this point, Sandy Park regulars had grown tired of referee Harry Walbaum, and they began to filter out of the stadium from all sides.

The Exeter players did not give up! Joe Hawkins played a surgical chip and chase, and a perfect offload. The symphony of movements it bringing some life back into Exeter. But sadly for the Chiefs it's all in vein. An Exeter errors gives Gloucester the advantage, but it was four seconds after full time – and the referee blows his final whistle. At this exact moment, the slap of seats folding back up echoes around the stadium. It drowns out the cheers of Gloucester players, fans and staff. The stadium is half empty in seconds.

The match was an evenly balanced one; both team had moments of excellence and a performance to remember, but a lot of penalties and errors were made by both sides. Ultimately, the Gloucester defence was what saved their day from being a second heartbreak, but an afternoon of redemption.

Full Time Score: Exeter Chiefs 14 – 22 Gloucester Rugby

Exeter Chiefs: 14
Tries: 2 – Stu Townsend (9') Josh Hodge (73')
Conversions: 2 – Will Haydon-Wood (10') Will Haydon-Wood (74')
Penalties: 0
Yellow Cards: 1 – Tommy Wyatt (77)'.
Red Cards: 0

Gloucester Rugby: 22
Tries: 3 – Louis Hillman-Cooper (18'), Jack Cotgreave (27') Penalty Try (77')
Conversions: 1 – Charlie Atkinson (19')
Penalties: 1 – Charlie Atkinson (64'))
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 0

EXETER CHIEFS PLAYER RATINGS

1. Scott Sio (C) (off at 54) – 7 – The captain led his squad to a commendable performance. Being a presence in the line of defence put pressure on Gloucester and caused them problems.

2. Dan Frost (Off at 52') – 6 – He made an impact in the scrum which made it immovable. Some excellent support and great tackles, and great effort in lineouts.

3. Josh Iosefa-Scott (Off at 54') – 5 – lost balance in the scrum at first, but his effort came at a great benefit to the chiefs as he, along with the other front row, force errors form Gloucester and gave them the penalty.

4. Lewis Pearson (off at 72) – 6 – A very long shift from the lock. And a performance no doubt the the chiefs wish they has kept going until the bitter end. Brilliant ball play and rucking.

5. Richard Capstick – 5 – A bit more effort from Capstick would've helped the attack, but a good show from the Chiefs player.

6. Ethan Roots – 6 – A great show in the scrum, holding his height and strength, and doing his job well!

7. Jaques Vermeulen (off at 60) – 6 – the South African born player did his team well with his effort, but a bit more heart would've done the team well, and some more support would've helped.

8. Crew Fisilau – 8 – A performance which will no doubt be getting the eye of Steve Borthwick sooner or later. The number eight has the tackle force of a forward, and the ankles speed of a back. Excellent.

9. Stu Townsend – 8 – (Off at 60) An excellent start to the game scoring the first points of the match, and good movement around the ruck.

10. Will Haydon-Wood – 8 – Precise with his book getting 100% of all conversions for the Cheifs, and being a brilliant ball player in the attack to move the Gloucester defence to where they don't want to be.

11. Paul Brown-Bampoe – 9 – Great pace and height in jumps to get the ball back on kick off. Excellent pace to get around the visitor defence, and support in the rucks. Was everywhere he needed to be, and more.

12. Will Rigg (off at 68) – 7 – Great running along the wing and offering support in the attack, but some more on defence on the wing is all that was needed.

13. Joe Hawkins – 6 – the Welshman put in a valiant effort playing for a solid 80 minutes, but it was not the game for him or his team today. But not to say that more is yet to come, and potentially future chaos for Wales in the future.

14. Ben Hammersley (off at 60) – 5 – Mistiming his kicks multiple times really hurt the Chiefs. Not seeing when out of the home side 22, and kicking directly into touch; it's something that he will no doubt be working on over the next week.

15. Tommy Wyatt (Off at 60) – 6 – Very good at controlling how the defensive line worked around the middle of the pitch, and great at helping in attack. But some more confidence and going into tackles and where to play the ball would've helped.

Replacements:
16. Jack Yeandle (On at 52') – 7 – His defence was a breath of fresh air for the chiefs, and the fresh legs gave a bounce of energy that was needed.

17. Kwenzo Blose (on at 54') – 6 – He came on, did his job, and went home; it was all that was needed. He was a great help in the scrums and lineouts which was helped get the 'arm wrestle' feel of the match.

18. Marcus Street (On at 54') – 6 – Being part of the front row change, Street brought a new energy within the game that was needed desperately for the Chiefs, but a shame it didn't work to the very end.

19. Christ Tshinuza (on at 72) – 7 – The lock made a fantastic performance in his short time which seemed to empty the tank. He smashed through players when taking the ball in, and fought in defence to get the ball back.

20. Martin Moloney (on at 60) – 6 – in the lineout, Moloney worked best. The confidence in he knew what he was doing no doubt helped, and he worked through until the end.

21. Tom Cairns (on at 60) – 4 – no doubt he's kicking himself, and the one hurrying the most out of everyone on the Exeter team. Collapsing the maul and giving away a penalty try to all be secure Gloucester's win would hurt any player.

22. Tamari Tua (on at 68) – 7 – a phenomenal run that set Exeter up for their second try of the game. Breaking through Gloucester, and calmness when being tackled is something that all need to watch out for.

23. Josh Hodge (on at 60) – 7 – great support lines to take the Chiefs all tight way to Glory with their final try of the match.

GLOUCESTER PLAYER RATINGS

1. Archie McArthur (off at 65)- 6 – Confidence in the scrum, knowing exactly what he's doing. Work around the scrum is needed, but still a great performance.

2. George McGuigan(off at 65) – 7 – His lineout throws were dead straight which would've made Luke Littler proud. His pace getting around the field was great, and impact in collisions makes you think he would've never been injured.

3. Alfie Petch (off at 65) – 6 – A great show of skill from Petch. Much like the rest of the squad, silly errors giving away penalties to the Chiefs, for sure giving himself more to think about, but a great show.

4. Freddie Clarke – 7 – Clarke put in a solid shift from the start to the end. A little hot headed on the side line, but apart from that it was a great show that hopefully Borthwick will be told of.

5. Cam Jordan – 9 – The best of the forward packs today. Being everywhere, his energy never dipped, and dominated most of his rucks winning back the ball for Gloucester.

6. Freddie Stevens – 6 – Commendable to have gone through from the start to the final whistle. Being great in scrums, and excellent under pressure in the defence, stopping Exeter from scoring more than they rightfully should have.

7. Caio James – 6 – Good work in the scrum by holding his strength and height, but a bit more enjoyment in the dirty side of rugby would have been nice to see; getting involved in the scrums and attack, being more involved.

8. Olly Allport – 7 – Read the Exeter defence well to know when to make that pass of the ball, or to keep hold and run with it. His skills were best shown in playing the ball, though his defence was still good!

9. Charlie Chapman (Off at 49) – 7 – A solid performance form the scrum-half. Great play of the ball around the rucks, and dictating how the forwards move in packs. Could have stayed on for a bit longer.

10. Charlie Atkinson – 8 – His kicking game was put through the test this fixture. Starting with greta height but not much length, he worked his way forward and gained some solid length as the game went on.

11. Jack Cotgreave – 7 – Great support to get Gloucester ahead, but also great at reading where the ball will be, and preventing Exeter from gaining any advantage.

12. Morgan Adderly-Jones – 7 – His excellent ball carries into collision, and around defenders silenced the home crowed at Sandy Park.

13. Will Butler (C) – 6 – The Cherry (teal) and white captain for the match produced a great show as the outside centre. Being a bit more vocal would have been better, gaining confidence of the team, but he did well!

14. Louis Hillman-Cooper – 7 – I reckon a potential performance as a fullback or a halfback is on the horizon. His kicking game was sensational! Timed and aimed to perfection, no matter if you were a home or away fan, you were impressed.

15. Jake Morris – 6 – The local fullback made a great shift that anyone in that position would've been happy with. A great last line of defence when needed, and great at playing the ball.

Replacements:

16. Morgan Nelson (on at 65) – 7 – replacing the front row with excellent confidence, not being afraid too take the ball in, and being problematic for the Chiefs really helped Gloucester secure that win.

17. Aristot Benz-Salomon (on at 65) – 7 – the two brothers were excellent. They both did the same, came on, dominated, could be a bit lighter on their feet getting from one ruck to the other, but were sensational.

18. Jono Benz-Salomon (on at 65) – 7 – though both were born in Spain, I think its time for another set of twins to join the England Squad alongside the Curry's, no?

19. Dan O'Reilly – N/A, was not used.

20. George Knowles – N/A, was not used.

21. Mike Austin (on at 49) – 9 – Greatly took over the number nine role, Austin actually looked like he was enjoying himself. The movement of the ball around the ruck, and his vocals in telling people what to do and screaming at the top of his voice when it went his way. A brilliant show form the scrum half.

22. Max Knight – N/A, was not used.

23. Ioan Jones (on at 74) – 6 – Could've done with some more time to show what he was capable of. The young Englishman still put in a professional shift on the wing, with much more yet to come from Jones!

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