Castres 12 Chiefs 27
Castres Olympique 12
Exeter Chiefs 27
Mark Stevens at Stade Pierre Fabre
France may have got the bragging rights in terms of the football, but it was England who ruled supreme in the rugby as Exeter Chiefs kicked off their Heineken Champions Cup with a bang.
Rob Baxter’s side produced a powerful, all-round display to inflict a rare home defeat on hosts Castres Olympique at the Stade Pierre Fabre.
First half tries from Sam Simmonds and Dave Ewers were highlights for the visitors, who were deadlocked at the turn as Castres replied with four penalties from the boot of Julien Dumora.
After the break, though, it was the Devonians who cranked up the gears, adding further tries through Sam Maunder and Olly Woodburn to ensure they claimed maximum reward from their European opener.
Buoyed by the return of their international stars following the culmination of the Autumn Nations Series, it was a powerful Chiefs line-up that took to the field on a bitterly cold night in the South of France. Standing in their way, however, were a Castres outfit, who came into the game with an unblemished six from six at home this season.
As expected, the opening exchanges were largely confined to a ferocious tear down between the respective packs. With neither side willing to give an inch, it was bruising, yet compelling, in equal measure. The Chiefs, though, were more than holding their own and with 14 minutes on the clock, they made the crucial breakthrough.
Heavyweight carries from Ewers and skipper Jack Yeandle created the initial mayhem from which the visitors were able to expertly exploit the numbers game down the blindside, creating the opening from which Maunder was able to release No.8 Simmonds, who did the rest with a jet-packed finish in the left corner.
It was just the start the Chiefs would have wanted, but their joy proved short-lived as almost straight from the restart they conceded a penalty that allowed full-back Dumora to claim his first points of the night.
Undeterred, Baxter’s side were quickly back into their attacking groove and having been gifted a penalty of their own, which they kicked to the right corner, they used the resulting line-out to set up camp deep inside the Castres 22.
The initial thrust offered a bit, but with the maul looking destined to be turned over, somehow the Chiefs conjured the ball back on their side, Sam Simmonds threatening first, before Ewers - aided by Dafydd Jenkins - thundered in under the posts for the converted score.
Again, Castres responded almost immediately as Dumora slotted a penalty from wide on the left, before he added two more successful, long-range kicks before the break to put his side level as the teams headed for their half time pep talk.
HALF TIME: CASTRES OLYMPIQUE 12 EXETER CHIEFS 12
With little to choose between the sides after a hugely physical first 40 minutes, the Chiefs were given an early lift on the resumption when the home side lost Geoffrey Palis to the sin-bin for a ten-minute stint, the winger banished to the sidelines for a deliberate knock-on as Exeter looked to attack out wide.
It would take the Chiefs less than a minute to make their numerical advantage pay off. The penalty to the corner again allowed them to create the platform from which scrum-half Maunder was able to burrow over from close range for their third try of the contest.
Behind once more, Castres looked for an immediate riposte. With skipper Mathieu Babillot leading their charge alongside former Glasgow Warriors favourite, Leone Nakarawa, they started to make some serious inroads into the Chiefs half. To a man, though, the visitors were holding firm, rocking their rivals with some bone-crunching hits.
Castres, though, continued to pile forward and sensing they could get an edge at scrum time, they turned down at least three kickable penalties in hope of greater reward. Two scrum penalties had Irish referee Frank Murphy delivering a stark warning to the Exeter eight. However, when the packs engaged for a third time, Harry Williams provided the crucial cornerstone to lock out the scrum.
Forced to go wide, Castres did their best to try and play off the scrum. Joe Simmonds was alert to the danger, chopping down the French threat and allowing the magnificent Ewers to clamp down on the ball and win the penalty. It was a defining moment, which the Chiefs used to ignite their charge for the remainder of the half.
Threat averted, the Chiefs then showed their attacking mastery as Yeandle and Joe Simmonds combined to release Jack Nowell in the outside channel, the Cornishman drew the cover before releasing Stuart Hogg who, burst clear, before drawing in the final defender and offering the golden pass for Woodburn to cruise in under the home posts for the all-important bonus point.
Joe Simmonds bagged the extras to that score, plus added a penalty with just over ten minutes remaining, to put the Chiefs firmly in control of proceedings late on.
It was - to all extent and purpose - the perfect away-day showing and one which rekindled memories of their 2020 visit to La Rochelle - and it we all know how that season ended!
Castres: J Dumora; G Palis, T Combezou (A Segrut 35), A Zeghdar, F Nakosi; L Le Brun, G Doubrere (R Kockott 56); A Tichit (L Guérois-Galisson 56), G Barlot (P Colonna 56), W Hounkpatin (A Guillamon 56); L Nakarawa (T Hannoyer 60), T Staniforth (K Kornath 60); M Babillot (capt), N Champion de Crespigny (J Raisuqe 60), T Ardron.
Penalties - Dumora (4)
Yellow Card: Palis
Exeter Chiefs: S Hogg (J Hodge 62); J Nowell, H Slade, R O’Loughlin, O Woodburn; J Simmonds, S Maunder (W Becconsall 64); S Sio (A Hepburn 64), J Yeandle (capt, D Frost 64), H Williams (J Iosefa-Scott 64); D Jenkins (R Van Heerden 63), J Gray; D Ewers, C Tshiunza (S Grondona 63), S Simmonds. Replacement (not used): S Kata.
Tries - S Simmonds, Ewers, Maunder, Woodburn; Conversions - J Simmonds (2); Penalty - J Simmonds
Referee: F Murphy