Match Report: Exeter Chiefs 31 - 15 Ulster

A strong second half performance saw the Exeter men pull away from their Irish visitors to complete their 2024/25 pre-season with a win on home soil.

A beautifully sunny evening at Sandy Park posed perfect conditions for the Chiefs to be the first on the board.

With Dan Frost collecting an overthrown lineout ball in the Ulster 22, the Exeter men were on the front foot. A breakdown penalty enabled the quick tap and Jacques Vermeulen powered his way over the line underneath the posts with Josh Hodge kicking the simple conversion.

Ulster took their first trip into Chiefs territory with a lineout just inside the 22. With the Chiefs pulling in to defend tight, the Irishmen sent a long pass out to Aaron Sexton on the wing to give him the easy run-in for the score. Nathan Doak’s conversion attempt drifted wide of the uprights.

It was a frustrating remainder for the half for both sides as their opening points proved to be their last in the first 40 minutes of action. Ulster were hampered by a couple of injuries and handling errors in their attacking phases whilst Chiefs found themselves continually running into a staunch defence, at times turned over at the breakdown.

Half-time: Chiefs 7 – 5 Ulster

There was work to be done across the board in the second half and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso took it on. Proving to the home crowd he hadn’t lost any of his attacking prowess after a busy summer campaign for England, the winger took a pass off his boot laces to run in for the try.

A simple conversion from Hodge put the Chiefs into double digits on the scoreboard.

Ulster responded immediately, settling themselves on the Chiefs five metre line and prepared to wait for their score. A scuffle off the ball pulled Ross Vintcent out of the line, but Chiefs kept them at bay.

However, penalties allowed the men in white to continue their attack within close range. After a scuffle off the ball caused the referee to speak to both sides, Ulster switched the game plan and went wide to Rory Telfer who crossed for the try in the corner.

The momentum built quickly and caught Ulster unawares as Chiefs scored their third of the day. Jack Dunne broke the line and snuck the ball out the back to Ethan Roots for the running yards. The ball was quickly moved to the wing for Hodge to offload to Paul Brown-Bampoe – an unnamed travelling reserve who was called onto the pitch – for the score.

Hodge then converted to take the Chiefs into the 20s on the scoreboard.

Olly Woodburn rounded out a strong day on the wing with a try of his own as the game entered it’s last 10 minutes. A perfectly weighted pass from Harvey Skinner found Woodburn in open air on the wing. The experienced man didn’t need to be asked twice to run in the simple try.

The last word of the day went, rather poetically, to one of the Irishmen amongst the Chiefs’ ranks. Jack Yeandle threw long to Jack Dunne at the rear of a set piece on the edge of the Ulster 22. The lock then opened up the legs to take off running for the line, stretching out a long limb to complete the score.

Full-time: Chiefs 31 – 15 Ulster

Chiefs: J Hodge; I Feyi-Waboso (Brown-Bampoe 57’), B Hammersley, J Hawkins (Rigg 64’), O Woodburn (John 72’); H Skinner (Haydon-Wood 72’), N Armstrong (Cairns 64’); W Goodrick-Clarke (Blose 48’), D Frost (Yeandle 48’), M Street (Iosefa-Scott 48’), R Tuima (Tshiunza 48’), R Capstick, E Roots, J Vermeulen (Moloney 54’), R Vintcent (Dunne 58’).

Tries: Vermeulen, Feyi-Waboso, Brown-Bampoe, Woodburn, Dunne Conversions: Hodge 3

Ulster: E McIlroy; Z Ward, J Postlethwaite, B Carson, A Sexton; A Morgan, N Doak; A Warwick, J McCormick, C Barrett, H Sheridan, K Treadwell, M Rea, M Rea, J McNabney.

Replacements: Andrew, O’Sullivan, Wilson, Crothers, Shanahan, Humphreys, Walker, Telfer, Kok, Reid, Timoney.

Tries: Sexton, Telfer, Andrews

Referee: Sara Cox