Video: Exeter needed just eight minutes to score trademark maul try in first European final
Any fears that Exeter might suffer some big-match nerves when making their first-ever Champions Cup final took just eight minutes to dispel as the Chiefs opened the scoring against Racing in trademark fashion at Ashton Gate.
Rob Baxter's side have developed a reputation for being lethal metres out from the opposition line and it was no different in the opening exchanges in Bristol.
Having absorbed some early Racing pressure, Exeter turned the screw with a penalty to the corner and the set-piece out of touch became the catalyst for Baxter's pack to strike, thrower Luke Cowan-Dickie joining the maul and getting driven over for the opening score.
Further evidence that there were no first-final nerves soon followed, Exeter pouncing for their second try on 16 minutes when a quick tap penalty by Cowan-Dickie five metres our began a move that ended with Sam Simmonds diving over.
Both early tries were converted for a 14-0 lead but Racing eventually settled and had the margin cut to two points by the 33rd-minute following tries from Simon Zebo and Juan Imhoff.
Some minutes before that second Racing try, Baxter had told BT Sport that he was defensively concerned with what he was seeing. "Defence ultimately wins games," he said. "If you defend for long enough and are tough enough you get the ball back and that gives us the opportunity to attack. I'd like us to move on a bit defensively from where we are now.
"We don't want it too loose because that suits Racing more than us probably. That is why we need to tighten things up defensively and be a fair bit better defending than we are at the moment. Hopefully, we can grow into it but we have to get on with that now."
While Baxter's words of caution were followed by Racing's second score which left it 14-12, Exeter hit back with Harry Williams scoring a converted try just before the break to leave the Chiefs leading 21-12 at the interval.
Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
Go to comments