Exeter Chiefs hosts Gloucester Rugby at Sandy Park in Round Six Derby

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Sandy Park Rugby Stadium on October 21, 2008

Exeter Chiefs hosts Gloucester Rugby at Sandy Park on Sunday afternoon, in Round . Both teams enter this game looking to rebound from a loss last weekend.

Exeter Chiefs hosts Gloucester Rugby on Sunday

Exeter Chiefs (3-0-2)

The Exeter Chiefs lost convincingly to Northampton last Sunday. Part of that might have had to do with Β Olly Woodburn getting sent-off as the Chiefs were unable to compete the comeback. This is what David Flatman said about the Chiefs after the game (ITV Rugby Twitter Account):

“When the Chiefs have had the ball, they’re keen to send lads steaming in but Saints are up for it physically so you’ve got to do more or they’ll just knock you backwards.”

Before that game though, the Chiefs have been in good form, getting a dominant win over Sale and a close win over Bristol. They are also playing at home, where they have a perfect record of 3-0 at Sandy Park.

Gloucester Rugby (2-0-3)

After starting the season with two wins, Gloucester finds themselves in a fix, as they have now lost three straight games. This includes an entertaining high-scoring game, where they lost to Bath Rugby by a scoreline of 45-27. This was a heartbreaking loss for Gloucester Rugby, who were winning 20-10 after the end of the first half at home. George Skivington, head coach of Gloucester Rugby, said this about the game (source: Gloucester Rugby):

β€œThe first half was good, I thought we tried to play the right players at the right positions got the ball to him and I thought the boys were really playing well,” said Skivington, who was also disappointed about the second half. β€œWe are massively embarrassed as a group as to that second half, frankly.”

That is not the only bad news for Gloucester. Jonny May, who picked up a red card against Bath, will miss three game because of a high-tackle, including the one against Exeter. This was something even May admitted saying that β€œ[I] failed to reduce my height properly,” (source: Matt Jones of Eurosport).

READ MORE: Gallagher Premiership Rugby returns to Limelight after RWC finale weekend

Head-to-Head

The head-to-head between these two Premiership sides as of recently has been fairly even. Since 2021, the home team has won six of the seven games. The only time a road side won a game was back on October 29, 2021, when the Chiefs defeated Gloucester by a scoreline of 13-16. Exeter also has the edge over Gloucester, as Exeter has four wins and three losses in their last seven games against Gloucester.

The games that people might remember are the Premiership Rugby Cup games between these two teams. Gloucester Rugby eliminated the Exeter Chiefs from the 2021/22 Premiership Rugby Cup at Kingsholm Stadium while the Exeter Chiefs returned the favour and eliminated Gloucester Rugby from the 2022/23 Premiership Rugby Cup at Sandy Park.

How to view the upcoming match on November 19 at Sandy Park

Both teams will play at Sandy Park at 3:00pm GMT. It will have a big draw with spectators, who enjoy the build-up at local establishments, club/regional fundraising stalls and local charities. A community event, for the majority of the 2023/24 Gallagher Premiership, local derby games are some of the most well-attended.

Fans can also enjoy watching this game live. Be it locally in Britain or anywhere across the rugby-globe. That may be on PRTV (Premiership Rugby TV portal) or via streamed channels.

In Europe and North America, TNT Sports coverage is live from Exeter. Other broadcasters include Peacock, Stan Sport and SkySport NZ. See your local broadcaster/app for more ways to enjoy the new season, and leading matches like Exeter v Gloucester.

Importantly, it will also be the last game of the weekend as all earlier Premiership Rugby games happening this week will have been played by the end of Saturday. That highlights this Round Six derby game to the widest potential audience.

Note: current standings for the Gallagher Premiership can be found here.

 

Photo credit: Rob Purvis on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED


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