Hogg steals show with dazzling try to help Exeter take spoils
Stuart Hogg put his Six Nations misery behind and fired Exeter to a hard-fought victory.
The Scotland captain endured a torrid fortnight in Test rugby, his dropped ball over the line costing his side a likely win over Ireland, but he reminded everyone how good he can be with a magnificent individual try from 55 metres out.
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said: “I didn’t have to say anything to motivate Stuart [Hogg].
He’s was pretty flawless. He had one opportunity and he took it which shows he is a quality player. It will give him confidence heading into the next rounds of the Six Nations.
“Sometimes we get criticised for the way we play but tonight we had to play to the conditions and we came away with a good win.”
With Saracens out of the equation, Baxter’s side are the team to beat and this win solidified their position at the top of the table.
Hogg’s stunner along with 16 points from the boot of outside-half and captain Gareth Steenson helped get the visitors over the line.
It took the Chiefs just 10 minutes to breach the defence, with South African openside Jacques Vermeulen powering his way over from short range. Steenson converted, but the Chiefs bungled the restart, handing Gloucester a foothold in the game. The hosts began to build pressure in Exeter’s 22 with a number of powerful carries close to the line. It was route one stuff from Gloucester, who turned down a certain three points to go for a scrum five metres out which backfired as the visitors shoved them off their own ball. The hosts dominated the second quarter, but found a white wall ready to repel them.
Discarded England maverick Danny Cipriani also enjoyed an influential half with his deft handling and pinpoint accurate kicking, but the hosts turned 7-3 behind.
Despite their first-half struggles in the scrum, Gloucester sent the Shed into raptures when they shunted Exeter off their own ball five metres from the try line. But Exeter extended their lead with a 45-metre penalty from Steenson.
The game burst into life when a couple of neat passes released Hogg, who ran in unopposed from 55 metres out. Steenson converted.
Johan Ackermann’s side refused to throw in the towel and their pressure finally told when Jake Polledri smashed his way over.
Louis Rees-zammit produced a superb bit of skill to cross at the far right-hand corner after some neat handling from Cipriani, but it was too little, too late.
Ackermann, Gloucester’s head coach, said: “Exeter were more clinical than us. We had a lot of possession and territory and made far more line breaks than them. But we coughed up the ball on too many occasions and gave away too many penalties.”