Concluding this weekend's series of derby matches in the Gallagher Premiership, Exeter Chiefs will host Gloucester Rugby in the South West Derby at Sandy Park on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts head into this match against their fierce rivals in fifth place, with 15 points to their name after the first five rounds, while the visitors are third bottom with nine points.
Match preview
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Exeter Chiefs suffered a fairly convincing loss to Northampton Saints last weekend, with Olly Woodburn's sending-off contributing heavily to their inability to stage a comeback after going behind.
However, prior to that result, Exeter secured a 43-0 victory against Sale Sharks two weeks ago and inflicted a 65-10 thrashing on a significantly weakened Saracens side, which now stands as the heaviest defeat in Sarries' Premiership history.
Nevertheless, the Chiefs will be confident going into this weekend's contest since they are three from three at Sandy Park this season and have not tasted defeat on home soil since October 2022.
Additionally, the side playing at home has emerged victorious in six out of seven games in this fixture, with the only exception coming back in 2021 when the Chiefs secured a 16-13 away victory over Gloucester.
Exeter holds the advantage over Gloucester in recent times, with four wins and three losses in their last seven games against them.
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Meanwhile, following victories in their first two matches of the 2023-24 season, Gloucester are now on a three-game losing streak, which has seen them fall to eighth place on the league table.
Last time out, Gloucester suffered a deflating loss against rivals Bath, as they squandered a 20-10 half time lead to lose 45-27 in a very entertaining second half at Kingshold Stadium.
Adding to their disappointment ahead of this clash for the Cherry and Whites will be that Jonny May, who was red-carded for a high tackle in the last match, will now miss the next three games starting with this one.
Gloucester has not won at Sandy Park since January 2015, and they cannot afford to put on another poor performance here, or they could find themselves slipping even further down the league table by the end of the weekend.
Exeter Chiefs Gallagher Premiership form:
- W
- L
- W
- W
- L
Exeter Chiefs form (all competitions):
- L
- W
- L
- W
- W
- L
Gloucester Rugby Gallagher Premiership form:
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
Gloucester Rugby form (all competitions):
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
Team News
Rob Baxter has made five changes to the starting lineup for the Chiefs' Round Six derby against Gloucester, featuring an entirely new front row with Scott Sio, Jack Yeandle, and Ehren Painter joining the side.
Aidon Davis earns his first start of the season in the back row, with Ross Vintcent shifting to the bench to accommodate him, while scrum-half Stu Townsend is also included in the matchday squad on the bench.
George Skivington has introduced two alterations to the starting 15 that faced defeat against rivals Bath last weekend, both of which come in the back line.
Mayco Vivas, George McGuigan, and Fraser Balmain retain their positions in the front row, while Freddie Clarke and Mati Alemanno form the second row.
Jack Clement and Albert Tuisue exchange roles and Lewis Ludlow will once again captain the team from the openside.
Exeter Chiefs starting lineup: 15. Tommy Wyatt, 14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13. Henry Slade, 12. Joe Hawkins, 11. Ben Hammersle, 10. Harvey Skinner, 9. Tom Cairn, 8. Aidon Davis, 7. Jacques Vermeulen, 6. Ethan Roots, 5. Dafydd Jenkins (c), 4. Rusi Tuima, 3. Ehren Painter, 2. Jack Yeandle, 1. Scott Sio
Replacements: 16. Dan Frost 17. Nika Abuladze 18. Josh Iosefa-Scott 19. Lewis Pearson 20. Ross Vintcent 21. Stu Townsend 22. Will Haydon-Wood 23. Olly Woodburn
Gloucester Rugby starting lineup: 15. Santi Carreras, 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 13. Chris Harris, 12. Seb Atkinson, 11. Ollie Thorley, 10. George Barton, 9. Micky Young, 8. Jack Clement, 7. Lewis Ludlow (c), 6. Albert Tuisue, 5. Matias Alemanno, 4. Freddie Clarke, 3. Fraser Balmain, 2. George McGuigan, 1. Mayco Vivas
Replacements: 16. Santi Socino, 17. Harry Elrington, 18. Ciaran Knight, 19. Arthur Clark, 20. Freddie Thomas, 21. Stephen Varney, 22. Mark Atkinson, 23. Louis Hillman-Cooper
We say: Exeter Chiefs 24-18 Gloucester Rugby
While Exeter did suffer a disappointing loss in their last match, their record at Sandy Park has been excellent over the best part of the last year. Gloucester are struggling for rhythm at the moment, and we feel that they will concede their fourth loss on the bounce in this one.
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Devesh Jaganath
