It’s Devon cream at double for Exeter aces
JOE Simmonds was in the mood to crack open a few bottles of bubbly after he pressed his England claims with a champagne performance as his phenomenal Chiefs completed a glorious double.
The young fly-half and captain, banging on the door for an England call-up from the watching Eddie Jones, produced a display of calmness and composure in a Twickenham monsoon as Exeter rounded off a perfect season.
Simmonds kicked 14 points and Henry Slade crossed for a crucial first half try to break the hearts of a Wasps outfit who had pushed the new European champions all the way but were left shattered at the final whistle.
It was Exeter’s second Premiership title, just a week after beating Racing 92 to lift the Champions Cup. And skipper Simmonds, 23, the youngest Premiership captain since
Chris Robshaw, insisted: “It’s crazy and will take time to sink in.
“It’s been an incredible seven days for us. We couldn’t really celebrate too much after the win in Bristol last week but we can now!
“All the guys deserve this success for everything they have put in. All the commitment, time and effort. We are getting stronger and stronger together, and the team and club unity is special.
“We learned from losing past finals and made sure we did not suffer the same fate this season. It was a scrappy game in tough conditions and Wasps really came at us for 75 minutes but we work so hard for one another, and that effort and commitment has paid off.”
Exeter and England wing Jack Nowell revealed he played the two major finals with a ruptured big toe. He now intends to go under the knife and miss out on the forthcoming internationals.
He said: “I’ve played with my toe strapped up because I was desperate not to miss out on two huge games for the club.
“I wouldn’t have played if I felt I couldn’t give everything to the cause. I’m now going to have to get it sorted. It needs to be repaired before I get back on the field, so I would not be expecting to be involved in any international stuff.”
Director of rugby Rob Baxter paid tribute to Nowell, insisting: “Jack deserves a lot of credit for playing through his injury. He is a very determined lad and a key member of this squad and the success we’ve had. I had no hesitation picking him.”
England centre Slade said: “This win feels so good. We’ve had heartbreak in finals in recent years but this is worth
all the effort and the amount of work we have done to get where we are now. It’s awful weather and terrible conditions but who cares now.
“We have a very talented and deep squad which has really helped in what has been a very unique and strange season.”
Baxter says his players can now properly enjoy their success having had such a short turn around from the European victory.
He said: “The lads had to quickly switch their sights from one trophy to the other. And all credit to them for being ready to put in a performance to follow the one up against Racing. I’m very proud of all of them and now they can relish what they have achieved and let it all sink in."
Wasps, who had been desperate to end a 12-year wait for their next domestic title, gave everything they had in an attempt to defy the odds and the bad Covid19 disruption which had seen 11 of their players withdrawn due to positive tests in the build up.
But they just fell short to an Exeter side celebrating becoming the fourth English team to savour the double along with Leicester, Saracens and Wasps.
Wasps fly-half Jimmy Gopperth refused to blame the club’s Covid-19 outbreak for the loss as he choked back the tears of defeat having seen the trophy drift away from him and his teammates in the final ten minutes.
They had turned down the chance of a penalty six minutes from time to kick for touch. Gopperth would have had the opportunity to draw his side level but instead the lineout went badly wrong and Chiefs made their rivals pay.
Gopperth, who kicked eight points, said: “It’s pretty devastating to come so close but lose out. We just came up a little bit short when we had the chance near the end.
“We had to be adaptable with everything that went on in the build up but that wasn’t the reason we lost. It was just down to one or two situations on the field that made the difference.”
Head coach Lee Blackett admitted: “Whenever we got a foot hold in the game we made quick mistakes which set us back. There were a few parts of our game which failed to spark and our lineout certainly didn’t work so well. It’s a huge shame.”