Exeter beat Gloucester to maintain play-off hopes

Gloucester: (10) 17

Tries: May, Clement, Clark Con: Atkinson

Exeter: (24) 38

Tries: Vermeulen 2, John, Woodburn, Feyi-Waboso Pen: Slade Cons: Slade 5

Exeter kept themselves in contention for the Premiership play-offs with a bonus point 38-17 win over Gloucester to close the gap to the top four.

Jacques Vermeulen, Dan John and Olly Woodburn scored in a dominant first half from Exeter, as Jonny May and Jack Clement replied for Gloucester.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso added the crucial bonus-point try and while Arthur Clark replied during a spell on top for Gloucester and Vermeulen got a second to take the game away from the hosts.

Exeter stay seventh but closed the gap to fourth-placed Bristol to four points, with two games left to play.

• Premiership table

The Chiefs knew anything but a bonus point win would realistically mean they missed the play-offs for the second campaign running and they took advantage of Gloucester’s ill-discipline during the opening 20 minutes.

Henry Slade kicked the first three points before Vermeulen powered over from a driving maul after a penalty was kicked to the corner.

Soon after full-back John ran in the first Premiership try of his career to make it 17-0.

Gloucester did respond after flanker Jack Clement won a turnover to gift the Cherry and Whites a five-metre line-out, and May clawed a try back days after he said it was “unlikely” he would be at the club next season.

Still Exeter’s attack was far more formidable and while Feyi-Waboso dropped the ball over the line under a tackle, Woodburn did not falter shortly after.

Slade drifted through a gap in the Gloucester defence and fed him through to cross in the corner and stretch the lead to 24-5.

But for the second time an Exeter error with a loose line-out throw handed Gloucester an opening and Clement ran through a gap to pull another back right on half-time.

Feyi-Waboso scored the crucial fourth try to give Chiefs an extra point early in the second half as a long ball over the top from Harvey Skinner gave the England back the overlap on the wing.

Still, Exeter could not afford be content with their healthy lead as a Clark charged down a kick from their scrum-half Tom Cairns for the second time and ran straight into space to pull another try back, with Charlie Atkinson adding the conversion after missing his first two to close the gap to 14 points with 30 minutes remaining.

Having seen winger Jake Morris miss out on a try earlier due to a foot in touch, Gloucester came within inches again as Skinner recovered brilliantly to deny Stephen Varney in sight of the try-line.

Exeter nerves then settled when flanker Vermeulen stretched over to score their fifth of the afternoon and condemn Gloucester to a second consecutive Premiership defeat with their European Challenge Cup semi-final to come next week.

Gloucester: Morris, May, Harris, Llewellyn, Thorley, Atkinson, Varney; Ford-Robinson, Blake, Gotovtsev, Clarke, Clark, Ackermann, Clement, Mercer (c)

Replacements: Socino, Vivas, Knight, Thomas, Ludlow, Chapman, Englefield, Hillman-Cooper

Exeter: John, Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Hawkins, Woodburn, Skinner, Cairns; Sio, Yeandle, Street, Dunne, Jenkins (c), Roots, Vermeulen, Fisilau.

Replacements: Norey, Southworth, Painter, Tshiunza, Vintcent, Armstrong, Haydon-Wood, Wimbush

Referee: Christophe Ridley