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Exeter Chiefs were indebted to a late penalty from replacement Will Hooley to ensure they secured victory over rivals Gloucester in their latest Westcountry Challenge Cup encounter.

Having already seen off the Cherry & Whites and Bath on home soil, Rob Baxter’s side ensured the newly-created Cup would be heading to Sandy Park, even though they still have a game to play in the competition away to Bath next week.

Having dominated the early exchanges to lead through converted tries from Thomas Waldrom and Luke Cowan-Dickie, the Chiefs allowed their hosts to hit back before...

Having chopped and changed personnel for the first two fixtures in this year’s Westcountry Challenge Cup, Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter is promising a more settled approach for the final two games of the competition.

With Gloucester next on the agenda tomorrow at Bristol’s Memorial Ground (3pm), followed by Bath a week later at the Rec, Baxter hopes to use these subsequent away days as the ideal opportunity to ready his troops for the battles ahead.

Buoyed by home wins over both teams already in the new-look, three-team competition, Baxter is well aware the next two...

Exeter Chiefs lock Geoff Parling keeps his place in an England side that shows three changes to it’s staring XV for Saturday’s crunch Rugby World Cup Pool A encounter with Australia at Twickenham (8pm).

Parling will pack down in the England engine room alongside Joe Launchbury, who comes in for the injured Courtney Lawes; whilst other changes see Ben Morgan (Gloucester) replaces Billy Vunipola at No 8 and Jonathan Joseph takes over from Brad Barritt, who moves back to inside centre for Sam Burgess.

On the bench Nick Easter – called up earlier this week to replace the...

For the second time this season, Exeter City handed the League 2 leaders their first defeat of the season.

Goals from David Wheeler and Arron Davies earned Exeter City a win at Fratton Park, and their second success over Portsmouth in September.

Three changes were made to the starting eleven that were beaten by Wycombe at St James Park at the weekend, with Jordan Tillson and Manny Oyeleke returning to the first eleven and Arron Davies completing his return from an injury lay-off with a place from the off.

The hosts almost had City rocking right from the off, with...