Match Report: Ulster 52 – 24 Exeter Chiefs
It was a tough evening at the Kingspan Stadium for Exeter Chiefs as Ulster scored eight tries to Chiefs’ four to take a sound victory in Round Four of the Investec Champions Cup.
It was a strong first half for the Chiefs and the two sides ran back into the changing rooms with nothing between them as they both sat at three tries apiece. However, the Ulstermen pulled ahead at the start of the second 40 minutes and continued to look in the ascendancy for the remainder of the game.
Proving that he was still on try-scoring form after a try-brace on competition debut last week, Paul Brown-Bampoe got the Chiefs on the board in the opening stages. Moving with confidence in the Ulster half, a strong carry from match-captain Jack Innard put Chiefs on the front foot in the Ulster 22.
Working through the tight phases five metres out, Will Haydon-Wood spotted an overlap on the wing. He put in a chip to Ben Hammersley who offloaded in contact to put Brown-Bampoe over for the score.
With Haydon-Wood’s conversion, Chiefs had a full seven points on the board with just three minutes played.
Ross Vintcent scored a wonder solo-try for Chiefs’ second of the evening. Innard executed a planned overthrow at the lineout to land the ball into an onrushing Will Rigg’s hand. As Ulster set to compete at the ruck, Vintcent picked and went himself from his own 10 metre line. Chased the whole way, the Italian international kept his pace to cross for the try tight to the corner flag.
Ulster saw out the first quarter played with their first try of the evening. With an advantage coming their way, they took to the short, tight carries inches from the line. After a handful of phases, Cormac Izuchukwu forced his weight over for the try which Nathan Doak converted.
An error within metres of their own line saw Chiefs gift Ulster the opportunity of a scrum on the Exeter five metre line. The set piece held well, but an advantage in the resultant phases from the carry off the scrum gave Ulster a boost and David McCann was able to get over the line in a mess of bodies.
Doak’s conversion attempt pulled wide, leaving the sides all square on the scoreboard.
Chiefs pulled back ahead on 30 minutes played. Smooth handling from the back line put them within range deep in Ulster territory. With men in the short channel out wide, Rusi Tuima – in much the same fashion as Vintcent earlier in the match – picked ball up himself instead and charged through the breakdown to reach out, one-handed, for the try.
An unfortunate moment at tee on the conversion attempt for Haydon-Wood as the ball fell off its perch, forcing the fly half to scramble to attempt a drop-goal take which drifted wide.
The hosts had a third try of their own before the break. Rob Lyttle smuggled the ball away to Nick Timoney when he was wrapped up in a tackle on the floor. The back rower caught Chiefs defenders unaware as he sprinted for the line from just outside the 22.
No conversion meant the two sides were square once more.
Half-time: Ulster 17 – 17 Chiefs
A scrum penalty seven minutes into the second half gave Ulster the platform for their bonus-point score. Going for the corner, they mauled over the line from five metres out with the veteran Rob Herring emerging from the litter of bodies as the try scorer.
Despite being charged down by Brown-Bampoe, Doak was able to convert the score.
A second score for Izuchukwu saw Ulster secure their fifth of the evening. Testing the Chiefs defence across the width of the field, Ulster forced Chiefs to come in tight before pulling the ball wider. The second rower spotted a gap two metres out from the line and barged through it for the score.
Replacement John Cooney then converted the score.
A sixth from Ben Carson came just minutes later. Slipping a tackle from Joe Hawkins, the centre got the jink-step over Brown-Bampoe to break into open field. With Harvey Skinner the last man to beat, he ducked left as the Exeter man went right and ran in the score. Cooney converted the scored to take the Ulstermen three converted tries ahead.
A surprising charge from the centre edge of the Chiefs’ 22 from replacement prop Callum Reid put Ulster within centimetres of the Chiefs line. The remaining Chiefs defenders thought they had held the front rower up over the line, but the home side were able to quickly get ball out to the wing for McCann to score his second of the evening. Cooney dutifully added the extra two points.
Izuchukwu completed a hattrick for himself before time was out as he charged through a lineout 10 metres out and barrelled his way through the remaining Chiefs standing. With Cooney’s conversion, the Ulster breached 50 points scored.
There was consolation for Chiefs fans when replacement Zack Wimbush seized upon an Ulster error to run in the bonus point score. Skinner speedily took the conversion through a drop goal, but the clock was so close to dead that Ulster were able to see out the encounter without another point scored.
Full-time: Ulster 52 – 24 Chiefs
Sharks: S Moore (Flannery 49’); W Kok (Lyttle 3’), B Carson, J Postlethwaite, M Lowry; J Murphy, N Doak (Cooney 57’); E O’Sullivan (Reid 60’), R Herring (Stewart 57’), S Wilson (Barrett 66’), I Henderson (c) (Treadwell 57’), C Izuchukwu, J McNabney, N Timoney, D McCann.
Replacements: Sheridan
Tries: Izuchukwu 3, McCann 2, Timoney, Herring, Carson Conversions: Doak 2, Cooney 3
Chiefs: H Skinner; B Hammersley, J Hawkins, W Rigg (Wimbush 62’), P Brown-Bampoe; W Haydon-Wood, N Armstrong (Cairns 55’); W Goodrick-Clarke (Blose 49’), J Innard (c) (Norey 49’), J Iosefa-Scott (J Roots 49’), R Tuima (Dunne 5’), C Tshiunza (Bailey 71’), M Moloney (Pearson 62’), R Capstick, R Vintcent.
Tries: Brown-Bampoe, Vintcent, Tuima, Wimbush Conversions: Haydon-Wood, Skinner
Referee: Hollie Davidson