Chiefs 46 Gloucester 10
Exeter Chiefs 46
Gloucester 10
Mark Stevens at Sandy Park
Watching England head coach Eddie Jones was given plenty to ponder as he watched defending Aviva Premiership champions Exeter Chiefs seal their place in this season’s play-offs with an emphatic six-try victory over visiting Gloucester.
With a glut of Red Rose talent to peruse on the lush Sandy Park turf, Devon’s finest served up a sumptuous Sunday treat to maintain their position at the summit of the table.
First half tries from international duo Alec Hepburn and Sam Simmonds, plus another from Olly Woodburn, paved the foundations for the victory, which was sealed with a second half double from Jack Nowell and another from Gareth Steenson.
Fly-half Joe Simmonds - who ended with 16 points - also reminded Jones that there is another Simmonds brother in these parts making waves on the Westcountry coast.
In reply, Gloucester replied with a try from Calum Braley and five points from the boot of Owen Williams, but that was scant reward for them on a day when they were distinctly second best in all areas.
Having paraded 39 different players over the past fortnight against Bath in the Premiership, then in winning the Anglo-Welsh Cup a week ago, it was a powerful Chiefs line-up that took to the field for the visit of the Cherry & Whites.Just Dave Dennis and Joe Simmonds remained from the outset from the previous week, but the hosts were buoyed by the return of Luke Cowan-Dickie and Woodburn, as well as Nowell on the replacements bench.
Gloucester, fresh from their own success the previous week against Connacht in the European Challenge Cup, made four changes to their starting line-up.Up front, Josh Hohneck, Tom Savage and Ruan Ackermann all started as did Tom Hudson, who replaced Jason Woodward - the match-winner when the two sides met earlier in the season - at full-back.
With personnel all accounted for and a capacity crowd in place, it was the visitors who started strongly, creating a chance inside 40 seconds when centre Henry Trinder gathered a pass off Williams, before chipping in behind the home defence. In the subsequent sprint for the left corner, Trinder appeared to gather possession back, but he was barged into touch just a yard from the Exeter try-line by a combination of Sam Hill and Woodburn.
Referee Tom Foley wasn’t entirely sure what the end outcome was, so referred the decision to TMO Claire Hodnett who, after several reviews, deemed the Gloucester man had indeed hit touch before grounding the ball.
Undeterred, the visitors continued to offer the greater threat in the early stages and they broke the game’s deadlock on six minutes when Sam Skinner was penalised for not rolling away, allowing Williams to fire them in front with a 35-metre kick.
That would be the highlight for the visitors, though, as the Chiefs dominated for the remainder of the half. All over the field, Baxter’s side were the dominant force and once they stole in front with their opening try on 18 minutes through Hepburn, there would be no looking back for the defending champions.
The England international was the beneficiary of some outstanding work from his fellow forwards who, having tried with a succession of close-range, pick-and-go drives, eventually worked the opening for Hepburn to burrow over the whitewash for the score converted by Joe Simmonds.
Four minutes later and the Chiefs were adding to their lead, claiming a second try through No.8 Sam Simmonds who was able to drive over for his ninth league try of the season after a line-out drive had been halted just shy of the home line.
Although younger brother Joe could not convert his sibling’s score, the young playmaker soon made amends as he slotted a simple penalty from in front of the sticks after Gloucester - not for the first time - had infringed trying to scramble in defence.
With the patience of referee Foley being tested, the Somerset-based official had little option but to show yellow to Gloucester flanker Ackermann when he deliberately kicked the ball out of Nic White’s hands as he looked to instigate another home attack.
The Chiefs, as they do, made the numerical advantage tell almost immediately, working the opening for a third try through Woodburn. The Exeter winger was able to apply a slick finish after the hosts had impressively raided down the left through Skinner, then Hepburn, before the ball was fed back inside. Joe Simmonds converted to put his side in command at the turn.
HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 22 GLOUCESTER 3
Still down a man on the resumption, Gloucester knew they needed a strong start to the half to haul themselves back into the contest. And they got it, scoring inside two minutes their first try of the afternoon.No.8 Ben Morgan caused the initial problem with one of his trademark charges - and when he found Mark Atkinson on his shoulder, the visiting centre spotted a mis-match against Chiefs prop Tomas Francis, creating the space for replacement Braley to coast over for the converted score.
It was just the start the visitors would have craved, but the Chiefs were quick to respond, Joe Simmonds landing his second penalty of the contest after Gloucester prop John Afoa had slipped too high in the tackle, grabbing England international Nowell around the neck as he looked to dart clear of his advances.
Back on the front foot once more, Baxter’s side merely started to apply more pressure all over the park. The juggernaut pack - of which Hepburn was a stand-out figure - continued to wreak havoc in their pursuit of the bonus point. A penalty to the corner allowed them to set-up camp with a line-out five metres out. Thankfully, this one found Armand at the back, and it was Simmonds who drove towards the line off a pass from his back-row colleague.
Although Simmonds was halted, as were a number of pick-and-go drives, the Chiefs eventually opted to go wide with White feeding the younger Simmonds, whose looping pass to the left found Nowell with the time and space for him to glide over for his first score since September.
It was not a bad time for the Cornishman to remind watching England head coachEddie Jones of his finishing talents, but just moments later he was at it again, this time picking a pass from Slade off his bootlaces before brushing aside the attentions of Trinder and Tom Marshall to glide his way over. His swan-drive finish, together with a beaming smile, summed up a magical return for the British & Irish Lion, whose scores were both converted by Joe Simmonds.
Both sides emptied their benches in the final quarter, including a switch for Exeter centre Ian Whitten into the back-row, but it did little to hamper the home spirits.
Indeed, it was the replacements who combined to score a sixth try from the Chiefs as Stu Townsend produced a huge hit on Tom Savage, forcing the Gloucester man to spill the ball in the contact. In close attendance, though, was Steenson who gobbled up possession and waltzed his way between the sticks for another score, duly converted by Simmonds.
The Chiefs could - and probably should - have added another late on when some great footwork from Slade saw him leave Billy Twelvetrees in a heap on the deck, before racing clear down the left touchline. However, great tracking from Gloucester full-back Hudson not only kept tabs on Slade, but also Woodburn outside of him and he thwarted the Exeter speedster with a sublime last-gasp tackle.
It mattered not for the Chiefs, who having secured their play-off place, will now set their sights on securing home advantage next month.
Chiefs: L Turner; I Whitten, H Slade, S Hill (J Nowell 15), O Woodburn; J Simmonds, N White (S Townsend 59); A Hepburn (B Moon 59), L Cowan-Dickie (J Yeandle 59), T Francis (G Holmes 59); S Skinner, J Hill (M Lees 61); D Dennis (D Ewers 51), D Armand (capt), S Simmonds (G Steenson 68).
Tries - Hepburn, S Simmonds, Woodburn, Nowell (2), Steenson; Conversion - J Simmonds (5); Penalties - J Simmonds (2)
Gloucester: T Hudson; C Sharples, H Trinder, M Atkinson, T Marshall (B Twelvetrees 67); O Williams (B Burns 59), W Heinz (capt, C Braley 15); J Hohneck (P McAllister 59), J Hanson (M Matu’u 59), J Afoa (F Balmain 59); T Savage, E Slater (J Thrush 65); R Ackermann (J Polledri 65), L Ludlow, B Morgan. .
Try - Braley; Conversion - Williams; Penalty - Williams
Yellow Card: Ackermann
Referee: T Foley
Attendance: 12,760