Gloucester defeated Exeter 38-22 in front of a packed Kingsholm crowd to win their fourth straight Premiership game.
In a back-and-forth first half, the hosts Louis Rees-Zammit, Santiago Carreras, and Santiago Socino scored goals, while Exeter’s Jack Maunder and Ruben van Heerden responded.
Josh Hodge cut the margin in half after Gloucester was up by 14 points thanks to Charlie Chapman and Ruan Ackermann.
Lewis Ludlow’s late try sealed the triumph three minutes from the end.
Less than two hours had passed before it was announced that Wasps had been demoted and suspended from the Premier League, which meant that their records from this season had been wiped clean.
As a result, the teams entered the game tied on points, and during a competitive first half, the teams remained within five points of one another at all times.
Harvey Skinner converted a penalty kick to give the visitors the lead. When Carreras blocked an Exeter effort, Rees-Zammit launched one of his signature runs, finishing in the corner.
Maunder stretched out from close range and moved Exeter into the lead, but Exeter could not capitalize on the subsequent period of possession and territory as Gloucester remained steadfast.
Rees-Zammit was crucial to the Gloucester assault because he often broke through Exeter’s defense. Although he came up just centimeters short after being picked out by a cross-field kick, Carreras scored after the ball was repurposed.
READ MORE: Wasps suspended from Premiership for rest of the season
As Gloucester missed tackles and let the second rower a gap, Exeter struck back again via Van Heerden. However, Socino crossed the line from a driving maul for his third try in seven minutes, cutting their advantage in half.
As the second half got underway, a Lloyd Evans dummy assisted in releasing Carreras, enabling Chapman to create some space for Gloucester.
As Exeter looked elsewhere for inspiration, they started to win more of the physical struggle over time. Finally, Ackermann seized the opportunity and overpowered the opposition to increase the lead.
When Albert Tuise was ejected for violating a maul rule, Gloucester’s ascent was halted, and Exeter made their numbers pay when Hodge quickly raced over on the right.
Gloucester, though, who has only lost once at home since January, owned the evening. Captain Ludlow received an underarm pass from Rees-Zammit and swan-doved over for his first try of the year while taking in the cheers from The Shed.
With Exeter now in sixth place in the standings, they rise to third.