Chiefs 19 Gloucester 10

Exeter Chiefs 19

Gloucester 10

Mark Stevens at Sandy Park

Thomas Waldrom finished top of the try pile for 2015 and the Exeter No.8 is hoping to replicate the feat this time round as his double helped the Chiefs to victory over Gloucester.

The free-scoring forward, who scored 16 touchdowns last season, took his tally to eight for this term with a first half brace that enabled Rob Baxter’s side to keep up their pursuit of Saracens at the top of the Aviva Premiership table.

Winger Olly Woodburn added a third score, while fly-half Gareth Steenson wrapped up the job with two conversions of his own.

In reply, Gloucester - who trailed 19-0 at the break - countered in the second half with a converted Charlie Sharples try and a penalty from Greig Laidlaw, but it was never enough in testing conditions at Sandy Park.

Having started the New Year with a narrow loss at rivals Northampton Saints, the Chiefs were hoping a return to home comforts would allow them to rediscover their winning formula.

Certainly Sandy Park has proved ‘fortress-like’ during the past 12 months as it was, ironically, Gloucester who were the last side to win at the Devon venue. Since then, Baxter’s side have played 13 competitive fixtures on home soil, winning each and every one along the way.

Ahead of kick-off, the hosts made a string of changes with Alec Hepburn, Ollie Atkins and Julian Salvi all added to the pack, while James Short’s return meant Jack Nowell was shunted inside to centre and Michele Campagnaro dropped to the bench.

Gloucester, fresh from their home win over London Irish, made two changes to their side, recalling international duo Ben Morgan and Laidlaw to their ranks.

With personnel in place and conditions horrendous, it was onto the action itself with the Chiefs having first use of the howling wind blowing from the wild west.

And it was Devon’s finest who started with a canter, Waldrom claiming his first of the afternoon on six minutes when he lapped up a charged down clearance to collect the loose ball and dive over by the posts for Steenson to convert.

Four minutes later and the famous arm-punching ‘Toot Toot’ signal emerged again as the free-scoring No.8 was propelled over from a five-metre line-out by his team-mates to put the Chiefs up by 12 points in as many minutes.

It was a dream start for the Chiefs, whose streetwise approach was not only forcing the Cherry & Whites into a catalogue of errors, but was making decent yardage themselves.

Gloucester momentarily threatened midway through the half with a series of attacking raids, but they could find no way through the rock solid Exeter defensive line, who having absorbed the threat then countered to deadly effect.

Roaring back down field, Baxter’s side positioned themselves deep inside enemy territory and when the visitors looked to clear their lines through former Cornish Pirates full-back Rob Cook, he was nailed in the tackle and the ball fell invitingly to Woodburn (pictured) who did the rest with an assured finish.

As so often the case, Steenson, wide on the right flank, drilled a sublime conversion between the sticks and the Chiefs were seemingly in cruise control.

Again the visitors looked to find a way back into the contest as half time approached, but still the ‘Men In Black’ were producing a miserly defensive showing, summed up by one particular bone-crunching hit from Geoff Parling.

HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 19 GLOUCESTER 0

Up against it somewhat, Gloucester knew they needed a fast start to the second half. With the in-effective Morgan replaced by Ross Moriarty during the interval, it was the visitors who were first to show on the resumption.

A succession of high kicks into the elements set about creating them territory and when the Chiefs were pulled up for obstruction as they looked to clear their lines, it allowed Scotsman Laidlaw to deliver Gloucester’s first points of the afternoon with a penalty.

It was what the visitors craved in pursuit of pulling themselves back into the match, but the Chiefs didn’t allow the mere blip to disrupt things too much. Instead they continued to go about their work with a more direct approach to that of Gloucester in the first half.

The directive to keep things tight from Baxter was a clear one, especially given the success it had brought in previous home games this season, but attempts to get down field were proving difficult.

Just before the hour mark Gloucester were afforded another shot at goal, this after Exeter replacement Ben Moon was adjudged to have dropped a scrum, but this time Welsh international James Hook could not capitalise, firing his long-range effort wide of the right post.

The visitors - who emptied their bench in an attempt to liven up proceedings - continued to press forward and threatened once more when a cheeky chip over the top from Billy Burns fell into the grasp of Bill Meakes, but he was quickly swamped by the Exeter cover and the chance came and went in an instance.

The pressure was clearly mounting and with just over ten minutes remaining the visitors gave themselves a lifeline with their first try. The forwards did the donkey work, piling through the middle in numbers, then when the ball was worked wide to the right, Sharples was the grateful beneficiary, squeezing over in the corner for the score which Burns converted.

Exeter looked for a response of sorts at the other end as Nowell looked to pick his way through, but he was halted by Moriarty in full flight. The tackle floored the England star who stayed stricken for a few minutes on the wet turf before limping from the field to be replaced by Campagnaro.

The sight of the Cornishman departing stage left was the last thing Baxter would want at this stage, but even then the Chiefs poured forward with the final play of the game in search of the try bonus point.

Elvis Taione’s charge, followed up by a five-metre rumble from Don Armand, threatened to ensure a maximum haul, but the Chiefs were to be denied when referee Ian Tempest checked the grounding with the TV match official.

For the Chiefs, attention now switches back to the European Champions Cup and two crunch encounter with Bordeaux-Begles next Saturday, followed by the Ospreys on January 24.

Chiefs: P Dollman; O Woodburn, J Nowell (M Campagnaro 73), I Whitten, J Short; G Steenson, W Chudley; A Hepburn (B Moon 55), J Yeandle (capt, E Taione 73), T Francis (M Low 26-34, 65); O Atkins (J Hill 71), G Parling; D Armand, J Salvi, T Waldrom (K Horstmann 68). Replacements (not used): D Lewis, W Hooley.

Tries - Waldrom (2), Woodburn; Conversion - Steenson (2)

Gloucester: R Cook; C Sharples, B Meakes, B Twelvetrees (M Atkinson 65), H Purdy (T Lindsay 68); J Hook (B Burns 63), G Laidlaw (capt, W Heinz 65); N Wood (P McAllister 50), R Hibbard, N Thomas (D Murphy 55); T Savage (M Galarza 59), J Thrush; S Kalamafoni, M Kvesic, B Morgan (R Moriarty h/t).

Try - Sharples; Conversion - Burns; Penalty - Laidlaw

Referee: I Tempest

Attendance: 12,604