Rampant Chiefs demolish Stormers
EXETER’S farewell party for their departing stars continues in full swing after they hit the Stormers with six tries to burst into the semi-finals of the Champions Cup.
Jack Nowell and brothers Joe and Sam Simmonds, France-bound at the end of the season, continued their mission for a glorious farewell as they kept their ambition of repeating Exeter’s 2020 Champions Cup triumph firmly on track.
But they had more than a little help from some newly-promoted Chiefs as Rob Baxter saw his salary cap enforced squad re-building project show huge promise.
Full-back Tom Wyatt, who has spent most of the last three seasons on dual contract with Championship side Cornish Pirates, was preferred to Scotland cap centurion Stuart Hogg after his crucial try in the extra-time victory over Montpellier which secured yesterday’s home quarter-final . . . and he struck again with yesterday’s opener.
And the scrum-half pair of Will Becconsall and his replacement Tom Cairns, catapulted from this season’s Premiership Cup-winning side to the top level of European rugby in the space of a fortnight, brought an attacking urgency to the Chiefs.
Director of rugby Baxter rated yesterday’s performance alongside the best of his double winning team of three years ago, stating: “For me personally I would put it near the top.”
But the star names going out on a high is not the motivation Baxter is looking for to inspire his side.
After recent sub-standard Premiership performances in the defeats by Harlequins and Bath, he wants it to be “all about the team”, explaining: “For a senior player it should be a badge of honour when you have young players breaking through.”
Exeter were under no illusions what to expect against the Stormers, 3228 winners a week ago against Harlequins, who recently hammered the Chiefs in the Big Match at Twickenham in the Premiership.
But they fronted up and came through a tough test against the all-Springbok capped front row of Ulster-bound skipper Steven Kitshoff, Joseph Dweba and Frans Malherbe.
The Chiefs dominated the opening stages with Jannes Kirsten, who is heading home to South Africa in the summer to join Stormers’ big rivals the Bulls, and Montpellier-bound Sam Simmonds to the fore.
Exeter struck after Henry Slade found the space to release Olly Woodburn, back in the side after missing the Montpellier match, on a 50-metre run.
Woodburn expertly beat three men before being hauled down before Joe Simmonds hoisted a pinpoint kick into the arms of Wyatt, leaving the full-back a clear run to the line.
Simmonds converted before using the wind for a huge 50-22 kick which provided the launchpad for Exeter’s second try.
Stormers repelled several forward surges but were split wide open when Nowell, from the final breakdown, evaded his tackler and sniped between the posts to leave his fly-half a simple second conversion.
The Stormers were rattled and it led to another try after Daniel Willemse fumbled Joe Simmonds’ kick and then got his feet tangled as he scuffed the ball into touch.
Exeter capitalised with Frost looping his throw over the lineout and into the arms of Sean O’Brien, whose slick inside pass enabled Woodburn to race in for the third Chiefs try.
The Stormers briefly sparked into life at the start of the second half but defensive frailties let them down again when Becconsall flicked up a quick pass which enabled the explosive Sam Simmonds to burst 20 metres to the line, leaving brother Joe another easy kick.
Exeter, kings of the catch and drive, showed they can also defend it by twice repelling two Stormers’ rolling mauls before the South Africans moved the ball right to left for Willemse to
cross for their first try. It looked like another Stormers try when Ruan Nel skipped through the Exeter defence but referee Mathieu ruled it out, judging Kitschoff guilty of obstructing a defender.
The second try came when scrum-half Herschel Jantjies timed his short kick perfectly for Suleiman Hartzenberg to collect and run in.
Exeter weathered the storm and capped an epic performance in true Chiefs style when their replacement front row strong-armed a scrum penalty against the head.
Slade found touch once more and the rolling maul thundered over for Jack Yeandle’s try.
There was more to come with Stormers lock Marvin Orie awarded a finger-tip touchdown after multiple replays before Woodburn, grounded just short of the line, flicked the ball up for Cairns to score with Joe Simmonds making it six from six on the conversion scale.