EXETER Chiefs were given a brutal reality check on the opening weekend of the new PREM Rugby season as Gloucester stormed to a 45-24 victory at Sandy Park.

The Cherry and Whites, who won only once on the road last season as they finished eighth, produced a stunning performance to immediately match that away tally and leave last season’s runners-up with plenty to ponder.

Post-game, Chiefs’ director of rugby Rob Baxter pulled no punches, admitting his side were guilty of poor basics, a lack of attacking intent and being “switched off” at crucial moments.

“There are two things we can do here,” said Baxter. “We can go back to where we were two years ago and go, ‘Well done, fought back well, got the losing bonus point, scored your four tries.’

“But how do we get to that scenario by playing as poorly as we did?

“I thought Gloucester were good today. I thought they knew what they wanted to do and they implemented that very well. But I don’t think I’ve seen us quite as poor on some of our basics of catch-pass in the first half, or our lack of desire to counter-attack into the wind.”

Exeter Chiefs back Zack Wimbush looks for an offload in his side's clash with Gloucester
Exeter Chiefs back Zack Wimbush looks for an offload in his side's clash with Gloucester (Matt Impey)

New Gloucester captain and Wales skipper Dewi Lake led the way with two tries on his competitive debut for the club, while Ben Loader also crossed twice.

Seb Atkinson, Will Joseph and Junior Denny completed the visitors’ seven-try haul, with the Chiefs at least securing a losing bonus point through Josh Iosefa-Scott, Ethan Roots, Stephen Varney and Louie Gulley.

The result was a stark contrast to Exeter’s thrilling run to last season’s Premiership final, where they eventually lost to Northampton Saints. The Chiefs had hoped that their progress under Baxter, alongside new American investment at Sandy Park, would provide the platform for another push towards the top of English rugby.

Instead, they were comprehensively outplayed by a Gloucester side who have not reached the Premiership play-offs for seven years but have strengthened significantly during the summer, including with the arrival of Lake and Jac Morgan.

Baxter was particularly critical of his side’s decision-making when playing into the wind.

“How many times did we receive a backfield kick and not even attempt to make a pass?” he said. “You’ve got wingers like Manny [Feyi-Waboso], Woody [Olly Woodburn] — you can get the ball into their hands and counter-attack.

“We didn’t take one opportunity to get the ball into Woody or Manny’s hands and counter-attack.

“Those kinds of things, I’m just sitting there going, ‘That’s not an energy thing. That’s just not having clarity in our thinking, in the way we’re moving, the way we’re talking and the way we’re communicating.’ That’s a little bit of a worry.”

Exeter Chiefs hooker Louie Gulley looks for an offload in his side's clash with Gloucester
Exeter Chiefs hooker Louie Gulley looks for an offload in his side's clash with Gloucester (Matt Impey)

The Chiefs boss also admitted his side had been caught “napping” defensively, particularly during the first half.

“Literally, our backfield is asleep,” Baxter said. “We’re not connected, we’re not communicating, we’re not reading body language. We’re just completely switched off.”

The Chiefs now face a daunting trip to Bath on Friday, giving Baxter little time to address the problems exposed by Gloucester.

“Nothing’s going to get tougher than that,” he said. “We’ve got to really decide how we want to find ourselves next week.

“Sometimes a slap in the face like today can be good for you, but it’s going to be down to the lads and whether they’re up to it.”