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Exeter are double winners after edging out battling Wasps at Twickenham
Exeter joined the ranks of English double winners after digging deep to end Wasps’ courageous resistance in treacherous conditions at Twickenham. A week after edging Racing 92 to claim their first European title, the Chiefs emerged 19-13 winners from the Gallagher Premiership final to take their place alongside Leicester, Wasps and Saracens in claiming domestic and continental honours.
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Given their fractured build-up that saw training cancelled for a week after seven players tested positive for coronavirus, Wasps were magnificent.
The repercussions of the outbreak saw flanker Brad Shields and props Kieran Brookes and Simon McIntyre ruled out because of contact tracing protocols, while big-hitting centre Malakai Fekitoa was lost to a groin injury.
But Lee Blackett’s men, the Premiership’s form team post-lockdown who sat 10th when their head coach took over in February, stayed in the fight right until the end and even blew a glorious position in the closing minutes when they botched a line-out.
Exeter were forced to drawn on all their reserves to win their second Premiership crown, this one secured behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It was only when captain Joe Simmonds kicked his fourth penalty in overtime that the Chiefs knew they had crept over the line to continue their fairytale season 10 years after joining England’s top flight.
Henry Slade’s well taken first-half try helped him win man of the match, but Simmonds was also outstanding behind a pack that had met their match in a Wasps eight determined to win a first title since 2008.
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DOUBLE CHAMPIONS
Awesome Exeter Chiefs pic.twitter.com/gnuLtSlrgV
— Exeter Chiefs (@ExeterChiefs) October 24, 2020
In swirling wind and driving rain, Simmonds finished with 14 points and with the final kick he extended his successful sequence of penalties to 33.
Twickenham was near-empty but the voices of the small pockets of replacements and support staff rang out across the stadium as the rivals collided in a full blooded opening made difficult by the conditions.
Jimmy Gopperth landed an early penalty and Wasps claimed another moral victory when they snatched Exeter’s line-out ball in an area of the pitch where the European champions are so dangerous.
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But the Chiefs renewed the assault and in the 18th minute they surged ahead, Slade spotting a gap between two tight five forwards and sliding through in a run that swept him over the line.
The repeat of the 2017 final continued its edgy path with Wasps bravely manning the barricades in defence as Exeter slowly built territorial pressure, but in an instant the lead change hands.
A forward barrage hurled the black shirts backwards before Dan Robson broke sideways and sent Jacob Umaga through a gap, with a sidestep taking the 22-year-old past Stuart Hogg and across the whitewash.
When Simmonds kicked successive penalties, Exeter were back in front to end a set-piece battle of a first half 13-10 ahead. They deserved the lead, but Wasps remained dangerous opponents.
Under siege in the 47th minute as the Chiefs launched their close range driving game, it took a brilliant intervention from Jack Willis to stop them scoring as his jackling forced a penalty.
A second penalty for @ExeterChiefs right on the stroke of HT gives them the lead ?
But @WaspsRugby look just as dangerous… ?
Who'll come out on top after another 40??#GallagherPremFinal #EXEvWAS pic.twitter.com/LH3PPHjq10
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) October 24, 2020
It was a huge moment and more defensive heroics were needed as the final quarter approached. Wasps continued to muscle their way out of trouble, drawing strength from their scrum and maul.
Lima Sopoaga showed athleticism to keep a clearance in play and when a counter-attack pushed Exeter back, a penalty gave Gopperth a routine three points to tie the score.
Simmonds replied in kind and while the Chiefs continued to pound away, the telling blow eluded them yet again as Wasps superbly defended a close-range line-out.
And when the underdogs muscled their way down to the other end, they boldly opted for a line-out when awarded a penalty, only for the ball to be thrown straight at Jonny Gray.
It was Wasps’ final chance and having thrown it away, they watched as Simmonds found the target for a fourth and final time.
Comments on RugbyPass
Whatever about 2017 - it's seven years ago and irrelevant now. In 2021 New Zealand needed a numerical advantage for 75% of the game and what was then the largest home advantage crowd in the history of the sport in order to just _barely_ beat England.
3 Go to commentsBoth cards were harsh. Yet again highlighting rugby's inconsistencies and the absurd effect of cards
2 Go to commentsExcellent game management in the last 15 or so minutes to close it out. Aussie got a bit panicky.
2 Go to commentsWhile all this is going on… I’ve been thinking more about the NFL draft system and how to make the commercial elements of the game more sustainable for SA teams who precariously live on the fringe of these developments. SA teams play in Europe now, and are welcome, because there’s a novelty to it. SA certainly doesn’t bring the bucks (like a Japan would to SR) but they bring eyes to it. But if they don’t perform (because they don’t have the money like the big clubs) - it’s easy come easy go… I think there is an element of strategic drafting going on in SA. Where the best players (assets) are sort of distributed amongst the major teams. It’s why we’re seeing Moodie at the Bulls for example and not at his homegrown Western Province. 20-30 years ago, it was all about playing for your province of birth. That has clearly changed in the modern era. Maybe Moodie couldn’t stay in the cape because at the time the Stormers were broke? Or had too many good players to fit him in? Kistchoff’s sabbatical to Ireland and back had financial benefits. Now they can afford him again (I would guess). What I am getting at is - I think SA Rugby needs to have a very strong strategy around how teams equitably share good youth players out of the youth structures. That is SA’s strong point - a good supply of good players out of our schools and varsities. It doesn’t need to be the spectacle we see out of the states, but a system where SA teams and SA rugby decide on where to draft youth, how to fund this and how to make it that it were possible for a team like the Cheetahs (for example) to end up with a team of young stars and win! This is the investment and thinking that needs to be happening at grassroots to sustain the monster meanwhile being created at the top.
63 Go to commentsGreat win - but very poor officiating yet again. Even the Aussie commentators slammed the YC decisions.
1 Go to commentsThe game where it felt like RSA was going to lose the most was the England game in my view. Heart in throat after the Farrell drop-goal…Amazing that the boks overcame 3 times in a row…not likely to be repeated ever in my view Also the boys looked emotionally spent in the England game in the 1st half That said, why was World Rugby and Beaumont allowed to stack the pools in England’s favour? Toughest opponents on that side of the draw were Fiji, Argentina (implode central) and Auckland Girls 2nd team
48 Go to commentsOnline trolls - the only ppl who the Crusaders can beat
2 Go to commentsDefinitely some greater nous by the Walleroos and it will take a bit of time for Jo Yapp to have a lasting affect. Canada are a forward dominated physical team and only the top 3 teams can match them, though not so sure about BF’s forwards. Many of Canada’s forwards earn their living in the English PWR, the breeding ground for the Red Roses amazing strength in depth. The next PAC4 matches will be interesting.
1 Go to commentsIs the Club World Cup and the World League, in combination, going to make or break world Rugby? I personally think it’s too much. Established tournaments and competitions’s significance is going to be drowned out by “the new shiney Mall built just down the street”.
63 Go to commentsLoved Carr‘s post match interview. “No, I don’t think so Jean. But thank you.” Good kid. Louw a certain feature for the Boks this year.
1 Go to comments“Where is the challenge to Leinster, Toulouse and La Rochelle likely to come from in future?” Racing 92 ? This has not been a good season for them this year, but they have a very strong squad……players like Woki, Nyakane, Kolisi, Le Roux, Lauret(these two older now), Le Garrec, Fickou, Tuisova, Arundell. With the addition next year of Owen Farrell, that is some firepower to mount a serious challenge ? And with Stuart Lancaster having a year under his belt, things should go better. Northampton will be a year wiser, more streetwise too. And I would expect one or two of the South African sides to mount a more serious challenge, but that would depend on keeping more players at home
63 Go to commentsWow, have to go but can’t leave without saying these thoughts. And carlos might jump in here, but going through the repercussions I had the thought that sole nation representatives would see this tournament as a huge boon. The prestige alone by provide a huge incentive for nations like Argentina to place a fully international club side into one of these tournaments (namely Super Rugby). I don’t know about the money side but if a team like the Jaguares was on the fence about returning I could see this entry as deciding the deal (at least for make up of that side with its eligibility criteria etc). Same goes for Fiji, and the Drua, if there can be found money to invest in bringing more internationals into the side. It’s great work from those involved in European rugby to sacrifice their finals, or more accurately, to open there finals upto 8 other world teams. It creates a great niche and can be used by other parties to add further improvements to the game. Huge change from the way things in the past have stalled. I did not even know that about the French game. Can we not then, for all the posters out there that don’t want to follow NZ and make the game more aerobic, now make a clear decision around with more injuries occur the more tired an athlete is? If France doesn’t have less injuries, then that puts paid to that complaint, and we just need to find out if it is actually more dangerous having ‘bigger’ athletes or not. How long have they had this rule?
63 Go to commentsHaha he does the exact opposite of what you’d expect any receiver to do, Brilliant!
2 Go to commentswell the favourites dont always win and let scott robertson chose his number 8
4 Go to commentsthats great for cam miller and the highlanders the crusaders have got problems within there systems that were proberly covered up astheywere winning when scott robertson was in charge
2 Go to commentsThe last time Plumtree coached the sharks they sucked the same when with the hurricanes now back with the shark Springboro. They still have no game plan
1 Go to commentsan impressive nail biting win for the Blues...but for mine the losing of the game sits with Isaia Walker-Leawere who fumbled balls from kick offs, broken play and then stripped of the ball by Sam Nock in the final minute…
4 Go to commentsAll of the Moderna law changes have been to slow the game down, playing into the hands of SA and the north. Incentivising boring, negative rugby. Brilliant changes. Speed up the game.
24 Go to commentsImagine you kick to the lineout, they give away a free kick, you have a great chance at a scrum, sorry sir you have to tap and go. Ridiculous
24 Go to commentsWhile I believe that the Crusaders do not deserve a spot in the playoffs, every single team would be worried to play them no matter where on the table they are. For example, they have the potential to knock out the Blues at Eden Park. They are the Springboks in Super Rugby in that they know exactly how to play knockout footy and have the pedigree and experience to do it. Something is just not quite right with that team this year. Fakatava is prone to to the odd brain explosion and can kick away good ball in bad positions. His work around the ruck and breakdown is a standout. Is he better than Finlay Christie? I’m not sure. TJ Perenara and Cortez Ratima should get two of the spots in the ABs squad. Aumua has so much potential but the midfield is quite well stocked with Jordie, ALB, Tupaea, and Ioane as well as Billy Proctor who is in top form. Aumua would be battling a spot with Tupaea and Proctor.
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