[Source: BBC]

Exeter Chiefs claimed their first win of the Premiership season as they edged past Gloucester 22-15 to climb off the bottom of the table.

Dan Frost and Tamati Tua tries gave Chiefs a 14-3 lead at half-time but scores from Gareth Anscombe and Jamal Ford-Robinson had the visitors in front after 63 minutes.

But a Henry Slade penalty and then a Josh Iosefa-Scott try did enough to bring cheers and relief to Sandy Park at the final whistle.

Exeter jumped above Newcastle Falcons into ninth place, while Gloucester remain sixth as they missed a chance to move into the top four, although they claimed a losing bonus point.

Exeter last tasted a Premiership victory 232 days ago, as the team that did the Premiership and European Cup double in 2020 had sunk to the bottom and seemingly forgotten how to win.

But in need of a break, they had one inside the first 90 seconds as the visitors got a five-metre lineout all wrong and Frost gleefully caught the loose throw and dived over to score.

And they had further joy before a quarter of the game had been played, as playing advantage, Slade kicked towards the space in the corner where Kiwi winger Tua took it to claim his first Premiership try.

With the scoreboard in their favour, Exeter’s defence responded as they did not allow the normally free-scoring Cherry and Whites any momentum or territory in the first period.

But if Exeter had been handed a gift at the start of the first half, they returned the favour in the opening minutes of the second period.

Their move across midfield got a little static and Wales fly-half Anscombe read Tua’s pass and he intercepted on halfway and touched down under the sticks.

Suddenly Gloucester had the impetus and when replacement prop Ford-Robinson went over following some fine mauling, they had turned the score in their favour.

Slade’s penalty restored the lead, but Santi Carreras then missed a crucial penalty from the 22-metre line that would have put George Skivington’s team back in front.

Buoyed by that miss, Exeter sensed their moment and Iosefa-Scott went over to secure that all-important first win of the season and end Gloucester’s run of three straight victories as their wait for a first success down in Devon since 2015 goes on.