Exeter 31 – 7 Gloucester: Player Ratings and Talking Points from Chiefs Prem Cup win at Kingsholm
Today at 10:17 AM
By Ben Baker
Exeter put in a fantastic performance and now look likely to top Pool E in the Premiership Rugby Cup after beating Gloucester 31-7 at Kingsholm. Tries from Rusi Tuima, Stu Townsend, Will Rigg, Ben Hammerly and Josh Hodge saw the Chiefs go into the break with a 31-0 lead
The second half saw Gloucester substitute Val Rapava-Ruskin come on and score the only try of the second half, with Charlie Atkinson's conversion being the only other points of the second half.
The only other major action of the half was Rusi Tuima accumulating a yellow card in a game where Exeter picked up their third bonus point win of the tournament in an assertive 31-7 win.
This is how the players got on.
Gloucester Player Ratings
- Mayco Vivas (off 40')- 4
Not the best performance from the Argentine, weak defensively and brought down the scrum. Made some big hits while ball carrying but let down by other bits of his play.
2. Seb Blake (off 51')- 6
Looked very strong ball in hand on the occasions that he had it and was flawless at the line out. The hooker was a player who didn't look as off the pace as his team-mates in the first half.
3. Ciaran Knight (off 50')- 5
Strong ball carrier when he had possession and put in a shift at the breakdown. However, he was dominated in the scrum and just looked lost at times throughout the match.
4. Freddie Clarke (off 51')- 5
A fairly quiet performance from Clarke, not making much of an impact on the ball but wasn't bad in the breakdown.
5. Danny Eite- 6
The second row held up an early try in the game but then knocked the ball on not too long after which led to a disallowed try for The Cherries. Throughout the game the youngster showed and was one of the few Gloucester players who put in a shift on the physical side of the game.
6. Ruann Ackermann (off 61')- 5
Not the greatest performance from Ackermann, one of the players who struggled physically for Gloucester. He made a good break in the second half but played a sloppy offload to Englefield which led to the scrum half knocking the ball on.
7. Lewis Ludlow (c)- 6
Ludlow showed his quality throughout the games, specifically in the second half, he worked extremely hard at the break down, was good defensively and a strong ball carrier.
8. Zach Mercer- 6
In the first half, Mercer saw a lot of the ball but struggled to do much with it. Just like the rest of his side, he showed up more in the second half, made a couple of breaks and also won a penalty inside his own '22 in a vulnerable position.
9. Caolan Englefield (off 61')- 5
Englefield had a poor start to the game with an early knock on and didn't properly work his way into the game. He showed decent speed at the ruck but seemed to panic at times
10. Charlie Atkinson (off 76')- 6
Returning from England A, the fly half had a below standard first half like the rest of the side, looking fairly disorganised and out of rhythm with his team at times. However, in the second half we saw a transformed Gloucester where Atkinson was able to take control of the game.
11. Ollie Thorley- 4
The winger looked lost in defence throughout the first half, missing a tackle that would have stopped a try and was caught out of position in another try conceded. He showed good pace on the ball but was let down by his defensive work.
12. Rory Taylor- 5
Taylor was caught out of position in the build up to one of Exeter's try's, coming too far forward from the rest of his defence.
13. Chris Harris- 5
The outside centre showed promise with the possession that he had but failed to be clinical. Harris made one notable break but let it down by giving possession away with a sloppy offload.
14. Christian Wade- 6
Wade had a slow start to the game, looking quite weak defensively but was a strong ball carrier throughout the game. After moving to full back after Ioan Jones came off, he looked more comfortable and showed a good kicking game.
15. Ioan Jones (off 36')- 5
The young Welsh lad showed a strong kicking game and often followed it with a good chase when necessary. However, he didn't put in a strong defensive performance which is a necessity for a full back.
GLOUCESTER REPLACEMENTS
16. Jack Singleton (on 51')- 6
Singleton came on in a second half where Gloucester looked a transformed side. The hooker definitely played a part in that with his strong physical performance and his accuracy at the line out.
17. Val Rapava-Ruskin (on 40')- 7
Rapava- Ruskin made a massive impact after coming on at half time. He was strong in the scrum and physically immense, making some hard hits offensively and defensively and was rewarded with a try later on in the match.
18. Afo Fasogbon (on 50')- 6
Another key to Gloucester's second half performance, Fasogbon came on and showed immense physicality and really made a positive impact to the cherries.
19. Arthur Clark (on 51')- 5
Clark came on and made a decent impact on the side, getting involved with the breakdown and made some good tackles.
20. Jack Clement (on 61')- 6
Coming on for his 100th appearance in red and white, Clement came on and put in a lot of effort in the ruck and made sure the opposition was aware of his physical ability.
21. Charlie Chapman (on 61')- 5
Coming on with just under 20 minutes to go, Chapman showed good distribution from the ruck but had a sloppy knock on.
22. Max Knight (on 76')- N/A
Only came on for five minutes at the end of the game.
23. Jack Reeves (on 36')- 6
Reeves came on to replace the injured Ioan Jones, he added good flair to the game and played some good attacking rugby.
Exeter Chiefs Player Ratings
- Scott Sio (off 54')- 7
A great performance from the loosehead. Was part of a scrum that was stronger than the opposition and put in a strong defensive performance.
2. Dan Frost (off 58')- 8
Frost was also flawless at the line out and made some crunching tackles in the defense. He had a strong drive at the back of the maul and got it out quickly to set Stu Townsend up for his try.
3. Marcus Street (off 54')- 7
Part of a strong Chiefs front row and just like most of his side he hardly put a foot wrong in that first half putting in a great shift at the breakdown.
4. Rusi Tuima- 6
Tuima scored the opening try of the match and put in a very goof performance, showing his physical capabilities. His performance was let down by picking up an unnecessary yellow card in the second half.
5. Richard Capstick- 6
Capstick was one of the players that utilised their physical advantage over a poor Gloucester side in the first half. The second row gave away an unnecessary second half penalty in the maul.
6. Ethan Roots- 7
Ethan Roots was yet again another player that was physically immense, put in some massive tackles and made some massive hits on the ball. However, Roots was one of the Exeter playrers who showed a lack of discipline in the second half,
7. Jacques Vermeulen (c) – (off 68')- 6
The Chiefs captain put in a strong performance, looked strong on the ball and then put in a decent shift at the break down.
8. Greg Fisilau (off 75')- 6
A good performance from Fisilau where he showed his physical excellence, carried the ball well and was just an overall solid player.
9. Stu Townsend ( off 65')- 8
A player who oozed quality today, great distribution from the ruck, scored a try and was able to be the stereotypical scrum half with the occasional bit of showboating by throwing a couple of dummy passes.
10. Will Haydon-Wood- 8
The fly half put in a great performance, showing great control of the game, good distribution out to the back line and also had a fantastic kicking game. It was an overall top drawer performance from the English man.
11. Tommy Wyatt- 7
Tommy Wyatt had a good performance, he was calm and did really well catching the high ball under pressure, he made a couple of good breaks down the wing, one was let down with him knocking the ball on, preventing what looked like a certain try.
12. Will Rigg- 7
Will Rigg was on fire, scoring a great try showing off a little bit of foot work and a cheeky dummy on the way. It was a fantastic performance where the centre added a lot of energy to Exeter's attack.
13. Tamati Tua (off 70')- 7
The Kiwi showed his ability to batter defenses with his physicality and his pace. He also notably chipped the ball and regathered it in the second half but couldn't quite finish his break. He was a player who made life difficult for The Cherries.
14. Ben Hammersley-6
The winger scored the second try of the game with a good break, he didn't get the chance to utilise his pace throughout the game and was kept relatively quiet. However, what he did do was good.
15. Josh Hodge- 9
Josh Hodge had a fantastic performance, scoring a try after a lovely one-two with Stu Townsend. He added so much to the game with his creativity, his pace and his immense kicking game. He was levels above anyone else on the pitch, a performance that really puts his name out for there for an England call up at some point.
EXETER CHIEFS REPLACEMENTS
16. Jack Innard (on 58')- 6
Innard came on and was flawless at the line out but was featured in an Exeter side who were nilled in the second halg.
17. Will Goodrick-Clarke (on 54')- 5
Goodrick-Clarke came on and was also one of the players who didn't make a big impact while coming on, Chiefs lost their form in the second half and changing the front row didn't have a positive impact.
18. Jimmy Roots (on 54')- 6
Roots came on and made some good tackles in a second half where Gloucester were on top, Roots played a part to preventing the Cherries from scoring more.
19. Lewis Pearson (on 67')- 5
Pearson came on and didn't have much chance to make an impact in a portion of the game where Chiefs were on the back foot, he made a few good tackles throughout the time he was on the pitch.
20. Martin Moloney (on 75') N/A
Only featured for the last five minutes.
21. Will Becconsall (on 65')- 6
Becconsall featured for 15 minutes at the end, he showed good distribution from the ruck in the small amount of time his side had the ball.
22. Harvey Skinner (on 70')- 5
Skinner came on at outside centre and stayed fairly quiet for his short 10 minutes. He made a few tackles and had minimal ball time.
23. Zack Wimbush- N/A
Did not come on.
Five talking points: Gloucester Rugby 7-31 Exeter Chiefs
- Josh Hodge puts in a performance that will surely start England conversations
Exeter Chiefs full back put in a performance where he was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch, showing his ability to control a game, whether it was with his boot, his playmaking ability or if it was his pace on the ball. A genuine world class performance, will he be making his England full debut soon>
2. Gloucester don't score a bonus point for the first time this season
Gloucester have been known for their positive attacking rugby this season, scoring a bonus point try against everyone they have faced. This was the first time the Cherries didn't score a bonus point try and they weren't even close.
3. Gloucester were weak in the "nitty gritty" areas of the game
Well that's what George Skivington had to say at the end of the game, his side struggled in the "nitty gritty" areas of the game. His side were flattened in the first half by Exeter's physicality which was something that Skivington's side had no answer for.
4. Why did the visitors fall apart in the second half?
The Chiefs made many changes in the forwards quite early in the second half, this lined up with Gloucester taking control of the game, Exeter showed a lack of discipline, conceding penalty after penalty and then picking up a yellow card. However, it could be argued that it was just the fact that Gloucester showed up in the second half after changing their whole front row before the 50 minute mark.
5. Gloucester need a miracle to top the pool now
It is fairly certain that both Gloucester and Exeter will come out on top once again when they face off against Cornish Pirates and Hartpury. This means that when the two premiership sides face each other at Sandy Park, Gloucester will have a massive points difference to overturn if they want to top the group. The current difference between the two sides is 147 points.
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