Exeter Chiefs 52 Wasps 5: Match report

Mark Stevens
Authored by Mark Stevens
Posted Saturday, January 28, 2017 - 11:01pm

Exeter Chiefs moved to the top of Pool 2 in this season’s Anglo-Welsh Cup with a ruthless display of finishing against Wasps at Sandy Park.

Ricky Pellow’s side ran in eight tries on the day, five of which came in the first period through Michele Campagnaro (2), Mitch Lees, Sam Simmonds and Stu Townsend, before Shaun Malton, Campagnaro again, and Lachie Turner followed suit in the second half.

A further 12 points from the boot of young fly-half Joe Simmonds completed the job for the Chiefs in front of nearly 10,500 fans.

In a much-changed side to that which had lost in Clermont the week previous, it did not take the Devonians that long to get into their stride. Indeed, the game was just two minutes old when Campagnaro found his way over the whitewash.

The Italian was the beneficiary of a smart Exeter attack, which started with the forwards doing the donkey work, before it was spun out to the backs where Aussie ace Lachie Turner was able to collect and draw the cover before offloading to his team-mate who dotted down in the corner.

However, home cheers were silenced almost immediately when Wasps capitalised on some loose play from the hosts, creating the opportunity for towering lock Will Rowlands to trot over for the uncoverted score.

It would prove the visitors only bright moment during a torrid first 40 minutes for the Midlanders, who had made 15 changes to their line-up from that which had booked a place in the last eight of the Champions Cup with victory in Zebre.

Normal service was resumed for the Chiefs in an instance as the imposing Lees powered his way over for Exeter’s second try on ten minutes, quickly followed by Campagnaro who was able to race in unopposed from halfway after he picked off a telegraphed pass from Craig Hampson.

All three Exeter scores were duly converted by Joe Simmonds, who was then able to add the extras to the bonus point score from older brother Sam, who showed some fancy footwork and blistering pace to scorch his way through the heart of the Wasps defence and in under the sticks.

To say it was one-way traffic was somewhat of an understatement, but the ruthless Chiefs continued to have the hammer down in pursuit of further reward. Determined work from the forwards gleaned them a five-metre scrum which, although it was dropped illegally, then saw Townsend catch the visitors napping, the young scrum-half tapping from close range and driving to the line.

Wasps did their best to try and haul themselves back into the contest late in the first half, but they were met by a miserly Exeter defence, a point underlined when Tom Howe was sent sprawling by a powerful double hit involving Shaun Malton and Sam Skinner.

HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 33 WASPS 5

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