By MATTHEW LUDDINGTON
Exeter Chiefs……………29
Tries: Tuima (4), Painter (26), Wyatt (42), Iosefa-Scott (68)
Conversions: Slade (4, 27, 43)
Penalties: Slade (76)
Bristol Bears………………20
Tries: Lane (10, 19, 45)
Conversions: Sheedy (47)
Penalties: Sheedy (7)
Exeter Chiefs moved top of the Gallagher Premiership with a bonus-point victory over Bristol Bears at Sandy Park.
Rich Lane’s hat-trick of tries, the first two of which helped the Bears into 13-7 lead after the first quarter, were cancelled out by scores for Rus Tuima and Ehren Painter either side with the latter giving the Chiefs a one-point advantage at the break.
Early in the second half Tommy Wyatt extended Exeter’s lead to seven, but Bristol were back in the game as Lane got his third, this time converted by Sheedy.
But after a scoreless 20 minutes, Josh Iosefa-Scott secured the four-try bonus point for the Chiefs with Slade then knocking over a penalty that secured victory, before James Williams missed a late shot at goal for the Bears to leave them coming away from the contest pointless.
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said: “Coming through today is a bigger learning for us than last week, our intensity wasn’t quite as good [as last week], and that created more of a challenge in the game [for us] that will only be good for our development.
“I am delighted to be top of the table after almost a quarter of the season. We planned on trying to get as good a start to the season as possible, that’s why we played a frontline group through the Premiership Rugby Cup to get them game time and that has been pretty effective for us.
“We’ve yet to win away from home yet so the table is a little bit false and next week is a big challenge for us.”
Following a significant departure of key players from their golden era, there were doubts about Exeter’s prospects this season as Rob Baxter turned to a younger squad.
However, the Chiefs topped their Premiership Rugby Cup pool and have scored a remarkable 23 tries in their four Premiership matches playing expansive attacking rugby.
Bristol have started their campaign strongly, triumphing in the season’s curtain-raising match against the Tigers and delivering a statement victory at Franklin’s Gardens, but faced a setback last week against Harlequins because of a late Jarrod Evans penalty.
In damp autumnal conditions at Sandy Park, Exeter wasted no time asserting dominance. The Chiefs’ relentless pressure culminated in Tuima crossing the try line from close range, with Henry Slade converting to provide the Chiefs with a perfect start.
However, Bristol quickly awakened from their early slumber, registering their first points through a Sheedy penalty due to a technical infringement by Jacques Vermeulen during a maul.
Vermeulen gave away another penalty for a high tackle, that allowed Bristol to launch another attack within Exeter’s 22, leading to a try. Sheedy executed a brilliant grubber cross kick, exploiting Exeter’s narrow defense, and Lane patiently touched down to score.
A basic handling error from Immanuel Fewi-Waboso gave Bristol a 5m lineout, and once again, Sheedy demonstrated impeccable precision with a pinpoint cross kick, allowing Lane to secure his second try. However, Sheedy’s missed both conversion attempts and a penalty from halfway so Bristol did not extend their lead beyond one score.
Exeter then reverted to their trademark forwards-oriented brand of rugby, and Painter powered over after sustained pressure, and Slade added the extras to retake the lead.
Bristol incurred a series of penalties near their line, resulting in Harry Thacker receiving a yellow card, but the Bears managed to withstand the pressure until half-time, as the Chiefs took a 14-13 lead in to the interval.
Early in the second half, Exeter capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Wyatt scoring from close range, and Slade maintained his flawless kicking record to extend the Chiefs’ lead to two scores.
Remarkably, Lane completed his hat-trick with a third try, courtesy of another immaculate cross kick from Sheedy. This time, the ball soared just above Wyatt’s head and landed perfectly in Malins’ hands, allowing him to sprint into the corner. Sheedy found his rhythm from the tee, narrowing the game to just a one-point difference.
The match continued to ebb and flow, with errors from both sides preventing further scoring. However, in the final quarter, the quality of Exeter’s bench proved decisive. A characteristic tap and go near the try line brought the Chiefs within a yard of the Bears’ try line, and Josh Iosefa-Scott found his way over.
Although Slade missed a kick that would have given the Chiefs a two-score lead, the fourth scrum penalty of the match won by Exeter minutes later sealed the match’s outcome as Slade added a penalty to make it 29-20.
In the last minute, Williams missed a straightforward penalty kick in front of the posts, depriving Bristol of a losing bonus point. Despite the Bears’ spirited efforts, they leave Sandy Park empty-handed. The Chiefs’ new era holds great promise.
EXETER CHIEFS: Wyatt 6, Feyi-Waboso 5, Slade 8,, Hendrickson 6 (Hawkins 63, 6), Olly Woodburn 6, Harvey Skinner 5, Tom Cairns 6 (Armstrong 57, 6); Scott Sio 8 (Abuladze 47, 7), Yeandle © 8, (Frost 47, 7) Ehren Painter 8, (Iosefa-Scott 47, 8) Tuima 8, Pearson 7 (Jenkins 53, 7), Roots 7, Vermeulen 6, Vintcent 6 (Davis 53, 6)
BRISTOL BEARS: Lane 9, Heward 6 (O’Conor 71, 5), Vakatawa 5, (Capon 38, 5) Janse van Rensburg 6 (Williams 62, 5), Ibitoye 7, Sheedy 9, Marmion 7; Grahamslaw 4 (Woolmore 30, 5), Capon 4 (Thacker 30, 5), Kloska 4 (Lahiff 30, 4) , Caulfield 5 (Thomas 40, 5) Batley 5, Dun 6 (Holmes 70, 5), Harding (c) 6, Bradbury 6
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