Chiefs 44 Blues 29

 

Pictures: Exeter Rugby Club/Pinnacle Photo Agency

Exeter Chiefs 44

Cardiff Blues 29

Mark Stevens at Sandy Park

A first half masterclass from the Exeter Chiefs gave them the perfect start to this season's Heineken Cup as they blew away visiting Cardiff Blues at Sandy Park.

Rob Baxter's side ran in six tries - five of them in the opening 40 minutes - to ensure maximum reward against the Welsh region, whose improved display after the break did at least glean them a try bonus point.

Skipper Dean Mumm, Tom Johnson, Matt Jess, Fetu'u Vainikolo, Ben White and Ian Whitten all crossed for tries, whilst Gareth Steenson weighed in with a further 11 points for the Chiefs.

In reply, Cardiff countered with scores of their own through Lloyd Williams, Robin Copeland, Alex Cuthbert and Harry Robinson; whilst full-back Leigh Halfpenny landed the remainder of their points with his trusty right boot.

Having wrapped up a testing opening block of fixtures in the Premiership with a notable victory at Gloucester, the Chiefs were forced to make two changes to their winning line-up for their opening test in European competition. Both came in the back division where injuries to Sam Hill and former Cardiff flyer Tom James ruled them out of the action - into the side came Jason Shoemark in the centre, while summer signing Fetu'u Vainikolo was afforded his first competitive start on the left wing.

The Blues, meanwhile, arrived in the Westcountry armed with a wealth of star names, including British & Irish Lions skipper Sam Warburton and his fellow heroes of Australia - Gethin Jenkins, Alex Cuthbert and Halfpenny - as well as fellow Welsh stars Bradley Davies and Matthew Rees.

Picking up from where they left off at Kingsholm seven days earlier, the Chiefs wasted little time in sounding out their attacking intent. Man of the moment Dave Ewers led the initial charge through the middle with one of his trademark runs that left the Blues defence in tatters.

Although Cardiff repelled the early Exeter raids, the deadlock was finally broken on eight minutes when, following a series of drives from the home forwards, England international Johnson was assisted over the line by Shoemark in the right-hand corner.

Cardiff countered within moments with a penalty from Halfpenny, but that would be the Welsh side's only bright point in a first half that was dominated by the home side.

Instead the remainder of the half belonged to Baxter's side who, it has to be said, could not put a foot wrong in any facet of the game.

Fly-half Steenson nudged his side ahead with a 16th minute penalty before the Chiefs struck with two tries in as many minutes.

Skipper Mumm was the first to benefit, the Aussie claiming his fourth of the season as he picked up deep inside the Cardiff 22, before brushing aside the attention of Halfpenny. Then winger Jess got in on the act as he supplied the finishing touches to a slick attacking move, which involved a beautiful link-up involving Phil Dollman and Jason Shoemark, before the marauding Ewers took the ball to within sight of the line.

Steenson not only applied the extras to those scores, but he did likewise for Exeter's next two scores, both of which arrived before the interval to ensure the crucial bonus point.

Debutant Vainikolo was the next to cross, the Tongan international cruising over in space after the home pack had again bullied their rivals into submission with a series of powerful drives. Then former Blues' player White added to his seasonal tally when he was able to dot down from five metres out after yet more sustained home pressure.

As the home faithful celebrated with glee from the sidelines, Cardiff were left wondering just what had preceded before them.

HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 36 CARDIFF BLUES 3

Shell-shocked and reeling from a ferocious first half display from the Chiefs, the Blues re-emerged for the second period determined to at least find some credability within their performance.

Initially they huffed and puffed in the early exchanges, but the home side were having not of it and stubbornly threw themselves into every tackle as though their very existence depending on them being thwarted.

As chances came and went, the Chiefs slowly began to get a grip on proceedings and added a fifth try on 53 minutes. With a line-out wide on the right flank, the Chiefs masterfully worked the ball back across the pitch to Steenson, whose clever two-step shimmy allowed him to create the opening for fellow Irishman Whitten to race over for the try.

Now 41-3 to the good, you expected Baxter's boys to hammer the final nail into the Cardiff coffin. However, the Blues were not finished and having made the most of a turnover just outside the Exeter 22, scrum-half Williams was smart enough to spot a gap in the home defences and sprint his way over unopposed for their opening try which Halfpenny duly converted

It was the boost the visitors needed and having made the most of some loose home defending, they repeated the feat on the hour mark when former Plymouth Albion forward Copeland was able to race clear of the cover and claim another converted score.

Whereas it was the Chiefs who had all the momentum in the first period, now it was the turn of the Welsh region to get stuck into their action. Certainly playing with more purpose, they were then handed a double boost as the home side lost two men to the sin-bin in as many minutes.

Whitten was first to trudge off to the cooler after he deliberately knocked down the ball - and he was soon followed by midfield partner Sireli Naqelevuki, whose smash tackle on winger Robinson was adjudged high and dangerous by French referee Jerome Garces.

Down to 13 men, the Blues sensed there was an opportunity to pounce and rescue something from what until that point had been an Exeter try-fest.

Within minutes they exposed the numerical advantage as Josh Navidi and Davies worked the opening for Cuthbert to score in the corner; then fellow wing Robinson followed suit as he scampered over in the left corner to make it 41-29.

Thankfully the Chiefs had enough in reserve and they duly made sure of the result when replacement Henry Slade plundered a superb touchline penalty after the visitors had buckled under pressure from the Exeter pack.

Even then there was still time for Cardiff's replacement hooker Marc Breeze to be shown yellow for a late hit on Haydn Thomas, but it mattered not as far as the Chiefs were concerned as the job had been complete and their Euro adventure was up and running.

Chiefs: P Dollman; M Jess, I Whitten, J Shoemark (S Naqelevuki 58), F Vainikolo; G Steenson (H Slade 56), D Lewis (H Thomas 48); B Sturgess, C Whitehead (J Yeandle 49), H Tui (C Rimmer 52, Tui 73); D Mumm (capt), D Welch (D Armand 63); T Johnson (K Horstmann 34), B White, D Ewers.

Tries - Johnson, Mumm, Jess, Vainikolo, White, Whitten; Conversions - Steenson (4); Penalty - Steenson, Slade

Yellow Cards: Whitten, Naqelevuki

Blues: L Halfpenny; A Cuthbert, C Allen, D Hewitt, H Robinson (R Smith 77); R Patchell (G Davies 76), L Williams (L Jones 76); G Jenkins (S Hobbs 74), M Rees (capt, M Breeze 77), T Filise (S Andrews 52); B Davies, F Paulo (L Reed 52); J Navidi, S Warburton, A Pretorious (R Copeland 52).

Tries - Williams, Robinson, Copeland, Cuthbert; Conversions - Halfpenny (3); Penalty - Halfpenny

Yellow Card: Breeze

Referee: J Garces

Attendance: 8,751

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS: v Glasgow Warriors (A), Heineken Cup, Sunday, October 20 (2pm)