Chiefs 45 Bayonne 3

Exeter Chiefs 45

Bayonne 3

Mark Stevens at Sandy Park

A powerful second half display from Exeter Chiefs saw them blitz visiting Bayonne to secure a first-ever home quarter-final in the European Challenge Cup.

Having led 11-0 at half time thanks to an early Jack Nowell try and two penalties from Henry Slade, Rob Baxter’s men upped the ante on the resumption adding a further five tries to secure a Sandy Park showdown with Aviva Premiership rivals Newcastle Falcons this Easter.

Matt Jess, Dave Ewers, Carl Rimmer, Kai Horstmann and skipper Dean Mumm all went over for tries, three of which were converted by replacement Gareth Steenson.

Bayonne, who struggled to cope with the might of their English rivals throughout, mustered a second half penalty from Argentine full-back Martin Bustos Moyano.

However, that was all they could muster on a miserable trip across the Channel for the Top 14 side.

With qualification into Europe already assured following their win in Galway the week previous, the Chiefs paraded a virtually unchanged line-up from that which defeated Connacht as they looked to net themselves a home quarter-final.

The sole change came in the pack where the experienced Horstmann came into the back-row in place of the injured Don Armand, while on the bench Jack Yeandle, Sireli Naqelevuki and Will Chudley were also recalled.

Bayonne, already out of the competition despite their home win against Top 14 rivals La Rochelle a week earlier, arrived in Devon minus many of their big-name stars, including Mark Chisholm, Santiago Fernandez and All Blacks ace Joe Rokocoko.

And the Frenchmen suffered a torrid start as it took Baxter’s side just four minutes to break the deadlock. Punching their way deep into the Bayonne 22 through the Exeter eight, the ball was cleverly worked out to Nowell in the wide channel.

Still with plenty to do, the England international showed some nifty footwork before pumping his legs and driving his way to the line for the opening try.

Slade saw his conversion attempt float wide before minutes later a long-range penalty chance cannoned back off the far post as the Chiefs looked to press home their early dominance.

The talented playmaker quickly atoned for his early misses as he slotted a 15th minute penalty before doubling his act midway through the half as the visitors continued to fall foul of referee Andrew McMenemy.

The Chiefs were dominating both possession and territory, but despite some encouraging attacking play, a combination of knock-ons and stout defence from Bayonne frustrated the Devonians as they look to add to their tally.

A flurry of decent chances came and went - notably big carries from Ewers, Sam Hill, Luke Cowan-Dickie and the lively Horstmann - but the scoreline remained untouched.

At the other end, it took until a minute before the break before Bayonne paid their first visit into the Chiefs 22. However, it proved a brief stop-off as dogged defensive work from Damian Welch saw him pinch a ball in the tackle, before Dave Lewis was able to release Matt Jess on a short counter that effectively wrapped up the first period.

HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 11 BAYONNE 0

On the resumption it took the Chiefs just two minutes to get back on the scoring charts, Slade’s clever kick return saw him tripped in midfield by flanker Thibault Vinsensang - and up stepped the Plymouth-born back to land his third penalty of the night.

Moments later and the home side were on the offensive again, this time Horstmann charging through the heart of the Bayonne defence. However, support was slow in getting to him when he was finally felled by full-back Bustos Moyano and the Exeter man was hauled up for holding on.

At the other end, Bustos Moyano finally got Bayonne up and running with a 46th minute penalty, only for the Chiefs to respond in an instant as good approach work from Thomas Waldrom and Phil Dollman created the opening for the ‘Heamoor Flyer’ to cross in the left corner.

With two tries now in the bag, the hunt was now on for two more and the all-important bonus point. Thomas ‘The Tank’ Waldrom built up a head of steam just before the hour mark to go within inches of the line, before the forward pressure finally paid dividends when Ewers steamrollered his way over the whitewash. Steenson obliged with the testing touchline conversion

Now with the bit between their teeth, Aussie international Mumm came within inches of the fourth score when he galloped clear in the open; then as the Chiefs looked to recycle the ball wide, Bayonne replacement Simon Labouyrie cynically denied the hosts with a blatant knock-down.

The Chiefs made the most of the man advantage within an instance as a well-drilled line-out move from a penalty kicked to the corner saw replacement prop Rimmer driven over by his fellow forwards for the vital fourth try of the game.

Five points assured, now it was positional qualification that was upper most in the minds of Baxter’s men who, with just six minutes remaining, needed a further 11 points to leapfrog the Dragons into number two seeds.

Roared on by another vibrant Sandy Park crowd, man of the match Horstmann set about the numbers game as he collected a pass just inside the Bayonne 22 before brushing aside a collection of rivals to add a fifth try, which was converted by the ever-reliable Steenson.

Then, with just three minutes remaining, the Chiefs got their vital sixth score, ‘Captain Fantastic’ Mumm the beneficiary as he emerged from the masses of bodies following another well executed line-out drive.

Steenson saw his touchline conversion drift wide of the mark, but by then the celebrations had already started in the stands.

Chiefs: P Dollman (B McGuigan 63); I Whitten, J Nowell, S Hill (G Steenson 51), M Jess; H Slade, D Lewis (W Chudley 54); B Moon (B Sturgess 63), L Cowan-Dickie (J Yeandle 57), A Brown (C Rimmer 57); D Mumm (capt), D Welch; D Ewers (S Naqelevuki 70), K Horstmann, T Waldrom (J Scaysbrook 70).

Tries - Nowell, Jess, Ewers, Rimmer, Horstmann, Mumm; Conversions - Steenson (3); Penalties - Slade (3)

Bayonne: M Bustos Moyano; S Vaka (M Ugalde 5), L Foketi, B Fuster, P Sayerse; C Otazo, C Loustalot; L Pointud (A Iguiniz 57), G Arganese (A Etrillard 44), F Lapeyrade (B Duhalde 44); L Fa'aso, P Ian Taele (D Senekal 61); J-J Marmouyet, T Visensang, C Ancely (S Labouyrie 44). Replacements (not used): P Bruno, JC Van Rensburg.

Penalty - Bustos Moyano

Yellow Card: Labouyrie

Referee: A McMenemy

Attendance: 8,830

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS: v Newport-Gwent Dragons (A), Sunday, February 1, LV= Cup (2:30pm)