Chiefs 25 Bath 22
Exeter Chiefs 25
Bath Rugby 22
Mark Stevens at Sandy Park
Exeter’s very own ‘New Kids on the Block’ underlined their emerging promise as the Chiefs kept alive their hopes of qualification into the last four of this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup.
Despite foul conditions overhead, Ricky Pellow’s side produced an impressive display against Westcountry rivals Bath Rugby to set-up a pool decider against Gloucester next Sunday.
Debutant Aidan Davis led the way for the hosts bagging a brace, whilst fellow forward Rus Tuima got in on the try-scoring act, alongside ten points from fly-half Iwan Jenkins.
Bath countered with three scores of their own through Ewan Richards, Sam Harris and Tom Carr-Smith, but it wasn’t enough to thwart the youthful Chiefs in front of a near 10,000 crowd at Sandy Park.
With the Chiefs running out for their second fixture inside 24 hours, it was all hands on deck for this latest Cup assignment. Coach Pellow handed debuts to both Davis and Jenkins, as well Zack Wimbush and the former Wasps trio of Alfie Bell, Greg Fisilau and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
Bath, who had already suffered two defeats in the competition, also paraded a number of their up-and-coming stars, but they were mixed in with more experienced names such as England internationals Dave Attwood and Piers Francis, as well as one-time Exeter trials, Wesley White.
Handed the first use of the elements, the Chiefs were quickly into their stride and took just six minutes to break the deadlock, Jenkins firing them in front with a routine penalty after the visitors were pulled up for not rolling away at the ruck.
Just the start Pellow would have craved, the Devonians continued to push the attacking tone in a powerful opening salvo. They were held up over the line from a tap penalty, before Jenkins doubled his tally on 17 minutes with a second successful kick at goal.
Not only were Bath struggling to contain the Chiefs attack, but with the howling wind blowing straight into their faces, just clear their lines and securing possession was proving troublesome for them.
It was therefore no surprise when the home side extended their advantage, claiming the first converted try through Tuima. The back-row forward was able to use his sizeable frame to bulldoze his way over from close range to finish off a sustained spell of Exeter pressure.
At the other end, a rare moment of Bath attack saw them win a penalty that Francis landed to cut the deficit, but the response from the Chiefs was almost instant as they bagged a second try through South African newcomer Davis, who emerged from a mass of bodies close to the line to take the acclaim of his team-mates.
Up 20-3, the Chiefs were seemingly in cruise control. However, with time all but up at the end of the first half, the hosts failed to exit properly and Bath made the most of the opportunity, claiming a crucial score under the posts from lock Richards.
HALF TIME: EXETER CHIEFS 20BATH RUGBY 10
With conditions worsening by the minute, that - coupled with the impetus gained from that score just before the interval - allowed Bath to re-emerge with a real zest and energy about them.
Just as the Chiefs had done in the first half, they started at a rate of knots, pinning their rivals back with a strong and sustained attacking blast. With the pressure mounting, Bath used the advantage off a penalty to work an overlap opening for Harris to collect and glide his way over unopposed for the converted score.
Back within three points, it was just the ticket for the visitors who were hoping to now build on their own momentum. The Chiefs, however, had other ideas and using a simple, yet highly-effective tight game in the rain, they worked themselves back up field to put Bath on the back foot.
As a series of penalties and scrums close to the visiting line mounted, referee Harry Walbaum eventually lost patience with their persistent infringing and dispatched White to the sidelines for a ten-minute stint.
In his absence, his team-mates did their best to repel the home advances, but roared on by the natives in the terraces, it was Davis who doubled his try tally on the hour mark, the flanker forcing his way over for a crucial touchdown.
Both sides turned to their benches to add a bit to proceedings, but it was the Chiefs who were edging their exchanges, particularly at scrum time, where Bath were crumbling under the pressure being exerted on them.
The Chiefs could - and probably should - have added a bonus point score in the final quarter, but this sadly failed to materialise. Instead, Bath set up a nervy final few minutes when Carr-Smith sneaked his way over from a close-range line-out to put them back to within a score of victory.
Thankfully, the Chiefs had enough about them to avert any such further problems, thus ensuring they put themselves in prime position to attack Gloucester for pole position in the pool next weekend.
Chiefs: F Cordero; I Feyi-Waboso, Z Wimbush, T Wyatt, A Relton; I Jenkins, T Cairns; J Kenny (D Southworth 52), J Innard (capt), J Iosefa-Scott; A Bell (M Norey 77), J Bailey (C Teague 52); R Tuima, A Davis (S Grondona 62), G Fisilau.Replacements (not used): M Johnson, O James, S Cornish, F Nowell
Tries - Tuima, Davis (2); Conversions - I Jenkins (2); Penalties - I Jenkins (2)
Bath: S Harris; G Goss, M Wright, P Francis, D Atkins; G Worboys (J Venter 65), T Carr-Smith (M Lock 74); A Stanley (A Cordwell 52), T Doughty (J Stewart 62), K Verden (A Griffin 59); D Attwood (capt, W Spencer 48), E Richards; JJ Tonks, E Staddon (M Stete 63) W White (N Merian 69).
Tries - Richards, Harris, Carr-Smith; Conversions - Francis (2); Penalty - Francis
Yellow Card: White
Referee: H Walbaum
Attendance: 9,900