Jon Evely rates the Gloucester players in their 28-20 Boxing Day defeat to table-topping Exeter Chiefs

15. Kyle Moyle - 7

THE on loan Cornish Pirates’ full back has been an outstanding addition and he impressed once again playing opposite Scotland captain Stuart Hogg. He beat three defenders during the course of the game as he set off on a number of mazy runs.

» 14. Louis Rees-zammit - 7

THE winger didn’t get many opportunities to shine with the ball in hand but there were brief glimpses of the danger his pace poses defences.

13. Chris Harris - 8

THE Scottish international outside centre is such a cultured footballer. He really has all the tools you want in centre, a kicking game - as displayed when he grubbered through for ReesZammit to chase in the first half, a side step and wiry strength to beat the first tackle.

12. Mark Atkinson - 7

THE centre was a willing battering ram in attack making 21m from six carries, opting to shift the ball 11 times with some neat little tip passes, the best of which set-up Gloucester’s first try as he hit the line, rode the tackle and then offloaded to Val Rapava-ruskin who broke the line, drew the last man and fed Toby Venner to score his first ever Premiership try.

» 11. Jonny May - 7

THE workrate of May is a joy to behold, typified by his fantastic kick chasing. A perfectly timed tackle on Stuart Hogg the moment he caught the ball in the seventh minute gave Gloucester momentum to come in and win a penalty for not releasing and a chance to kick for the posts. Solid as a rock under the high ball. Came off his wing looking for work regularly but it was a pity he was never put into any space down the wide channels with Exeter managing to narrow the field.

10. Lloyd Evans - 7

THE key to beating this under-cooked Chiefs side was to punish them early but unfortunately Evans’ miss of a relatively routine kick nine minutes in proved costly at the end of the day as Gloucester left without even a losing bonus point despite a heroic effort. The wind at Sandy Park is infamous but his shaky performance from the tee will do little to reassure fans of Gloucester’s improvement from place kicking which has been an Achilles heel for several years. However there were plenty of positives to Evans’ performance with the Welshman breaking the line on a couple of occasions with his smart, weaving runs, keeping Exeter deep and weary in the backfield with a series of probing cross-field kicks - the best of which was taken on the full by Jack Singleton. The fly-half also displayed excellent tactical kicking and a wonderful short pass to set up the break for Ed Slater which led to Toby Venner’s second try.

9. Charlie Chapman - 6

A COUPLE of loose passes put his side under pressure at key moments and let Exeter off the hook when camped in their half but his box kicking was right on the money. Unfortunately for Chapman his replacement Toby Venner stole the limelight with a brace of tries running support lines Joe Simpson would have been very proud of.

» 1. Val Rapava-ruskin - 9

THE prop, who has just signed a new extended contract with the club, really is developing into one of the very best in the game. Once again he earned his side vital turnovers to relieve the pressure, using his power to jackal over the ball, and was held up over the line from a powerful twisting surge after 15 minutes. However the real eye catching moment came in the 63rd minute when he broke the Exeter defensive line from a lovely short pop pass from Mark Atkinson and then drew the final Chiefs defender to put Toby Venner in for his first Premiership try.

2. Jack Singleton - 8

THE hooker had arguably his best game in a Gloucester shirt as he made vital tackles, including one to deny Joe Simmonds a try after the break, and was a constant threat with ball in hand hanging out in the wide channels. However his highlight moment came when he plucked the ball out of the air one handed from a wonderful cross-field kick from Lloyd Evans, stopped just short by a double tackle.

3. Fraser Balmain - 7

MAKING his return from injury he held his own against the world class Chiefs pack at scrum time and made 12 tackles in open play.

4. Ed Slater - 8

THE engine on Slater is simply remarkable as he made a key break late in the game before having the calm mind and skills to draw the last man and put supporting scrum half Venner in for a try. Made 19 tackles in the contest.

5. Matias Alemanno - 7

THE Argentina international left the field in the second half for a HIA after another hugely physical shift which included 18 tackles to give the Cherry and Whites close to parity in the battle in the tight which is always key when playing Chiefs.

6. Jordy Reid - 7

DESPITE taking a huge double tackle in the opening forays which saw his dreadlocked hair fly back in the air and forced a knock on, he battled on impressively winning key turnovers. Came through a HIA check before half time after taking a blow to the head defending the Gloucester try line. Another man who made 19 tackles, but did miss four.

7. Lewis Ludlow - 9

CHARGING around the park like a deranged missile at times Ludlow made a remarkable 32 tackles against Chiefs which are numbers that are out of this world. The captain’s tackle stats reveal he missed a few at Sandy Park, four in fact, but that is because of the sheer force he attempts to throw himself into contact with and the unparalleled effort he makes to get to positions on the pitch few other flankers could.

8. Ruan Ackermann - 7

THE South African worked hard to make ground in the tight areas of the field and ended up with 20m from seven carries. Held up over the line in the first five minutes of the match with Gloucester on top. Finished with 15 tackles despite being replaced after 54 minutes.

» Replacements: 16. Henry Walker - 7, 17. Jamal Ford-robinson - 8, 18. Ciaran Knight - 7, 19. Alex Craig - 7, 20. Seb Nagle-taylor - 7, 21. Toby Venner - 9, 22. George Barton - 7, 23. Ollie Thorley - 7