EXETER Chiefs Women missed out on a league and cup double as they lost the Allianz Premier 15s final 34-19 to Gloucester-Hartpury at a sweltering Kingsholm.

It was the second year running the Chiefs had fallen just short, after their defeat to Saracens in the showpiece game 12 months ago.

Despite a good support for Exeter in the near-10,000 strong partisan home crowd, they failed to produce the magic of their semi-final success over Sarries, and the Cherry and Whites were worthy winners to lift the league crown for the first time. 

Gloucester made a fantastic start, with some wonderful handling and offloading. They won a penalty in front of the posts, which they boldly kicked to the corner, and the catch-and-drive was finished off by hooker Kelsey Jones inside the first five minutes.

Full-back Emma Sing missed the touchline conversion, but it was just the opening that the home side wanted at the ground rebranded ‘Queensholm’ for the occasion.

Their driving line-out proved equally tough to stop eight minutes later, but when a blindside move appeared to have given them a second try in the corner, the ball was deemed to have been held up over the whitewash after a brilliant piece of work by Chiefs centre Gabby Cantorna, and Exeter were able to clear their lines.

The Chiefs responded well and pounded away at the Cherry and Whites’ line, but they were penalised for not releasing the ball in the tackle right underneath the uprights, which allowed both teams a well-earned water break midway through the half in the searing heat.

Gloucester lost No.8 Sarah Beckett to a yellow card in the 28th minute for a high shot on Exeter loose-head prop Hope Rogers, and the Chiefs immediately capitalised on their one-player advantage.

They kicked the penalty to the corner, and then showed they had a devastating driving maul of their own, with hooker Emily Tuttosi credited with the try, and fly-half Liv McGoverne converting, with her kick rather fortuitously coming off the far upright before going over to put the Devon side into a 7-5 lead.

Gloucester finished top of the Premier 15s table at the end of the regular season for a reason, and their riposte was instant, with another impressive passage of play rounded off by outside centre Rachel Lund in the right-hand corner.

Once again, Sing failed to add the extras from the touchline, but Gloucester-Hartpury were back in front at 10-7.

Restored to full complement just before the break, Gloucester moved two scores clear in first-half injury time, with none other than Beckett powering her way over the line from close range, and with Sing this time converting, the Cherry and Whites led 17-7 at the interval.

Exeter head coach Susie Appleby has become famous for her half-time team talks which have created many second-half turnarounds from her side this season, as in the semi-final against Saracens, when they trailed 14-0 at half-time and went on to win 24-21, and another one was required now.

They needed to score first in the second period, but instead disaster struck, when winger Claudia MacDonald was deemed to have deliberately palmed the ball out of play as she tried to stop Gloucester getting on the end of Lleucu George’s crossfield kick in the in-goal area, resulting in a yellow card for the influential back and a penalty try for Gloucester.

It was a huge call by referee Dan Jones, and it gave the hosts a 24-7 advantage.

Exeter weren’t going down without a fight, and moments later it appeared that loose-head prop Hope Rogers might have dotted down, but she was deemed to have been held up.

Gloucester then lost their second player of the game to the sin-bin, with Lund the recipient of the yellow card for a high hit on Chiefs’ No.8 Rachel Johnson, but Exeter criminally missed the kick to the corner.

With both sides a player short, Exeter gave themselves hope with a try in the right-hand corner by McGoverne, but her conversion was very poor and the gap was still 12 points.

Sing’s 42-metre penalty in the 58th minute following an infringement by Daleaka Menin made the Chiefs’ task even harder, and despite their best efforts, there was no way back.

In fact, it was Gloucester-Hartpury who went looking for more points, and not long after Exeter centre Kate Zackary was sin-binned for a deliberate and cynical offside, replacement back Lisa Neumann coasted over for the hosts’ fifth try of the game, improved by Sing.

Chiefs got a late consolation try from replacement back rower Ebony Jefferies, converted by Cantorna, but it was disappointment for Exeter at the end of another impressive season for Appleby's team.

Gloucester-Hartpury: E Sing, E Rugman, R Lund (S Bridger 60), T Heard (B Blackburn 71), M Venner, L George (L Neumann 64), N Hunt (co-capt), M Muir (K Buggy 73), K Jones (C Powell 63), L Delgado (S Tuipulotu 50), S Monaghan, Z Aldcroft (co-capt), A Matthews, B Lewis (N Jones 54), S Beckett (M Learned). 

Exeter Chiefs: M Doidge, E Sinclair, K Zackary, G Cantora, C MacDonald (K Buchanan 69), L McGoverne (R Wilkins 75), F Robinson (M McDonald 75), H Rogers (S Turani 63), E Tuttosi (C Moloney 62), D Menin (C Jacoby 63), N Fryday (A Fleming 54), P Leith (capt), E McMahon (E Jefferies 54), M Allen, R Johnson. 

Gloucester-Hartpury: Tries – Jones, Lund, Beckett, penalty try, Neumann; Con – Sing (2); Pen – Sing. Exeter: Try – Tuttosi, McGoverne, Jefferies; Cons – McGoverne, Cantorna.

Yellow cards: Gloucester – Beckett (28), Lund (48); Exeter – MacDonald (43), Zackary (69).

Referee: Dan Jones.

Attendance: 9,668.