Chiefs set up European quarter at Toulouse

DIRECTOR of rugby Rob Baxter heralded winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso as Jack Nowell incarnate as the new England international inspired Exeter Chiefs to a 21-15 victory over Bath to book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2023-24 Investic European Champions Cup.

Player of the match Feyi-Waboso was at the heart of Exeter’s best attacking moments with his bursts helping put Ethan Roots and Greg Fisilau in positions to score to add to the try from Ross Vintcent in the first half and six points from the boot of club stalwart Henry Slade.

Nowell – who is still painted on the walls of Sandy Park as one of the club’s all time greats – left Exeter for La Rochelle in the summer, along with a host of big-name stars who helped the club lift the Champions Cup trophy in 2020 and then reach the semi-final just last season, where they lost to La Rochelle in Bordeaux.

The fact this new crop of Chiefs players are into the final eight in Europe again exceeds all expectations in the best possible way.

Baxter was full of praise for his new rising star, who was named man of the match on Saturday to kick on from making his England debut in the Six Nations.

He said: “He is the closest replacement to a Jack Nowell we could have had, a guy who just gets you metres out of nowhere. And he is getting better at it.

“He is only learning how to use those talents that he has. At least two of our tries came from momentum he gained almost on his own, at times when he didn’t deserve to get momentum. That shows his value.”

Exeter were crushed 41-5 by Gallagher Premiership opponents Sale Sharks the previous weekend, and Baxter added: “The guys have responded in the best way possible. Fair play to them.

“The one thing we had today was absolute full-blooded commitment, and we were in the game physically from the first minute.

“We got an awful lot of hard work done in the first half. The bits you do right from the start add up and actually win you the game.

“We were probably a bit more ambitious in the second half, which allowed us to create a couple of opportunities.

“We have won a very important game for the club.”

Despite having had the conditions against them in the first half, Bath went in ahead thanks to tries from Ted Hill and Thomas du Toit, but failed to capitalise on the strong wind at their backs in the second half barring a long range penalty kick from Ben Spencer.

Exeter will now face Toulouse away next Sunday afternoon (3pm) after they beat Racing 92 31-7.

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