Premiership 7s Day 1 Round-Up
By Mark Stevens
13/9/19
Exeter Chiefs, Wasps, Bristol Bears and Saracens all finished an action-packed opening day of the Premiership Rugby 7s unbeaten as they booked quarter-final spots at Franklin’s Gardens.
Defending Champions Saracens ensured their safe passage after winning both of their games, while Wasps plundered 98 points from their two matches to reach the last eight.
Bristol and Exeter also finished as the top seeds in their pools, with Leicester Tigers, London Irish, Worcester Warriors and Harlequins completing the quarter-final line-up after winning one game each.
Meanwhile, Gloucester Rugby, Bath Rugby, Sale Sharks and Northampton Saints will now turn their attention to winning silverware in the Plate competition on the second day.
Up against London Irish in their opening game, it didn't take long for Pellow's side to click into gear. Just a minute had elapsed when Relton claimed Exeter's opening score, finishing off a slick attack in the left-hand corner.
Teenager Relton - who has been training with the Chiefs in pre-season this summer - wasn't finished there as he added two more quickfire scores before the break as the Chiefs raced into a 15-0 lead.
With time up at the end of the first half, the Devonians claimed their bonus point score, Sam Morley this time providing the pop pass for Joe Snow to slide over by the post for the converted score.
Irish had no answer to the power and pace of their rivals, having not even ventured into the Exeter 22 during the opening period. However, they were first to show on the resumption as they reduced the deficit with the first move of the half, Timi Olopade cruising over in the corner after the Exiles had worked the ball cleverly from the right wing to the left.
Exeter response, though, was immediate as replacement Luke Mehson used the restart to race through from halfway unopposed.
Again, Irish countered with a try from the dangerous Femi Sofolarin, only for the Chiefs to wrap up their 32-10 victory with a second try from Mehson.
Having lost their opening game to Irish, Gloucester knew they had to defeat the Chiefs in both side's second outing of the night if they were to stand any chance of advancing into Saturday's Cup competition.
It was the Chiefs who started this tussle on the front foot, laying an early attacking siege on the Cherry & Whites who were forced to put up a powerful defensive wall as Pellow's side probed every angle trying to force their way through.
Gloucester held firm defiantly until Morley used some fast feed to pick his way through the defensive line and give the Chiefs a slender 5-0 lead at the break.
The second half, however, belonged to the Chiefs who took just a minute to double their tally when the impressive Relton claimed his fourth try of the evening, speeding past his opposite number and over in the corner.
The try seemed to finally kill off Gloucester, who in the final few minutes conceded three more tries. Skipper Bodilly claimed the first when he showed some nimble footwork to coast in by the post; Mehson then showed great speed to scorch in from halfway, before a seocnd Bodilly effort put the seal on a great night's work for the Chiefs with virtually the last play of the game to make it 31-0.
Day Two schedule
2:30pm QF1 - Wasps (1) v Leicester (8)
2:53pm QF2 - Bristol (4) v Harlequins (5)
3:15pm QF3 - Saracens (3) v London Irish (6)
3:38pm QF4 - Exeter (2) v Worcester (7)
4:00pm Plate SF1 - Northampton (9) v Gloucester (12)
4:23pm Plate SF2 - Sale Sharks (10) v Bath (11)