Match report: Bath 14-23 Exeter Chiefs

Two late second half tries secured victory for Exeter Chiefs in the second round of PREM Rugby Cup action at the Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoon.

With a single point separating the sides at half-time, a more resurgent Chiefs team emerged for the second half to force the luck of the game in their favour and secure a win as they prepare to head into league competition next weekend.

On his return to action, Henry Slade put Chiefs on the board first with a penalty in the fifth minute as the rain really began to blow in.

It was a dogged back and forth battle for the majority of the first half. Bath were handed an opportunity after half an hour when Chiefs were reduced to 14 men. Rusi Tuima was shown a yellow card for a high charge on Austin Emens.

They made immediate use of the man advantage, running the ball through the centre of the field off a set-piece, a final pass sending Thompson Cowan in beneath the posts. James Linegar slotted the simple conversion for the full seven points.

A knock-on penalty five metres outside the Bath 22 just a minute later gave Slade the option to call for the kicking tee, reducing the gap to a single point.

Half-time: Bath 7-6 Exeter Chiefs

There was a period of sustained pressure just after 50 minutes when Chiefs looked sure for points before being unfortunately held-up of the line.

The first Chiefs try instead came in the 59th minute when Dan John, on his injury return, took a basketball pass in the five-metre channel from Harvey Skinner to dive over. The conversion attempt was pulled wide from Slade, however.

Handling errors cost Chiefs the lead they had just claimed when a fumbled pass in their own 22 was snatched from the ground by the hosts and Louie Hennessey scored. Linegar again added the extras.

The forwards went to work in the closing stages of the match, being put through the grinder with multiple scrums on the Bath five-metre line. It was profitable for Chiefs, however, as two Bath men - Mikey Summerfield and Scott Kirk - were sent to the sin-bin for repeated infringements.

It took some phases, but Chiefs made them pay for their ill-discipline when replacement hooker Joseph Dweba scored his first club try. Slade’s conversion attempt rebounding off the posts still left Bath with a chance.

Chiefs closed the door on that chance with a minute left. Stephen Varney took the ball himself at close range and dotted down to ensure that, with Slade’s conversion, the win was an Exeter one.

It wasn’t the cleanest of performances from Chiefs, but Rob Baxter hoped it showed his men they could grind out a result in close encounters.

Full-time: Bath 14-23 Exeter Chiefs

Bath: J Woods; A Emens, L Hennessey, W Butt, T Offiah (C Griffin 65); J Linegar, T Carr-Smith; S Kirk (Summerfield 59), J SPandler (Pearce 59), K Verden (Griffin 59’), H Cuckson (Jeanes 55), E Richards (c), E Staddon, T Cowan, A Green (Timmins 50).

Unused replacements: Ridgway, le Roux

Tries: Cowan, Hennessey 

Cons: Linegar (2)

Yellow cards: Summerfield, Kirk

Exeter Chiefs: J Hodge; P Brown-Bampoe, B Hammersley, H Slade, D John; H Skinner, S Varney; K Blose (Goodrick-Clarke 47), J Yeandle (c) (Dweba 47), B Tchumbadze (Iosefa-Scott 47’), L Pearson (Zambonin 66), R Tuima, E Roots, C Tshiunza, R Vintcent (James 66).

Unused replacements: Chapman, Coen, Lilley

Tries: John, Dweba, Varney 

Con: Slade 

Pens: Slade (2)

Yellow card: Tuima

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys