Bath 3 Braves 40

Bath United 3

Exeter Braves 40

Mark Stevens at the Recreation Ground

Exeter Braves collected their first Aviva Premiership A League win of the season as they recorded a comfortable 40-3 win over rivals Bath United.

Tries from Ben White, Chrysander Botha, Sam Simmonds, Ollie Atkins and Matt Jess were the highlights for the visitors, who wrapped up their success through the kicking boots of Will Hooley and Joe Simmonds.

Bath, who struggled to cope with the more powerful Braves throughout, countered with an early penalty for Adam Hastings. However, that was their scant reward on a cold and wet night in the ancient Roman city.

Keen to bounce back following their Round One loss at home to defending champions Saracens Storm, it was another powerful line-up paraded by the Braves for the short trip up the M5 to rivals Bath.

Skipper Kai Horstmann again led an experienced pack, which included the likes of Carl Rimmer, Alex Brown, Ollie Atkins and Ben White; whilst behind World Cup stars Botha and Michele Campagnaro both featured as did former Bath scrum-half Haydn Thomas.

Bath, meanwhile, paraded a decent starting XV of their own with England international David Wilson lining up in the home pack alongside the likes of Charlie Ewels and Guy Mercer. Behind, summer signings Jonathan Evans and Jeff Williams both got a chance to impress, as did young fly-half Hastings - the son of former Scotland and British Lions full-back, Gavin Hastings.

With conditions tricky both overhead and underfoot, it was Bath who started on the front foot, taking the lead inside five minutes when Hastings kicked them ahead with a penalty after the Braves were pulled up for not rolling away at the tackle.

The lead proved short-lived, however, as the dominant Exeter pack began to kick into overdrive in the forward exchanges. Hooley levelled the game up with a penalty of his own, before he slotted the extras to the Braves opening try on 20 minutes.

Down a man following a yellow card for flanker Guy Mercer, Bath struggled to contain a well-drilled Exeter catch-and-drive move, the fruits of which was a try for White.

Minutes later and the visitors came within a whisker of adding to their tally, Josh Jones’ searing break through the middle saw him combine with Thomas, whose kick in behind was spilled by Byron McGuigan as the Namibian closed in on the line.

It proved a momentary let-off for the hosts, who conceded another Hooley penalty before Botha claimed Exeter’s second try of the night. The Namibian international provided the finish to a slick handling that was worked through the hands of Rimmer, Thomas and the impressive Horstmann.

Although that score went unconverted, Hooley made no mistake with the final kick of the half, converting try No.3 for the Braves, another well constructed line-out drive that had Bath bodies spilling out in all sorts of different directions.

HALF TIME BATH UNITED 3 EXETER CHIEFS 25

On the resumption the Braves looked to pick up from where they left off in the opening 40 minutes, staging a series of early raids on the home line.

The endeavour and energy were there in abundance, but sadly chances came and went as a combination of knock-ons and over exuberance from the visitors foiled their aspirations of landing the all-important bonus point with plenty of time to spare.

The experienced Thomas was a live-wire for the Braves, looking to add real tempo to the Exeter attack, while the back-row triumvirate of Simmonds, White and Horstmann were continually looking for work.

Although the Braves were offering plenty in attack, it took until just past the hour mark to finally add to their tally, Hooley slotting his third penalty of the night after Bath prop Kane Palma-Newport was singled out for straying offside.

Having awoken themselves from their scoring slumber, the Braves finally ensured the all-important bonus point when, following another catch-and-drive, the Exeter eight combined as one to propel Aussie lock Atkins over for the try, which was converted with aplomb by replacement Joe Simmonds.

Bath’s cause was further hampered in the dying minutes as they lost winger Williams to the sin-bin for an illegal shoulder charge at a ruck.

With the numerical advantage, the Braves duly made their hosts pay with a final try of the night in the last minute. A scrum on the right was worked back inside along the back division to Botha, whose simple offload released the ‘Heamoor Flyer’ Jess to scorch down the line for the icing on the cake.

Bath United: R Jennings (D McKenzie 79); D Atkins, M Clark (O Waters 42), B Heron, J Williams; A Hastings, J Evans (capt, W Homer 52); B Obano, D Frost (L Stratford 74), D Wilson (K Palma-Newport h/t); C Ewels (P Jenkinson 63), M Garrett; L Douglas, G Mercer (J Catlin 52), Z Mercer. Replacement (not used): J Edmondson.

Penalty - Hastings

Yellow Cards: G Mercer, Williams

Braves: C Botha; M Campagnaro, M Bodilly, J Jones, B McGuigan (M Jess 50); W Hooley (J Simmonds 65), H Thomas (J Maunder 65); C Rimmer (B Sturgess 42), J Innard (P Davis 72), A Brown (J Woolmore 69); O Atkins, J Hill (J Sexton 56); S Simmonds, B White, K Horstmann (capt).

Tries - White, Botha, S Simmonds, Atkins, Jess; Conversions - Hooley (2), J Simmonds; Penalties - Hooley (3)

Referee: V Boscawen