Gloucester Rugby missed out on moving into the play-off places at the halfway point of the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership season after failing to turn-up in the first half of Sunday’s 22-15 defeat away at Exeter Chiefs.

The Devon side, who hadn’t won a Premiership game since May last year, were 14-3 up at half time after dominating almost every area of the contest in the first 40 minutes. The Cherry and Whites self-destructed with less than three minutes on the clock as hooker Seb Blake failed to link with his jumper Freddie Thomas at a lineout on their own 5m and the ball landed into the hands of opposition hooker Dan Frost who flopped over the try line. Tamati Tua then added a second try from a Henry Slade cross-field kick, with the makeshift fly-half adding both conversions as well.

READ MORE: Gloucester Rugby player ratings from Exeter Chiefs defeat - 'Kept extremely quiet'

READ MORE: Gloucester Rugby player ratings from Exeter Chiefs defeat - 'Kept extremely quiet'

READ MORE: Chloe Madeley's two-word message to parents Richard and Judy after James Haskell split

All Gloucester had to show for their trip down the M5 was three points from the boot of Santi Carreras, with only desperate defending just before the interval stopping Richard Capstick from scoring a third for Chiefs, but by that point Exeter were full of belief they could end their losing run and climb off the foot of the table.

Post-match, Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington reflected: “It was about as bad a start as you could get down here. Exeter were probably a team who needed to get in the lead early doors and we dropped a kick off, we missed a line out and they're never gonna score an easier try than what they got given.

“So that's a really poor start from us and their tails are up and next thing it's 10-0.

“I'm not sure why we were so inaccurate but we definitely were and I think our boys got frustrated with that.

“We probably could have just parked it and moved on but we kept getting frustrated and every time we dropped a ball it seemed to be landing for Exeter and they were fighting really hard at the breakdown. It just got away from us.”

The Cherry and Whites fought their way back into the contest in the second half and actually took the lead in the 62nd minute after an interception try from Gareth Anscombe and a close-range finish from Jamal Ford-Robinson, plus a penalty from Santi Carreras, who missed one conversion and then a later penalty to again release the pressure on Chiefs. But a Slade penalty and then try from Josh Iosefa-Scott sealed the win for the hosts.

Skivington added: “We found our way back in the second half, look, Santi kicks those kicks all day long most of the time and maybe the game's different. It's a shame but we've got to move on.”

Gloucester now turn their attention to Sale Sharks who come to Kingsholm on Saturday off the back of a stunning 38-0 away win at Bristol Bears.