Exeter 23pts
Tries: White 34, Cuthbert 44
Conversions: Steenson 34, 44
Penalties: Steenson 24, 50, 77
Gloucester 6pts
Penalties: Cipriani 3, 13
MAYBE Eddie Jones was right about Danny Cipriani after the maverick fly-half’s horror moment killed off the game for his ultra-competitive team-mates.
Cipriani’s sloppy pass straight into the arms of Alex Cuthbert, who ran from the halfway line to score, was a sickening blow to the beating heart of a Gloucester side battling hard to eradicate a fourpoint deficit at the start of the second half.
Head coach Johan Ackermann stood by his man as he said: “You can probably say Danny pushed the pass but you can’t brand a player just on one game.
“It’s all 15 on the field that takes responsibility. One game can’t define a player or a team.”
But that one moment effectively defined the rest of this match.
Cipriani kicked Gloucester into a six-point lead with a 45-metre third-minute penalty, followed by a closer shot, when Exeter were caught offside after Welsh international Cuthbert fumbled a high ball.
It was all Gloucester in the opening 20 minutes but then Exeter unleashed back row big guns Dave Ewers, Don Armand and Matt Kvesic in a series of assaults before a Steenson penalty opened their account.
The pressure was telling on Gloucester and they were finally opened up by a stunning Chiefs try.
Playing a penalty advantage, Steenson hoisted a pinpoint kick towards Santiago Cordero. The diminutive Argentina winger’s high-speed catch took out Ollie Thornley and an elecrtic burst of pace isolated Jason Woodward before Cordero sent supporting scrum-half Nic White in to leave Steenson a simple conversion.
Trailing 10-6 at half-time, Gloucester showed serious intent on the resumption but the wind was knocked out of their sails as Cipriani’s afternoon took a big turn for the worse.
His telegraphed pass was read like a large-print book by Cuthbert and the Glouceser defence was left stranded as the Welshman ran in from 50 metres.
Gloucester’s free-running wingers Thorley and Charlie Sharples always looked a threat but handling errors undid much of the good work with debutant hooker Henry Walker the culprit as their most sustained spell of attacking pressure spluttered to a halt.
Six minutes after the try Cipriani and the entire Gloucester front row were replaced.
After Exeter, with their four first-choice props away on international duty, rung the front row changes bringing on young props Billy Keast and Marcus Street alongside veteran Tongan hooker Elvis Taione, their first scrum forced a penalty.
Steenson rounded off a perfect five-from-five kicking performance with two penalties as Exeter uncharacteristically seemed to accept that, for once, the bonus point was going to elude them.
But emerging from the international period by extending their perfect Premiership start to eight victories speaks for itself.
Head coach Ali Hepher said: “You have to have the will-to-win and we drove that through.”
CLOSE-UP
GARETH STEENSON
Exeter fly-half
V
DANNY CIPRIANI
Gloucester fly-half
Cipriani’s hopeful range of long and short tactical kicks failed to trouble the Chiefs and his early influence quickly faded. By contrast, Steenson turned the tables with a penalty and the spot-on crossfield kick which set up Exeter’s opening try before Cipriani’s careless moment presented Exeter with their interception try. Six minutes later he was hauled off!
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