Premiership: Exeter Chiefs 31-17 Wasps
Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
| Aviva Premiership |
|---|
| Exeter (24) 31 |
| Tries: Woodburn 2, Armand, Dennis, Malton Cons: Steenson 3 |
| Wasps (10) 17 |
| Tries: Johnson, Bassett Cons: Gopperth 2 Pen: Gopperth |
Olly Woodburn scored two tries as champions Exeter claimed a bonus point in a comfortable victory over Wasps.
Woodburn's tries top and tailed a dominant first half where Dave Dennis and Don Armand also touched down.
Replacement hooker Shaun Malton added a fifth try after half-time as Exeter claimed a third-straight win.
Josh Bassett and Ashley Johnson went over for Wasps, who endured a poor afternoon and have now made 11 trips to Sandy Park without victory.
Dai Young's side slipped to successive defeats having lost their long unbeaten home record last week to Harlequins.
They produced the try of the match through Bassett in the second half, the wing finishing a 60-yard move begun by Elliot Daly, but it came after conceding five times.
Exeter, who returned to the top of the Premiership table, scored inside the first 10 minutes as Woodburn finished from Henry Slade's pass.
Woodburn's second try two minutes before half-time secured a 12th bonus point in 13 matches for the Chiefs, who had Sam Simmonds stretchered off after taking a knee to the head while trying to tackle Wasps' Nathan Hughes.
In between, Dennis completed a move from the back of a line-out and Slade floated a pass to Armand who finished well in the right corner.
Exeter head coach Ali Hepher:
"We've got a little to work on, we'd like to be more ruthless in the second half.
"But first half we got good momentum against a quality side and we're starting to accelerate towards Europe.
"Sam Simmonds was having another influential game but he looks alright after being stretchered off."
Wasps director of rugby Dai Young:
"We made it look comfortable for Exeter. If you play against again their team and give them 60% possession they're going to hurt you.
"Our main concern is getting back to how we can play. We're not holding the ball enough and we struggled to get phases going.
"Injuries are racking up but that's just excuses. Every team has injuries. Whatever team goes out there has to do the job."
Exeter: Turner; Nowell, Slade, Whitten, Woodburn; Steenson (capt), White; Rimmer, Taione, Williams, Lees, Skinner, Dennis, Armand, S Simmonds.
Replacements: Malton, Moon, Francis, Salmon, Salvi, Townsend, Hendrickson, Bodilly.
Wasps: Miller; Wade, Daly, De Jongh, Bassett; Gopperth, Simpson; Mullan, Cruse, Cooper-Woolley, Launchbury (capt), Symons, Johnson, Haskell, Hughes.
Replacements: Willis, McIntyre, Moore, Rowlands, Young, Hampson, Macken, Watson.
