Wasps lost control of the top of the Aviva Premiership table with defeat by Exeter Chiefs and have possibly lost the chance of a home semi-final too. If they had any semblance of control over this match, they completely lost that after half an hour. Exeter gave them a proper hiding.
The away team barely played any of the game in Exeter’s half. They were on the receiving end of an unremitting, powerful show by the hosts. Their penalty for defeat will probably be a return here for the Premiership play-offs. Exeter are now in second place, two points ahead of Wasps with one game to go; if they beat Harlequins on Saturday, the home draw is secured.
The first half was tight, though largely because Exeter refused to take any points from their own penalties and instead opted to kick for the corners. Five times they ignored the three-pointers on offer and went in search of better. They have a phenomenal record for scoring from lineout drives, but Wasps know this as well as anyone and had clearly prepared thoroughly on their maul defence.
This was Wasps’ only genuine victory on the day. They contained Exeter brilliantly. Exeter refused to get frustrated, stuck to their guns and then kept coming back for more. But Wasps kept repelling them.
The most telling strike in the first half was an individual try by Olly Woodburn, the Exeter wing, after Will Chudley, the scrum half, had attacked down the blind side. Chudley fed Woodburn who had to break the tackle of Frank Halai and then tip-toe, off-balance, down the left wing without putting so much as a toe into touch. Delicately done, indeed.
Advertisement
Once Exeter were one try to the better, the sniff of success never left them. They returned for the second half determined to kick their penalties, took one penalty goal from Steenson and then accumulated two more tries.
The tries were both a reflection of Exeter pressure and Wasps fatigue. On a better day, Wasps would never have slipped off the tackles, but they allowed Phil Dollman and Jack Nowell to pierce their defence and take this game away from them.
Teams
Exeter: Dollman; Nowell, Slade, Whitten, Woodburn; Steenson, Chudley; Moon, Cowan-Dickie, Williams; Lees, Parling; Ewers, Salvi, Armand. Replacements: Yeandle, Hepburn, Rimmer, Welch, Waldrom, Lewis, S Hill, Short.
Referee: Matthew Carly.