Match Report: Exeter Chiefs 43 – 7 Cornish Pirates

A four-try performance from Paul Brown-Bampoe helped Exeter Chiefs secure another five-point win in the Premiership Rugby Cup on Sunday afternoon at Sandy Park.

Playing against their local Championship rivals, Cornish Pirates, a dominant second half performance saw Chiefs score five more tries to take a 43-7 win, leaving a home quarter final all to play for next weekend against Gloucester.

With a sense of deja-vu, the day’s scoring opened with a Brown-Bampoe break down the wing to secure a try in the corner. Receiving the feed from a ruck on the Pirates’ 10 metre line, the winger put on the back burners and carried through contact to dot down.

Just inches in from the touchline, it was an unfortunate miss of the conversion from Will Haydon-Wood but the Chiefs were on the board.

Pirates worked with possession in the Chiefs 22 following the opening score. Chiefs were able to staunchly defend the first five waves until multiple penalties in the tight phases saw the referee show Franco Molina a yellow card at the lineout.

As Chiefs defended with reduced numbers, Pirates quickly whipped ball to their backs off the set piece and Tom Georgiou was able to escape the clutches of Tommy Wyatt and Tom Cairns to score the Pirates’ first try. Iwan Jenkins kicked the conversion to put his side ahead.

Half an hour played, and the Chiefs reclaimed the lead as Richard Capstick carried in the second phase off the back of a scrum. Reaching an arm out mid-contact, the back rower was able to secure the try for his side just to the right of the posts.

Haydon-Wood was charged down at the conversion attempt, so it was once more just the five points added to the Chiefs’ name.

Half-time: Chiefs 10 – 7 Pirates

Back underway for just two minutes after the break and Chiefs added to their tally when the former Pirates man Wyatt crossed beneath the posts. A perfectly weighted, no-look pop pass off the shoulder from Cairns released his full-back who ran clean through for the score.

Haydon-Wood added the conversion to take the Chiefs 10 points ahead.

As Chiefs had been in the first half, Pirates were reduced to 14 men on 52 minutes when repeated infringements saw replacement prop Billy Young pay the price for another failed scrum.

Chiefs utilised the man advantage immediately. Pulling ball out of the driving maul, Cairns fed Haydon-Wood who released Hammersley in the midfield. A basketball pass over the head of his Pirates tackler got the ball securely to Wyatt and the Chiefs full-back put the final pass in for Brown-Bampoe to leap across in the corner for the score.

Two minutes before the hour mark, Chiefs had a fifth try when Brown-Bampoe jinked and jived his way around then through contact inside his own 22 to break downfield into Pirates territory.

Quick thinking and even quicker handling kept the Chiefs on the front foot and Joe Hawkins was the next Exeter man to break through the line, this time on the Pirates 10 metre line. He thought he had grounded the try but in the momentary confusion of the referee awaiting confirmation from his linesman, Ethan Roots grabbed the ball from the floor and crashed over from inches out to ensure the points were given.

Haydon-Wood’s conversion took the Chiefs to a point shy of the 30-point marker.

With 12 minutes left in the encounter, Brown-Bampoe secured the storybook try – a hatrick securing score to mark his third hatrick against Pirates this season having completed the feat in a pre-season friendly and round one of the cup.

A difficult conversion from the touchline for Haydon-Wood curled around and had just enough legs to score the two-point conversion.

Just minutes later, Brown-Bampoe made it four tries. A storming break through the midfield from Jacques Vermeulen was the catalyst for the latest score. Keeping their patience, and working with an advantage in the Pirates 22, Chiefs got ball out to their winger. Haydon-Wood dutifully added the conversion from in front of the posts.

With that, the Chiefs sealed a seven-try bonus point victory to retain their place at the top of Pool E and put themselves in contention of a home quarter-final if they are to replicate such a performance back at Sandy Park next weekend.

Full-time: Chiefs 43 – 7 Pirates

Chiefs: T Wyatt (John 59’); B Hammersley (McCaig 74’), J Hawkins, T Tua, P Brown-Bampoe; W Haydon-Wood, T Cairns (Townsend 55’); K Blose (Keast 46’), J Yeandle (c) (Frost 46’), J Roots (Street 46’), R Tuima (Pearson 30’), F Molina (Moloney 55’), E Roots, R Capstick, J Vermeulen.

Tries: Brown-Bampoe 4, Capstick, Wyatt, E Roots Conversions: Haydon-Wood 4

Yellow card: Franco Molina

Pirates: B Houston (Price-Thomas 54’); A Relton, T Georgiou, H Yates, W Trewin; I Jenkins (Elderkin 55’), D Hiscocks (Jones 54’); O Michel (Young 50’), H Hocking (Moody 41’), J French (Connolly 39’), A Bell, J King (c), M Cannon, L Dorrell (Mills 61’), T Agbongbon (Coleman 59’)

Tries: Georgiou Conversions: Jenkins

Yellow card: Billy Young

Referee: Alex Thomas