Simmonds stars at No.15 as Exeter see off Harlequins
EXETER’S faith in the seemingly endless Sandy Park production line paid off as they over-ran a poor Harlequins side to go top of Pool 1.
While many clubs eased first-team players back into the Premiership Rugby Cup ahead of next weekend’s return to league action, the Chiefs stuck with their young guns and their combination of heavy forward artillery and sniping back-line fire proved too hot for Quins to handle.
This week step forward Tom O’Flaherty, Richard Capstick, Billy Keast and Marcus Street.
Londoner O’Flaherty – a 24-year-old graduate of Cardiff University – and teenage former Exeter College boy Capstick both made their mark with tries and captured the approval of Chiefs skills coach Ricky Pellow.
O’Flaherty is emerging as a challenger to front-line wing choices Jack Nowell, Olly Woodburn, Alex Cuthbert and Santiago Cordero with Pellow saying: “He’s quick and strong and fights for everything. He also showed if he gets space how dangerous he is.”
Exeter, with four props on international duty, started with effectively a fourth-choice front row after electing to keep former Scotland mainstay Moray Low and and exWallaby Greg Holmes under wraps for the trip to Bristol.
The rookie trio of Billy Keast, 22, Jack Innard, 23, and Marcus Street, 19, were together for only ten minutes before Innard suffered a head knock and was replaced by veteran former Tonga hooker Elvis Taione.
But it was another replacement, 19-year-old Richard Capstick, who put Exeter – trailing to an early Marcus Smith penalty – ahead only seven minutes after taking over from James Freeman.
Playing a penalty advantage, industrious No.8 Tom Lawday squirmed to within inches of the line before 6ft 5ins Capstick stretched over and Joe Simmonds converted.
Harlequins had enjoyed more possession than the Chiefs until then but Exeter moved into overdrive and scored three more tries before half-time.
Two close-range forward drives ended with Keast reaching through a pile of bodies to touch down before O’Flaherty earned his standing ovation, producing a searing burst of pace to leave three defenders standing on his way to a stunning individual touchdown
After Smith’s second penalty, Exeter were denied a fourth try with referee Craig Maxwell-Keys, unsighted as Stuart Townsend, skippering Exeter for the first time, appeared to touch down on the base of the post but they were not to be denied.
The official brought them back for a penalty and the catch-and-drive enabled Lawday to clinch the bonus point and end the first half 22-6 ahead despite playing into the wind.
For once, the Exeter pack were not involved as their fifth try was fashioned and finished by the backs with Alex Cuthbert, Hill and O’Flaherty’s pace leaving Harlequins chasing shadows as they sent Simmonds in near the posts to leave himself an easy conversion.
The introduction of replacements Max Crumpton, Dave Ward, Nick Auterac, Tim Visser and ex-Chiefs scrum-half Dave Lewis gave Quins new life but a lack of flair and consistent handling meant they hardly troubled the solid Exeter defensive wall until Ward’s last-minute try.