Chiefs tame the Bulls

Outstanding home performance for Exeter Chiefs

A terrific team performance provided an outstanding Exeter Chiefs win to cement their quest for qualification to the knockout stages.

With a perfect start to their Champions Cup campaign in the South of France last week, Exeter had their heads high going into their first home European game of the season.

The Vodacom Bulls arrived in Exeter fresh from a win against Lyon in the heat of Pretoria just seven days prior. Making them the first South African team to play in the Devon city, they were an unknown quantity for the Chiefs. 

The home side did not have to wait long for the answer, the temperature may have come as a shock to the travellers, as the dominance of the Exeter scrum was certainly another.

The front foot ball provided, allowed Chiefs Captain Luke Cowan-Dickie to score a hat trick of tries accompanied by Dave Ewers, Henry Slade and Solomone Kata. Bulls replied with two converted tries of their own scored by Stravino Jacobs and Chris Smith.

But it was never enough to threaten the rampant Chiefs.

Chiefs started brightly and they were awarded a penalty after three minutes, which fly half Joe Simmonds slotted with ease. Bulls responded immediately after a lapse in the Chiefs defence which allowed winger Jacobs to cut through and touchdown beside the posts. 

After one of many scrum penalties, Chiefs kicked to the corner and from the resulting line out, blind side flanker Ewers was able to drive over for a try. A rolling maul then powered through the Bulls defence to enable the hosts to dot down again. 

After a period of Bulls pressure in which they were held up over the line twice, Chiefs retaliated as Exeter's Cowan-Dickie scored his second, a spitting image of his first.

Next up, Chiefs' outside centre Slade expertly finished some solid set-up work from the forwards and just before half time, they furthered their lead as Joe Simmonds slotted a long-range penalty. Making the Half time Exeter 32 Bulls 7.

Early into the second half, Cowan-Dickie secured his hat trick after some good phases and was replaced to keep him fresh for their next fixture.

Bulls fly half and captain Morne Stayn chipped the ball over the chiefs’ defence, the bounce of the ball fell kindly to inside centre Chris smith to catch and dot down over the line for bulls’ last try of the game

Chiefs were not finished and struck immediately when Slade glided through the Bulls defence and offloaded the ball to Kata who raced into the corner. 

One bit of bad news from the match saw Exeter replacement Will Becconsall come off injured with a dislocated shoulder, to the upset of the home fans. 

Despite getting a yellow card in the 77th minute, Dave Ewers rightly received Heineken Star of the Match for the second week running.

The final score being Exeter Chiefs 44, Bulls 14

Sndy Park attendance was 11,518.