Gloucester v Exeter Sunday 3pm

[fivepointer]

Gloucester Rugby: 15 Santi Carreras, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Jake Morris, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin, 2 Seb Blake, 3 Afo Fasogbon, 4 Arthur Clark, 5 Freddie Thomas, 6 Jack Clement, 7 Lewis Ludlow (C), 8 Ruan Ackermann

Replacements: 16 Jack Singleton, 17 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 18 Kirill Gotovtsev, 19 Cam Jordan, 20 Freddie Clarke, 21 Caolan Englefield, 22 Charlie Atkinson, 23 Jack Cotgreave

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Ben Hammersley, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Paul Brown-Bampoe, 10 Harvey Skinner, 9 Niall Armstrong, 1 Scott Sio, 2 Jack Yeandle, 3 Marcus Street, 4 Rusi Tuima, 5 Dafydd Jenkins (c), 6 Ethan Roots, 7 Ross Vintcent, 8 Greg Fisilau

Replacements: 16 Max Norey, 17 Kwenzo Blose, 18 Josh Iosefa-Scott, 19 Richard Capstick, 20 Jacques Vermeulen, 21 Stu Townsend, 22 Will Haydon-Wood, 23 Will Rigg

[Charlatan]

VRR off already, and just as he was starting to get a run of games together

Glaws are having a bit of a field day so far otherwise tho.

[Banquo]

Exeters maul defence on hols

[Banquo]

glaws 4th try a peach...

[Oakboy]

I hate the pitch.

[Banquo]

exeter sort of lucky that carreras having an off kicking day

[Banquo]

I hate the pitch.

me too, but historically hard to keep a good pitch at kingsholm

[Oakboy]

10 tries, including two walk-ins for Seb. Exeter are awful, especially at 9, 10, 12.

[Charlatan]

Now there’s a proper scrap going on!

[Banquo]

10 tries, including two walk-ins for Seb. Exeter are awful, especially at 9, 10, 12.

they are being massacred up front tbh and then at the tackle line as a consequence

[Charlatan]

Wow! That was an absolute hammering, G’wan Glaws! My word but Exeter were poor tho. I think they’d lost interest at half time tbh.

[fivepointer]

A stroll for Gloucester, who did play some nice stuff at times and looked yards quicker in thought and deed.

But Exeter......That was a disgracefully bad performance. Something has to happen during the close season there.

[Banquo]

Something has to happen during the close season there.

Such as?

Is the issue Baxter too long in role? Lack of cash?

Would real jeopardy help?

[fivepointer]

Something has to happen during the close season there.

Such as?

Is the issue Baxter too long in role? Lack of cash?

Would real jeopardy help?

Last season Exeter did pretty well. Played some good rugby and finished creditably in mid table. With pretty much the same squad they have floundered and not moved forward an inch. Players are rotated in an out to no obvious effect and no area of play has improved.
Those at the top need to accept some responsibility for that.

[twitchy]

Something has to happen during the close season there.

Such as?

Is the issue Baxter too long in role? Lack of cash?

Would real jeopardy help?

Top level players left and were replaced by average/poor ones across the board. The money isn't there anymore.
Do you remember bath got beaten up by glos not that long ago. They sacked hooper and pumped loads of money in and look at them now. Exe don't seem to be able to do any of that financially.

[FKAS]

Something has to happen during the close season there.

Such as?

Is the issue Baxter too long in role? Lack of cash?

Would real jeopardy help?

Top level players left and were replaced by average/poor ones across the board. The money isn't there anymore.
Do you remember bath got beaten up by glos not that long ago. They sacked hooper and pumped loads of money in and look at them now. Exe don't seem to be able to do any of that financially.

I thought they said they've steadied the ship post COVID and are now going to increase their spending again for next summer. What that actually buys we'll see.

[Which Tyler]

Top level players left and were replaced by average/poor ones across the board. The money isn't there anymore.
Do you remember bath got beaten up by glos not that long ago. They sacked hooper and pumped loads of money in and look at them now. Exe don't seem to be able to do any of that financially.

Who did they lose last summer, that was top class? The only one I can think of, is Devoto; whilst he's very good, I'm not sure I'd call him "top class" if only because of his injury record - which has been terrible.
Swapping Devoto for Tua isn't the difference between 50 league points and 21-25 league points.

[Banquo]

Something has to happen during the close season there.

Such as?

Is the issue Baxter too long in role? Lack of cash?

Would real jeopardy help?

Last season Exeter did pretty well. Played some good rugby and finished creditably in mid table. With pretty much the same squad they have floundered and not moved forward an inch. Players are rotated in an out to no obvious effect and no area of play has improved.
Those at the top need to accept some responsibility for that.

well yes, but then what? I don't know anything about what's going on there, so wondered if there was any insight?

[twitchy]

Ali Hepher will coach the academy next season. Who knows what difference that will make.

[switchskier]

Skivington for coach of the year? You look at that 23 and it's got lots of solida players but few (maybe one) stars. It's not so long ago that he was thought to be under pressure but he's got them playing well with a realistic shot at top 4.

[FKAS]

Skivington for coach of the year? You look at that 23 and it's got lots of solida players but few (maybe one) stars. It's not so long ago that he was thought to be under pressure but he's got them playing well with a realistic shot at top 4.

The transformation from last season to this season is incredible. The style of rugby, set piece is still stable and to have the player buy in. As you say the squad isn't stacked with players on big salaries. Skivington and the coaching staff have done a top job with what they've got to work with. Their marquee player has been absent since November. If the finish in the top 4 he's got to have a great chance of landing coach of the year

[twitchy]

Got to love these rumours.

“We heard a rumour that someone in the Exeter camp called us soft, so we had to make a point,” Ludlow told TNT Sports.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/rumoured ... -thumping/

[Puja]

Got to love these rumours.

“We heard a rumour that someone in the Exeter camp called us soft, so we had to make a point,” Ludlow told TNT Sports.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/rumoured ... -thumping/

Live images of George Skivington:


Puja

[twitchy]

https://www.exeterchiefs.co.uk/news/coaching-update

Exeter Rugby Club can confirm that following Sunday's disappointing result against Gloucester Rugby, club Chairman and CEO Tony Rowe CBE, has made the decision to suspend coaches Rob Hunter and Ali Hepher pending a full review of the match and the 2024/25 season to date.

Rowe said: "No final decision regarding the club’s coaching structure going forward has been made, and it would be improper to make any further comment until all internal procedures have been completed."

In the interim, Director of Rugby Rob Baxter will step into a front-line coaching role to oversee the remainder of the season.

[Danno]

Blimey, that's quite a step. Odd timing too, they aren't going to realistically improve their position in any meaningful way before the end of the season. Feels a bit like pulling Hunter and Hepher's pants down for a public spanking to appease the fans.