Worcester 21 Chiefs 36
Worcester Warriors 21
Exeter Chiefs 36
Mark Stevens at Sixways
It’s been quite a week in so many different ways, but Exeter Chiefs didn’t allow off-field matters to distract them in their quest for victory in the Gallagher Premiership.
Nationally, headlines have been dominated by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On the sports pages, though, its Worcester Warriors who have been in the spotlight, such is the current plight of the Midlanders at this time.
With mounting debts and their owners looking to offload the club to an interested buyer, it wasn’t until Friday lunchtime that the rugby public received confirmation that this very encounter would take place.
In the end, it did take place and it was Rob Baxter’s side who prevailed in the final fixture of Round Two in the Premiership. The Chiefs were the dominant force throughout the contest which, it has to be said, could yet be the final one in the history of the Warriors.
Only time will tell if they survive beyond next week, but if that was to be their last hurrah, they gave it a decent crack against the Devonians, who were able to build impressively on their opening week win over defending champions, Leicester Tigers.
The visitors made just one change in personnel to that winning formula, bringing in Rory O’Loughlin for his first-ever top-flight start in place of Solomone Kata, who dropped to the bench.
Otherwise it was as you were for the Chiefs, who took just three minutes to get their scoring act up and running. Working the ball initially through the middle of the pitch, they switched to the narrow side, exposing a numbers game that allowed Olly Woodburn to provide the scoring pass for Joe Simmonds to coast over for the try.
Up and running, the Chiefs were handed a further boost just moments later when Worcester lost prop Murray McCallum to the sin-bin for a high tackle on O’Loughlin.
With the man advantage, the Chiefs doubled their tally shortly after when a sustained spell of pressure was rewarded with a score for No.8 Richard Capstick. Having battered away at a stubborn Warriors defensive line, they zig-zagged their way from one flank to the other with Harvey Skinner providing the crucial pass. Simmonds converted from the touchline to ensure maximum reward.
It was just the start the Chiefs would have craved in an atmosphere not akin to that of normal match-days. However, the Warriors - who had been greeted onto the pitch pre-game by a swathe of those off-field staff who have worked unpaid in recent weeks - rallied impressively.
Spurred on by the home faithful, many of whom are livid with the current state their club find themselves in, the Warriors drove upfield, where upon centre Ollie Lawrence made a strong bust through the heart of the Exeter midfield. He was halted in the end, but the hosts recycled at pace, creating the opening for Alex Hearle to race over for their opening try, converted by Owen Williams.
A rare moment of cheer for the Warriors it may have been, but the Chiefs were quickly back in their stride, adding a third try just on the half-hour mark. O’Loughlin and Olly Woodburn did the initial damage with charges down the left, but when the ball was worked back across field through a glut of hands, it was the pass from Jack Nowell that gave Capstick the time and space to power over for his second of the afternoon.
Simmonds banged over another sublime touchline conversion, before adding a penalty just before the break, to put the Chiefs firmly in command of proceedings at the break.
HALF TIME: WORCESTER WARRIORS 7 EXETER CHIEFS 22
The healthy buffer was no more than the Chiefs deserved, but clearly energised by an interval chin-wag with Director of Rugby, Steve Diamond, the Warriors re-emerged for the second half looking to make a dent into the deficit.
Whatever was said, it clearly had the desired effect as within five minutes the hosts had claimed their second try of the game. A strong carry from Andrew Kitchener set the tone, before fellow lock Joe Batley shrugged off the attentions of Jannes Kirsten to set up a run-in score for scrum-half Gareth Simpson.
Welsh fly-half Williams - playing his first game in 11 months - slotted the extras and all of sudden it was ‘game on’ once more.
Changes were introduced from both sides in a bid to freshen up proceedings, but it was the Chiefs who thought they had bagged their bonus point score on 55 minutes when Woodburn appeared to finish off in the left corner. Initially, the score was awarded by referee Carley, but on closer inspection it was adjudged the Exeter man had produced a double movement in the process of stretching for the line.
Undeterred, the Chiefs came back for an earlier penalty award and having opted for a scrum, they cleverly worked the space for Jack Maunder to feed Skinner, whose swift pass to Simmonds allowed him to ship the ball onto the unmarked Woodburn, who was not to be denied on this occasion for a fourth score.
Still the Warriors refused to go quietly and in their best period of the match, they once more reduced the scoreline with a third converted try. Having kicked a penalty to the corner, the home side worked a lovely opening off the top of a line-out to Francois Venter, whose subsequent offload allowed Lawrence to fend off at least two Exeter defenders to touchdown.
Sixways duly erupted, a moment to savour in what has been troubling times. However, the Chiefs were aware they themselves have a day job to do and with eight minutes remaining, they finally extinguished the home fire, Maunder dotting down under the posts after the visitors had themselves worked a lovely move off a line-out thanks to strong work from Capstick and South African Ruben Van Heerden.
Job done, all that was left for the Chiefs was to safely navigate their way through the dying embers of the match. This they did with minimum fuss, thus ensuring they headed home with the bounty, whilst for the Warriors an uncertain future remains.
Warriors: J Shillcock; P Humphreys (N Heward 59), O Lawrence, F Venter (capt), A Hearle; O Williams (B Searle 56), G Simpson (W Chudley 74); V Morozov (R Sutherland 20), C Langdon (H Faiva 56), M McCallum (J Tyack 61); J Batley, A Kitchener (G Kitchener 64); F Lee-Warner, C Nield, T Dodd (M Kvesic 56).
Tries - Hearle, Simpson, Lawrence; Conversions - Williams (2), Searle
Yellow Card: McCallum
Chiefs: J Simmonds; J Nowell (F Cordero 78), R O’Loughlin, I Whitten (S Kata 40), O Woodburn; H Skinner, S Townsend (J Maunder 53); A Hepburn (J Kenny 63), J Yeandle (capt, J Innard 56), M Street (P Schickerling 29); J Dunne (R Van Heerden 53), J Gray; J Kirsten (D Ewers 47), C Tshiunza, R Capstick.
Tries - J Simmonds, Capstick (2), Woodburn, J Maunder; Conversion - J Simmonds (4); Penalty - J Simmonds
Referee: M Carley
Attendance: 4,999