Worcester ……..21pts
Tries: Hearle 25, Simpson 45, Lawrence 64
Conversions: Williams 26, 46, Searle 65
Exeter ……….36pts
Tries: Simmonds 3, Capstick 16, 31; Woodburn 57, Maunder 72
Conversions: Simmonds 17, 32, 58, 73
Penalties: Simmonds 37
Exeter Chiefs produced a solid display as they claimed a bonus-point win at struggling Worcester, but the hosts put in a defiant showing of their own at the end of a difficult week.
Chiefs raced into a 12-0 with tries from Joe Simmonds and Richard Capstick, and though Worcester hit back through Alex Hearle, another Capstick try and Simmonds penalty gave Exeter a healthy 22-7 lead at the break.
Gareth Simpson cut the gap to eight with a try early in the second period for Worcester, but Olly Woodburn coasted in to keep Chiefs’ cushion in tact.
And though Ollie Lawrence scored Worcester’s third and the noise of the crowd grew, Jack Maunder’s try put the game to bed and secured a comfortable win for the visitors.
Job done for professional Chiefs
Exeter have produced more efficient, clinical performances than this one, but they did exactly what was required of them to negotiate a potential banana skin.
Simmonds struck first for the Chiefs as he collected Woodburn’s pass to dot down, completing a fine attacking move that opened the scoring.
It was more fine Exeter play, albeit with a better-controlled build up, that saw Richard Capstick claim his first score, with the number eight finishing in the right corner after a series of well put-together attacking phases.
Though Worcester hit back through Hearle, helped by some lovely quick hands down the blindside, Star Man Capstick soon had his second in an almost identical place to the first.
Chiefs produced some good hands of their own between Rory O’Loughlin and Woodburn down the left, before the ball was moved to the other side of the field where Capstick was gleefully waiting to bag a brace.
From Simmonds’ pre-half time penalty onwards, Chiefs never gave the hosts a chance. Though they couldn’t fully shake the Warriors off at any point, Worcester would never get back within a score, as Exeter consistently delivered when they needed to.
Moving up to second after a bonus point win at a place they lost last season, they will be pleased to have started on the front foot as they look to return to the play-offs after last term’s absence.
Gritty Warriors need clarity soon
The ups and downs of Worcester’s performance was emblematic of a team that is currently unsure of their future.
When their backs were against the wall they played with the spirit, determination and professionalism typical of any Steve Diamond-coached team, but whenever they had an opportunity to get back in the game, they struggled to impose themselves on the dominant Chiefs.
Simpson’s try, terrifically set up by Joe Batley (above), as well as the clinically finished third score from Lawrence, both cutting the Chiefs lead to eight, showed there is much for Diamond to work with if the club does survive.
But Exeter were easily able to extend their lead back to 15 within ten minutes on both occasions, Woodburn coasting over after quick hands from a scrum, and Maunder darting through after sustained pressure as the Chiefs dealt with the period after Worcester’s scores so much better than their opponents.
It is not hard to wonder why Exeter’s thinking in those match-determining periods was so much clearer, and it ultimately had a decisive outcome on the effect as the Chiefs won comfortably in the end.
TEAMS
WORCESTER: Shillcock, Humphreys, Lawrence, Venter (c), Hearle, Williams, Simpson; Morozov, Langdon, McCallum, Batley, A Kitchener, Lee-Warner, Nield, Dodd
Replacements: Faiva, Sutherland, Tyack, G Kitchener, Kvesic, Chudley, Searle, Heward
EXETER: Simmonds, Nowell, O’Loughlin, Whitten, Woodburn, Skinner, Townsend; Hepburn, Yeandle (c), Street, Dunne, Gray, Kirsten, Tshiunza, Capstick
Replacements: Innard, Kenny, Schickerling, Van Heerden, Ewers, J Maunder, Kata, Cordero
Referee – Luke Pearce
Attendance – 4,999
Star Man – Richard Capstick
