Exeter Chiefs player ratings v Benetton: England snub ‘the hero’ for the visitors in nail-biting victory
Henry Slade and Olly Woodburn (inset) shone for Exeter Chiefs against Benetton.
After their thrilling 44-41 Challenge Cup victory over Benetton at Stadio Monigo in Treviso, here’s how the Exeter Chiefs team performed on Sunday.
15 Olly Woodburn: Showed his class with several outstanding attacks from the back and was rewarded early on with a well-taken try. The veteran flyer continued to ask questions of the home side’s defence as he finished with a match-high 116 metres gained which included two clean breaks and a whopping nine defenders beaten. 9
14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: The England speedster continued with his excellent recent form as he proved a real handful on attack to the Benetton defence. Feyi-Waboso scored a try midway through the opening half and continued to build on that with several fine attacking runs as the match progressed. Finished with 60 metres gained. 8
13 Henry Slade: Snubbed by England during the Six Nations but he was Exeter‘s hero in this clash as he held his nerve to slot the match-winning penalty in the game’s dying moments. Apart from that kick, Slade’s goal-kicking was faultless as he finished with a 17-point haul after slotting two further penalties and four conversions. Slade also impressed with his distribution skills and gained 32 metres on attack. 9
12 Will Rigg: Made a shaky start on defence when he missed a routine tackle on Tommaso Menoncello and that proved costly as it resulted in Jacob Umaga crossing for a try. Put that mishap behind him as he improved in that department and finished with 15 tackles made but made little impact on attack before Will Haydon-Wood replaced him after 66 minutes. 6
11 Campbell Ridl: The young flyer was promoted to the run-on side from the bench in the build-up to this game after Paul Brown-Bampoe was a late withdrawal and Ridl can be happy with his efforts. Had some good attacking moments as he gained 39 metres on attack which included three defenders beaten and also did his bit on defence with 12 hits made. 7
10 Harvey Skinner: The 28-year-old showed some deft touches on attack which kept the hosts on their toes although they could not contain him early in the second half when he waltzed through their defence before crossing for a try. Skinner also put his body on the line in defence where he made 12 tackles. 7
9 Steve Varney: The experienced Italy scrum-half provided a crisp service to his outside backs and varied his play well with clever offloads and well-weighted box kicks. Varney also did well on defence as he made eight tackles. 7
8 Greg Fisilau: Although the hard running back-row was not so prominent with ball in had – as he only gained 17 metres from seven runs – his defensive work was of a high standard and he eventually made 17 hits. 7
7 Ross Vintcent: The Azzurri tearaway was not too visible on attack but caught the eye with an outstanding defensive effort as he emptied the tank in that department and finished with a match-high 24 tackles made before Finn Worley-Brady replaced him in the 73rd minute. 8
6 Tom Hooper: The Australian utility forward delivered a superb all-round performance as he impressed as a ball carrier, gaining 45 metres, completed 14 tackles and was a handy option at the back of the lineout. 8
5 Andrea Zambonin: The third of the Italian contingent in the Exeter side, the former Zebre Parma star won his fair share of lineout balls, impressed on defence as he made 13 tackles and crossed for a try. 7
4 Dafydd Jenkins (c): The Wales international did what was expected of him in the lineouts and was a willing ball carrier, especially at close quarters, but made a huge impact on defence and finished with 21 tackles made. 7
3 Jimmy Roots: The 26-year-old was on the field for 50 minutes and was solid in the execution of his core as he stood up well in the scrums but made his biggest contribution on defence where he made 14 tackles. 7
2 Jack Yeandle: The veteran hooker was in the thick of the action from the outset as he took the fight to Benetton with some strong carries at close quarters. His defensive work was also of a high standard and he finished with 13 tackle completions before being replaced by Joseph Dweba after 63 minutes. 7
1 Scott Sio: The former Wallabies front-row came to the fore with a fine scrummaging display and also impressed on defence where he made 13 hits before Ethan Burger replaced him in the 63rd minute. 7
Replacements: Exeter Chiefs’ replacements continued with the fine work of the players who they replaced and although there were no standout performances, their director of rugby Rob Baxter will be happy with his players efforts as they did what was expected of them, especially during the tense closing stages. 7
