Chiefs 10 Glasgow 15

Exeter Chiefs 10

Glasgow Warriors 15

Mark Stevens at Sandy Park

Having started their Heineken Cup campaign in sparkling fashion against Cardiff Blues back in October, the European escapades of Rob Baxter’s Exeter Chiefs side have rapidly lost their fizz ever since.

Sadly this latest loss to visiting Glasgow Warriors not only enabled the visiting Scotsmen to claim a third victory of the season over their Devon hosts, but at the same extinguished any semblance of hope the Chiefs had of advancing to European Rugby’s latter stages.

Having led 10-0 thanks to a converted Fetu’u Vainikolo try and a penalty from fly-half Henry Slade, the Aviva Premiership outfit failed to build on their advantage and it was the men from North of the Border who hit back to overtake the Chiefs at the bottom of Pool Two.

Scottish stars Sean Maitland and Sean Lamont both helped themselves to first half tries, whilst international colleague Stuart Hogg added the remainder of Glasgow’s points with the boot.

The scoring – it has to be said – were the rare highlights in a contest that never really got going. Both sides huffed and puffed in attack, but far too often either elementary mistakes or the sticky underfoot conditions would scupper the hopes and dreams of both camps.

Ahead of kick-off, Chiefs coach Baxter rang the changes as he brought in ten new faces to his starting line-up from that which had lost at London Wasps in the league the week previous. It meant first European starts for Luke Cowan-Dickie and Alex Brown in the front-row, whilst behind the attacking threat was posed by the returning Matt Jess, Sireli Naqelevuki and Vainikolo.

The Warriors, meanwhile, were able to parade an equally strong line-up made up predominantly of Scottish internationals, along with a splattering of Fijians and the odd South African in No.8 Josh Strauss.

On a glorious day in the Westcountry following the recent storms, it was the home side who set the early tone as they quickly set about tearing into the Warriors. Early pressure saw them camp deep inside the Glasgow 22 and on three minutes they were rewarded as Slade – this week called up into the England Saxons squad for the first time – slotted the Chiefs in front with a penalty.

It was just the start Baxter’s side had craved and things got decidedly better as the half ticked by. More pressure from the hosts saw them use a collection of simple pick-and-go drives to position themselves by the Glasgow posts – where from the final phase of play it was Tongan international Vainikolo who picked up the ball and stretched far enough to score the game’s opening try.

Even then Irish referee George Clancy was not totally convinced, having been on the other side of the assembled mass of bodies, but following numerous reviews to the TMO, the decision – unlike others in recent weeks – went the way of the Chiefs. Slade added the conversion for a ten-point buffer.

However, no sooner had the Chiefs put themselves in the driving seat, they preceded to drop into reverse and from the restart allowed the Warriors to claw back the deficit with their first meaningful attack of the day.

Gregor Townsend’s side cleverly worked the ball through a string of simple attacking phases, eventually setting up Maitland, who was able to dot down in the left-hand corner for an unconverted score.

The try ignited the visitors and as the half drew towards a close, the Warriors struck for a second time. Again punching their way deep into the Exeter half with some multi-phase rugby, they exposed some powder-puff defence from the Chiefs to send man-of-the-match Lamont over for a second score, this time converted by the trusty boot of Hogg.

HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 10 GLASGOW WARRIORS 12

With little to choose between either side in the first period, a tight affair was again expected on the resumption. Both packs continued to dog it out in the set-piece, whilst the breakdown area was often frantic as players lived on the edge in their attempts to stifle their opponents.

Hogg, a tourist with the British & Irish Lions to Australia last summer, extended Glasgow’s grip on proceedings as he fired over a penalty ten minutes into the second half after Chiefs lock Romana Graham had been pulled up by referee George Clancy for coming in at the side.

That, sadly, would be the only score of what was largely a disappointing second period. A plethora of replacements from the sidelines meant there was never any flow to the contest – and when either side did manage to string a few meaningful moments of action together, often it was met by either a determined wall of defence or a breakdown in play caused by a spillage or a knock-on.

To their credit the Chiefs kept fighting until the death, but crucially their killer instinct was sadly amiss.

Baxter will no doubt have seen positives in the performance, especially from the likes of Cowan-Dickie, Kai Horstmann and Lloyd Fairbrother, the latter of whom did well when he was summoned from the bench in the second half, but for now the European dream is over for another year.

Of course the Chiefs will look to replicate their Cardiff showing of earlier in the season in the Welsh capital next weekend, but long time the priority is more so the Premiership and making sure they come out all guns blazing when Northampton Saints visit next month.

Chiefs: L Arscott (capt); F Vainikolo, S Naqelevuki (I Whitten 51), S Hill, M Jess; H Slade (C Sweeney 64), D Lewis (W Chudley 56); C Rimmer (B Moon 51), L Cowan-Dickie (G Bateman 67), A Brown (L Fairbrother 61); D Welch, J Hanks (R Graham 20); T Johnson (D Armand 56), J Scaysbrook, K Horstmann.

Try - Vainikolo; Conversion - Slade; Penalty - Slade

Warriors: S Hogg; S Maitland, B McGuigan, A Dunbar, S Lamont; R Jackson (D Weir 61), H Pyrgos (N Matawalu 61); R Grant (J Yanuyanutawa 61), D Hall (P MacArthur 49), E Kalman (J Welsh 49); T Swinson (L Nakawara 69), T Ryder; R Harley (J Eddie 61), C Fusaro (capt), J Strauss (R Wilson 14).

Tries - Maitland, Lamont; Conversion - Hogg; Penalty - Hogg

Referee: G Clancy

Attendance: 6,978

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS: v Cardiff Blues (A), Heineken Cup, Saturday, January 18n (3.40pm)