Exeter returned to the scene of their greatest triumph to secure their most convincing win of the Premiership season to date. The Chiefs, with nine starting survivors from the team who won the European Cup on this same pitch almost exactly two years ago, proved too strong and resourceful for their outgunned hosts, with the wingers Jack Nowell and Olly Woodburn sharing four of their seven tries.
It was a sobering night all round for the Bears, who faded badly after a promising start and increasingly could not cope with Exeter’s multidimensional threats. Bristol’s Ellis Genge had a particularly frustrating evening, being warned for dissent having already been sent to the sin-bin for an illegal clear-out, but none of the home squad will recall this game with much affection.
Nowell, on the other hand, showed signs of returning to his best form and Scotland’s Jonny Gray was named man of the match as the Chiefs jumped to the top of the table. On this evidence they will be back in the playoff mix at the end of the season, while the Bears have some issues to address with the heavier fields of winter looming.
Having been disappointing in Newcastle a week earlier, Bristol were clearly eager to make early amends. Their first try was a beauty by anybody’s standards, the alert Sheedy delivering a perfect cross-kick with his left foot to a completely unmarked Toby Fricker before knocking over the wide-angled conversion with his right.
Exeter were suitably grateful, then, when the energetic Genge was shown yellow for a brutal clear-out on Gray to give the visiting pack a numerical advantage. They wasted no time in exploiting it, a big driven maul sucking in enough defenders to leave acres of space out wide for Jack Nowell to stroll in unopposed.
The Chiefs, though, have added some clever variations to their familiar game and are content to be patient where necessary. Instead of a rushed quick tap in front of the Bears’ posts, with Genge still missing they opted to go for a scrum and again successfully exploited the space out wide to put Woodburn over. Joe Simmonds added another beautiful angled conversion to put his side 17-7 ahead.
With Gray putting useful pressure on the Bears’ lineout and Exeter visibly gaining in confidence, the hosts were indebted to a rumbling break-out from Joe Joyce which abruptly halted the Chiefs’ momentum. Genge’s return had also helped to reboot the scrum and Bristol suddenly began to look more like the team who had won their opening three games of the season.
Their supporters grew in volume and Exeter, forced back over their own line in possession, found themselves back under the pump. Two scrum penalties to the home side did not bode well but on the stroke of half-time a bandaged Harry Randall marginally lost control as he dived for the line and the Chiefs escaped unscathed from a distinctly tight corner. Sheedy and others queried the decision with Christophe Ridley as they jogged off but the referee was adamant there was no case to reopen.
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When the two sides met at the end of last season at Ashton Gate the Bears won 40-33 but Exeter’s forwards now look refreshed and more purposeful again and would have added a third try two minutes into the second half had Harry Williams not been adjudged to have lost the ball forward as he drove for the line.
While Christ Tshiunza did not have quite the same marauding impact as he did during his eye-catching display against Harlequins, Chiefs are once again benefitting from the industry of Jacques Vermeulen and Woodburn out on the left wing is also enjoying an excellent start to the campaign.
Once again Exeter smartly switched direction close to the opposition line and a lovely pass from Henry Slade gave Woodburn the chance to finish acrobatically in the left corner. With Luke Cowan-Dickie and the equally no nonsense Ruben van Heerden appearing off the bench, the Chiefs were never going to ease off and Nowell’s second try, from Cowan-Dickie’s inside ball, wrapped up the bonus point before the game had reached the hour mark. Will Capon did secure a consolation try for the Bears but an interception try for Cowan-Dickie and further tries from Van Heerden and Richard Capstick intensified Bristol’s pain.
