Champions back on track with five tries
CHAMPIONS Exeter shrugged off the spluttering start to the defence of their title as they handed newlypromoted London Irish a punishing welcome to life at the top.
The Exiles arrived in Devon fresh from their surprise opening-weekend Twickenham victory over Harlequins but found the Chiefs, smarting from their narrow defeat at Gloucester, a far sterner proposition.
Injury-hit Exeter, without a large batch of first-choice players, simply squeezed the life out of the Premiership returnees whose skipper David Paice admitted: “We knew it would be tough and we got taught a lesson today which is a good thing as we know where we’re at.
“There are things we can fix. We lost the physical battle in the first half as Exeter just marched up the field and played clinical rugby but the guys showed their commitment in the second half and worked their way back into the game.”
Three early offside penalties, allied to Gareth Steenson’s excellent touchfinding kicks, put Exeter’s catch-and-drive machine exactly where it likes to be as the home side notched up an extraordinary 15 first-half lineouts and the pressure inevitably told on the visitors.
After Steenson kicked Exeter into the lead with a ninth-minute penalty, Henry Slade worked a onetwo with Thomas Waldrom’s No.8 replacement Sam Simmonds, who drew the defence with a powerful burst to send Slade in unchallenged.
Then Steenson’s huge penalty into touch deep to touch deep into Exiles’ territory set up another trademark catch-and-drive which was repelled before Slade directed his slider into the corner, but the ball escaped the outstretched fingers of Jack Nowell as the England winger aquaplaned across the wet pitch in pursuit.
Irish fly-half James Marshall’s 22-metre drop-out straight into touch proved costly as Exeter opted for a scrum to put the Exiles on the backfoot yet again.
Exeter’s 11th lineout, after only 25 minutes, produced seven points as Irish conceded a penalty try as they vainly attempted to half the Exeter steamroller.
Nowell, new Australian scrum-half Nic White, Slade and Phil Dollman whipped the ball wide where Irish were grateful to bundle Olly Woodburn into touch. But they could not stop the next high-speed assault, involving Steenson and Ian Whitten and ending with flanker Don Armand squeezing over as the Irish pack failed to repel another Exeter drive.
Steenson’s second penalty put Exeter 23-0 up six minutes into the second half and Irish appeared fortunate when Marshall escaped a card – of either colour – for a foot-up, thighhigh challenge which felled Dollman as they contested a high ball. Irish stemmed the tide and their determination and second-half improvement were rewarded when Brendan McKibbin sent Alex Lewington over in the corner for a late try converted by Tommy Bell.
But they handed Exeter thee bonus point when Woodburn snatched an interception inside his own half to race 60 metres for a gift try four minutes from time and Armand struck again, finishing off the final move of the match for his second try.