Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HOGG ROASTS WASPS
Chiefs star lights second half fire
STUART HOGG went from zero to hero as Exeter buried their Euro nightmare and got back to Premiership business.
Chiefs lost their European crown when they were booted out of the Champions Cup by Leinster last weekend and they were on the back foot here.
Hogg’s blunder on 32 minutes when he had a defensive clearance charged down by Wasps wing Josh Bassett who collected to score put them 13-10 down at the break.
Wasps were good value for their lead – it should have been more – but Hogg led the charge in the second half.
His 50th-minute score from Ollie Devoto’s pass snatched back the lead and four more scores turned it into a seven-try rout as Wasps turned their toes up.
And there was more good news with England and Lions wing Jack Nowell getting 20 minutes off the bench after six month out following toe surgery.
Hogg was fuming as he ran down the tunnel at half-time and came out after the break desperate to make amends – and he did just that with two second-half scores to rub away the misery of last week. Head coach Ali Hepher said: “He was disappointed but the way to respond is just to get on with it and you saw the speed he brings to the game.
“He got a couple of tries and it is that moving-on process and he will be in a better place coming off the back of that.
“At half-time the biggest thing was pushing the positive heads. The doubts of the loss last week kick in, there was some body language we were disappointed with but we said, ‘Just get on with your job and stay positive because you will get through’. It is a real strength of ours but it does get tested at times.”
Wasps have lost six of the last seven in the
Prem but were in the game here, despite trailing early to Devoto’s interception try and one from Jonny Hill, before being wiped out in the last half an hour.
Boss Lee Blackett fumed: “The thing we are not proud of at all is the way we rolled over towards the back end of the game. For 50 minutes we were going well and I was pretty hopeful at half-time.”
EXETER: Tries: Devoto, Hill, Hogg (2), Cordero, Francis, Simmonds. Cons: Simmonds (4).
WASPS: Try: Bassett. Pens: Umaga (2). Con: Umaga.