Dewi Lake stars as Gloucester stun Exeter 45-24

Gloucester's new captain Dewi Lake scored two tries on debut as his side beat Exeter 45-24 away in their opening Prem game on Saturday 26 September.

The win was Gloucester's first at Sandy Park in 12 years, according to BBC Sport. It came against last season's beaten finalists. Exeter reached the 2025-26 Prem final. Gloucester finished eighth with only five wins.

Lake was named man of the match. The hooker, the front-row forward who packs down in the middle of the scrum and throws into the lineout, packed down between Val Rapava-Ruskin and Afo Fasogbon for his first start, as confirmed by Gloucester Rugby. A try is worth five points, and his two scores from close range set the tone.

He joined from Ospreys in Wales in the summer. Fellow Wales international Jac Morgan arrived with him as the club's other headline signing. Both went straight into the starting side at Exeter.

Lake told BBC Radio Gloucestershire the players had spoken all week about mindset and laying a marker down. That talk turned into points. Gloucester started fast, stayed physical and kept Exeter under pressure.

The scoreline matters because of last season. Gloucester lost eight of their opening nine Prem games. They never scored more than 40 points in a league match all year. They scored 45 in round one this time.

The defence held the key. Gloucester made 241 tackles to Exeter's 135. They also won eight turnovers, possessions pinched back from the opposition, to Exeter's four. That is a huge workload. It means long spells without the ball, then the energy to hit again.

Morgan started alongside Lake. So did lock Jean Kleyn and back Phil Cokanasiga. All four were summer arrivals in a reshaped squad. All four played from the start in Devon.

What makes this stand out is the combination. A new captain. A tough away ground. Last year's finalists. For supporters who sat through last autumn's slow start, this was a clean break and a loud opening statement.