Chiefs 74 Welsh 19

Exeter Chiefs 74

London Welsh 19

Mark Stevens at Sandy Park

For 20 minutes it was a decent enough contest, but then Exeter Chiefs kicked into gear and winless London Welsh simply had no answer to the might of the in-form Devonians.

Rob Baxter’s side steamrollered their way to second in the Aviva Premiership with a ten-try destruction of the Exiles.

It wasn’t vintage stuff from the Chiefs – even though the scoreline suggests otherwise – but it was still more than enough to clock up an 11th league win of the season.

Free-scoring No.8 Thomas Waldrom added two more tries to his seasonal tally – he’s now on 12 and still top of the tree in the top flight – whilst Will Chudley, Tom James, Jack Yeandle, Matt Jess, Henry Slade and Ian Whitten also crossed, alongside the award of two penalty tries.

Slade converted five, Gareth Steenson four, while the former also booted two first half penalties as the Chiefs claimed another league double.

Winger Seb Stegmann grabbed two tries for Welsh and prop Nathan Trevett another, while Tristan Roberts and Alex Davies added a conversion apiece to complete the scoring.

Having collected league wins against Newcastle Falcons, Harlequins and Bath in as many weeks, it was little surprise that Baxter resisted the temptation to tinker with his winning formula from the previous week.

It meant an unchanged Chiefs line-up that took to the field for the visit of the lowly Exiles, who they defeated 52-0 in the corresponding fixture on the opening weekend of the season.

Welsh, meanwhile, made five changes to their side from that which was defeated - for a 16th time in the top flight this term - by London Irish seven days earlier.

Despite the re-jig, the visitors started as brightly as their vivid pink playing kit and they broke the deadlock inside three minutes when, following a series of attacking waves, the Exiles created the platform for prop Trevett to steal over in the left corner.

Referee Craig Maxwell-Keys was initially unsure as to the grounding, but a quick consultation with the TV match official confirmed the score, which went unconverted by fly-half Roberts.

Within minutes the Chiefs countered with their opening points of the contest, Slade firing over a long-range penalty from wide on the right flank after skipper Dean Mumm had been taken out in a line-out.

Slade had a similar chance to add to his tally on 12 minutes when again Mumm had been illegally sacked at the set-piece, but this time the Exeter playmaker could not land the telling blow, his kick sailing wide of the left post.

The England starlet, however, atoned for his miss five minutes later when - following a spell of pressure from the Chiefs deep inside the Welsh 22 - they fashioned a third penalty chance, which this time he didn’t fail with.

Exeter’s lead, though, proved short-lived as Welsh - who were seemingly happy to throw caution to the wind - stunned the natives with a second try midway through the first half.

Tongan battering ram Opeti Fonua - who the Chiefs had previously tackled earlier this season in Europe against Bayonne - appeared to be the focal point for the Welsh raids. The imposing No.8 was used twice in the lead up to Stegmann’s try, before Roberts sent a lovely grubber in behind James and Stegmann latched onto the loose ball to dot down for the converted score.

That, however, would be as good as it got for the visitors, who were then masterfully dispatched for the remainder of the first half.

Scrum-half Chudley claimed the opening Exeter try when he cleverly looped round two team-mates to glide over on 23 minutes; then Welshman James got in on the act as he was able to dive over in the left corner following neat approach work from the impressive Phil Dollman.

Slade converted both scores before then adding the extras to two more Exeter tries just before the interval.

Yeandle was the next over the whitewash for the hosts, the hooker powering his way over following more solid offensive work from Baxter’s men; then the sprightly Chudley was the quickest to react on a hacked through ball before he was able to gather and feed Jess the simplest of chances from just a yard out to make it 34-12.

Even then Welsh could have added to their tally in the final minute of the half, Nic Reynolds was unlucky not to collect another clever kick in behind from Roberts; whilst the Welsh No.10 then saw a decent penalty chance drift wide on the wind.

HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 34 LONDON WELSH 12

Up against what was a strong westerly wind in the second half, the Chiefs wasted little time in getting themselves back on the points’ trail.

Midfield duo Whitten and Sam Hill did the initial donkey work, creating havoc with their searing running, before the silky Slade took up the attack and glided his way over for the score he also converted.

With Welsh physically beginning to wilt all over the park, the ruthless Chiefs went in search of their rivals jugular.

Four tries in seven minutes not only underlined their supremacy, but also had those in the Press benches quickly researching the record books as Baxter’s side flexed their muscles to the full.

Waldrom claimed his first of the afternoon on 54 minutes, ‘The Tank’ finishing off a well-drilled, catch-and-drive move with his customary ‘Toot Toot’ signal – and he came within a whisker of adding a second just moments later as he linked cleverly with Steenson and former Welsh player Mitch Lees.

The home swell was rising by the second and having won a scrum five metres out, the Exeter eight combined as one to force their counterparts back at a rate of knots. Waldrom was one more ready to pounce at the base, but referee Craig Maxwell-Keys had already jogged his way under the sticks for the penalty try.

It was one-way traffic from Exeter and it was to get no easier for the basement club as first Whitten rounded off a rock solid display with a clever show-and-go finish on the left; before the Chiefs pack against dismantled the Welsh scrum with a shove that resulted in a second penalty try to make it 67-12.

Both sides ran their benches in the latter stages and it was Welsh replacement Chris Hala’uifa who left his imprint on Whitten with one bone-crunching hit on halfway. Not surprisingly, the Ulsterman took some time to get to his feet, before he was sent for a quick check-over by the doctor pitchside.

Whitten would happily return later in the contest, but by then the Chiefs had already added their ninth try of the game. Hill, James and Dollman were the architects early on, before Dave Lewis was on hand to feed Waldrom to steam his way over from six metres out. Steenson duly obliged with the extras.

To their credit, Welsh kept fighting until the death and their efforts were rewarded with a late converted try for Stegmann. It was, however, only a mere consolation on what was another afternoon of real woe for the Exiles.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, will head into next week’s LV= Cup semi-final with Leicester Tigers brimming with confidence and safe in the knowledge they remain among the leading lights in English rugby with just five rounds remaining.

Exeter Chiefs: P Dollman; T James, I Whitten (H Slade 71-75), S Hill, M Jess; H Slade (G Steenson 55), W Chudley (D Lewis 55); C Rimmer (B Sturgess 58), J Yeandle, (L Cowan-Dickie 52) T Francis (A Brown 58); D Mumm (capt, M Lees 55), D Welch; D Ewers (B White 58), D Armand (B McGuigan 68), T Waldrom.

Tries - Chudley, James, Yeandle, Jess, Slade, Waldrom (2), Penalty Try (2), Whitten; Conversions - Slade (5), Steenson (4); Penalties - Slade (2)

London Welsh: E Kear; S Stegmann, N Reynolds, J Tincknell (T May 60), A Awcock; T Roberts (W Robinson h/t), R Lewis (A Davies h/t); N Trevett (E Aholelei 53), N Morris (R Elloway 53), T Vea (J Gilding 27); B West (M Corker 60), J Down; L McCaffrey, R Thorpe (capt), O Fonua (C Hala’uifa 60).

Tries - Trevett, Stegmann (2); Conversions - Roberts, Davies

Referee: C Maxwell-Keys

Attendance: 8,721

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS: v Leicester Tigers (A), LV= Cup Semi-Final, Sunday, March 15 (1pm)