Champions Cup: Exeter Chiefs’ lightning start helps them into the semi-finals as they see off sluggish Stormers

Colin Newboult
Sam Simmonds

Exeter Chiefs arguably produced their best performance of the season as they qualified for the Champions Cup semi-finals following a dominant 41-17 victory over the Stormers.

Rob Baxter’s charges were excellent throughout as they thrashed a disappointing Stormers team, who had their preparation disrupted due to delayed flights out of Cape Town.

They struggled to get going at Sandy Park, whereas Exeter, who themselves would have been slightly fatigued by their extra-time victory over Montpellier last weekend, played with far more intensity and raced into a 21-0 lead by the break.

Tom Wyatt, Jack Nowell and Olly Woodburn’s tries gave the Chiefs a comfortable buffer before Sam Simmonds extended that advantage early in the second period.

The Stormers did briefly threaten a comeback when Damian Willemse and Suleiman Hartzenberg touched down, but that was effectively extinguished through Exeter’s hero from last week, Jack Yeandle.

Marvin Orie and Tom Cairns traded tries late on, but it was very much the English outfit’s day as they sealed their place in the Champions Cup last-four, where they will take on either La Rochelle or Saracens.

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Exeter showed one change following a thrilling quarter-final victory over French champions Montpellier, with Woodburn returning to the starting line-up, while Scotland star Stuart Hogg featured among the replacements after recovering from an ankle injury.

Stormers, conquerors of Harlequins in the previous round, were without flanker Dean Fourie due to a fractured eye-socket so Junior Pokomela replaced him, and Marcel Theunissen started at number eight.

Exeter dominated early territory and established impressive momentum that was briefly stalled by an injury to Nowell, who twice required treatment after taking a blow to his right leg.

The Chiefs went ahead through a sparkling 13th-minute score sparked by Woodburn’s break. He was held up short, but Joe Simmonds delivered a pinpoint kick that was caught by Wyatt, who claimed a second try in successive Champions Cup appearances.

Simmonds converted, and with a gusting wind at their backs, Exeter knew they had to make that advantage count.

And they struck again early in the second quarter after outstanding phase play by the forwards set an imposing platform that Nowell prospered from as he weaved his way for Chiefs’ second try, again converted by Joe Simmonds.

It was vintage rugby by Exeter, and they conjured try number three 11 minutes before half-time.

A long lineout throw from Dan Frost found centre Sean O’Brien in space, and his clever inside pass fed Woodburn, who shredded Stormers’ defence to claim an outstanding try that Simmonds converted for a 21-0 interval lead.

Stormers briefly tested Exeter’s defence after the restart, but normal service was quickly resumed when Sam Simmonds smashed through from 20 metres out, with his brother’s conversion leaving the visitors in all kinds of trouble.

The South African side belatedly stirred through Willemse’s fine finish after 53 minutes, yet Exeter still retained control of the contest and just needed to retain composure.

Stormers thought they had made further inroads on the hour mark when centre Ruhan Nel breached Exeter’s defence, but the score was ruled out following obstruction by skipper Steven Kitshoff.

Hartzenberg then broke clear to take Stormers into double figures, but they still trailed by 18 points as Chiefs boss Baxter emptied his replacements’ bench.

And Exeter deservedly had the last word through Yeandle’s effort following a relentlessly-driven lineout and then Cairns’ touchdown.

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Champions Cup