Match Report: Exeter Chiefs v London Scottish

It was an exciting afternoon of scoring with new and familiar faces representing the Chiefs badge in the first game of the 2024/25 pre-season Double Header.

London Scottish were the first to strike when a classy break from Tom Wilstead gave his side good territory and an offload to Ioan Rhys-Davies secured the score for the big number eight. His fly half, having created the score, then converted it.

Chiefs were on the board with time to spare in the opening 10 minutes however. A perfectly weighted long ball from Sam Maunder – returning to action for the first time in nearly 18 months – to Ben Hammersley on the wing sent the young Chiefs man over for the score. It was a tough conversion five metres in from the touchline but it had the legs from Josh Hodge to seal the extra two points.

As can be the case with pre-season fixtures, Chiefs felt the blow of a return to rugby on 15 minutes when Ben Hammersley was split open, requiring a blood replacement to be made. And so, Nick Lilley was introduced to the Sandy Park faithful for his first run-out in a Chiefs shirt at HQ.

A set play straight off the training paddock caught Chiefs unawares as Scottish scored their second try. A short ball at the lineout created space for Dan Nutton to run into. He rode the tackle to offload to Austin Wallis, coming down the wing at pace and with no one between him and the try line. The conversion curved around nicely for Wilstead.

A beautiful read of the remaining defence and space in the line from Will Haydon-Wood saw the Chiefs fly half run the ball into contact, managing to squirrel it away to Lilley for the run-in underneath the posts. His score, and Hodge’s conversion, was just in time to welcome a bandaged Hammerlsey to return to the field.

On the field for barely a minute, Noah Fenton was the latest new face on the scoresheet. The forwards were powering towards the line with a maul drive when Max Norey peeled off to the short side and flicked a ball out to the young back. Hodge then added the extras.

Half-time: Chiefs 21 – 14 Scottish

As they had been in the first half, Scottish were the first on the board in the second. Powering over in a pile of tired forward bodies, Alex Wardell’s large frame emerged from the rubble as the try scorer.

Chiefs were lying in wait for their next score though – and what more appropriate way to secure it than by the club captain holding strong at the back of a driving maul to dive over in the corner. It was an unfortunate miss of the conversion from Hodge, but Jack Yeandle’s name was penned onto the scoresheet.

Kane James made the conversion attempt a little easier for Hodge minutes later when he powered over the whitewash just to the right of the posts to help put a further seven points to the Chiefs’ name.

Not content to have his name on the scoresheet just once in the first game of his testimonial year, Yeandle secured a second try just shy of 70 minutes played to take Chiefs to double Scottish’s tally.

An untidy set piece from Scottish saw opportunity knock for Chiefs and it was the new man in the front row – Jimmy Roots – who capitalised for a seventh try for Chiefs. Hodge’s conversion attempt was clean through the posts for the additional points.

And so, the first game of a double-header day for Chiefs ended in a home win.

Full-time: Chiefs 45 – 19 Scottish

Chiefs: J Hodge; C Ridl, B Hammersley (Lilley 16’), J Hawkins (Lilley 72’), K Gentry (Fenton 34’); W Haydon-Wood (Coen 63’), S Maunder (Cairns 55’); S Sio (Keast 40’), M Norey (Yeandle 40’, Gulley 72’), J Iosefa-Scott (J Roots 40’), J Bailey, E O’Connor, R Capstick, M Moloney, K James.

Unused replacements: Beckerleg, Forsythe, Mann, Dorrell

Tries: Hammersley, Lilley, Fenton, Yeandle 2, James, Roots Conversions: Hodge 5

Scottish: J Holmes; N Ferdinand, W Talbot-Davies, W Simonds (Morison 45’), W Brown; T Wilstead (Lloyd-Seed 52’), D Nutton (Law 52’); W Prior (Musk 38’), A Wallis, C Ashworth, J Spurway, A Wardell, B Ransom, J Ingall, I Rhys-Davies (Sheppard 52’).

Tries: Rhys-Davies, Wallis, Wardell Conversions: Wilstead 2

Referee: Jones