Following Exeter’s 31-21 victory over Munster at Sandy Park on Saturday afternoon in the EPCR Challenge Cup round of 16, here’s how we rated the Chiefs players.
Backs
15 Olly Woodburn: The veteran Chiefs back three player tackled well in defence, and offered elusive footwork and a superior vision for space in attack. Making a team high of 10 carries, the 34-year-old made 84 metres in attack, beating three defenders. 7
14 Paul Brown-Bampoe: Showed great footwork and power in the contact, as well as showing his athleticism in the air, but it was his work in defence that really stood out. He turned Irish legend Tadhg Beirne into a carry-on bag at one stage, as the Munster attack checked their shoulders each time they had the ball, in case of a Brown-Bampoe collision. 8
13 Henry Slade: The forgotten England star played what was in front of him and kicked superbly. Showed unreal vision to score his opportunist try, and displayed all the tricks and flicks that have made him such a fan favourite at Sandy Park over the years. Remarkable that he’s not seriously in the England conversation at the moment. In the contact area, he still struggles, however, missing four tackles, and criminally had the ball ripped in the tackle in the second half, which led to Munster’s Craig Casey kicking a 50:22. 7
12 Will Rigg: Scored a beautifully read interception try that saw him sprint much of the field, gliding out of reach of the desperate Munster defence. Didn’t do too much else in attack, but defensively, he was solid, making almost 90% of his tackles. 6
11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: Back after three months out, his power in the carry was just as explosive as it always was. He’s clearly not lost any pace either, as he showed immense speed down the left to beat a game total of 11 players from just nine carries, making a remarkable 132 metres. His try just before the half was phenomenal, beating multiple Munster players as he stepped in from the wing to touch down. With the game won and the 23-year-old having done his job, he was given a standing ovation when he exited the field on 45 minutes. 9
10 Harvey Skinner: Defensively woeful in the first half as he missed four tackles, but tightened up in the second. In attack, he did the basics, but barely touched the ball. 5
9 Stephen Varney: Worked fast off the base of the ruck, but calmed it down when needed, particularly when Exeter were against the cosh early into the second half. He showed a great variety of passing to stretch the Munster defence, winning the half-back battle over Casey. 7
Forwards
8 Greg Fisilau: The giant back-rower added great strength to the back of the scrum, was powerful in attack and absolutely everywhere in the defence. He made a mindblowing 27 tackles, but will want to sure up the tightness of his contests after losing out on four of them. 8
7 Ross Vintcent: The openside flanker made good work of his carries, breaking the line a couple of times, and had a high work rate either side of the ball. His ground game proved to be a real nuisance as Munster struggled to put together good front-foot ball. 7
6 Tom Hooper: Good work on the ground, winning an all-important turnover, but also tackled well and put his body on the line in a typically bruising performance. Not as attack-minded as the others on the team, Hooper did the busywork while others received the glory. 6
5 Andrea Zambonin: Solid in the lineout, winning nine out of the eleven Chiefs throws. Another that had a more defensive-minded performance, but if it weren’t for his lineout speciality, then the Chiefs wouldn’t have had the base from which to work. 7
4 Dafydd Jenkins: The former Wales captain put in a huge defensive effort, making a genuinely insane 29 hits. He spent more time getting up from tackles than he did with the ball in his hand, but that’s exactly what his teammates would have wanted. A true warrior. 8
3 Jimmy Roots: Won the first scrum penalty and secured a clever penalty later after reading the play and stealing a couple of extra yards at the ruck. His scrummaging struggled afterwards, however, but he still put his body on the line and was deservedly clapped off after 45 minutes. 6
2 Jack Yeandle: Lineouts were solid, and defensively, he was powerful. Didn’t have to do anything too flashy, but simply did his job, and did it well. 6
1 Scott Sio: The experienced Wallaby showed incredible handling skills, which, combined with his immense power, made for some fantastic viewing. 6
Replacements: Didn’t add anything. In fact, Exeter failed to score at all in the second half. 4