STARVED FANS GET TREAT FIT FOR KINGS
Sam’s crowning moment as the turnstiles reopen
SAM SIMMONDS picked up where he left off in Europe to keep a promise he made to Exeter fans starved of live rugby.
Eight weeks after the Chiefs won the Champions Cup and Simmonds was named player of the tournament, the turnstiles of Sandy Park reopened.
Supporters who last saw Exeter play when they were neither kings of Europe nor Premiership champions came hoping the magic had not worn off.
They were rewarded with emphatic confirmation it had not, as their side launched their title defence with a sixtry masterclass.
Try- scorer Simmonds was named man of the match and dedicated the win to the fans.
“We wanted to put on a performance for our fans who had hurt from not seeing us in the best year we’ve ever had,” he said.
“We didn’t want to be the team that just performed for one year and were happy with that.”
Yet the start was as uncomfortable. Joe Simmonds put the opening kick- off straight out and Chiefs were turned over at the first scrum.
But Exeter quickly twigged that they needed to bring the fuel to the fire rather than expect the crowd to light it for them. Once they did, when Jannes Kirsten and Dave Ewers teamed up to dump a Warrior on his backside, it was business as usual.
The roar which greeted the turnover was followed by a pinpoint kick to the corner by Henry Slade, a lineout drive and try for Sam Simmonds.
Now the place crackled. Tom O’Flaherty cut a peach of a line, Glasgow infringed at the breakdown, the Chiefs worked it into the red zone and Jonny Gray dotted down.
Before Glasgow had recovered from one of their old boys scoring against them, it happened a second time, Slade and Olly Woodburn unpicking the Warriors defence and Stuart Hogg doing the rest.
There is a swagger about Exeter and they really need no help from the opposition.
But Glasgow tossed them a bone all the same, with Grant Stewart overthrowing a lineout for Jack Yeandle to bag the bonus point.
Their command of the game was summed up by their fifth try. Sam Simmonds not only won a turnover but got up and made 20 metres.
The ball came back to Ollie Devoto who dropped it onto his boot for Woodburn to score without breaking stride.
The winger was not done, exploding into the 13 channel to send Jonny Hill over.
It will be tougher in Toulouse next week where Simmonds concedes Exeter will arrive wearing a target.
“But starting like that sets down a good marker,” he said.