Exeter’s First XV made their way to Sketty Lane, Swansea, for their round-2 clash in BUCS Super Rugby, looking to build on an impressive start to the campaign. After a hard-fought win over Cardiff Met in round 1, the men in green will hope to continue their momentum and reaffirm their superiority over Welsh rivals. Swansea narrowly avoided relegation last year thanks to a late season win over Brunel, and despite hoping to spark a more competitive beginning to their BUCS season a lacklustre 41-7 loss to Cardiff University inspired little hope of a new dawn. With Exeter on form and Swansea highly motivated at home, the stage is set for a compelling duel under Welsh skies.

The game began with Exeter on the front foot, as Swansea conceded a penalty at the breakdown just eight minutes in. Fly-half Freddie Hurst made no mistake from the tee, giving the visitors an early 3–0 lead.

Swansea responded immediately with a sudden surge of pressure that caught Exeter off guard. A penalty and a kick to the corner set up a golden opportunity, and although Exeter held firm at the first attempt, the hosts powered over with their second maul drive to claim the opening try. The conversion put them 7–3 ahead.

The contest shifted again on 21 minutes when Swansea captain Will Austin was shown a yellow card after Exeter’s lineout drive applied heavy pressure. With a man advantage, Exeter hammered away at the try line, but a resilient Swansea defence stood firm, repelling wave after wave of attack.

Having weathered the storm, Swansea then hit back in ruthless fashion. Driving Exeter back to their own 5-metre line, they capitalised on a lineout error, with Oliver Jones pouncing to regather and charge over for a second try. At 12–3, the hosts had breathing space, and despite Exeter carving out opportunities before the interval, their execution was lacking at the key moments. The men in green went into the tunnel trailing by nine.

HALF TIME: SWANSEA 12 – 3 EXETER

Coming into the second half, a multitude of changes in the forward pack reinvigorated Exeter, who returned to the field fired up and with aplomb. Just five minutes into the half, a Swansea mishap off a simple lineout move handed possession back to the visitors. Exeter’s backs struck with precision: centre Harrison Ball produced a cunning under-the-legs pass to free winger Ollie Miall, who tore down the flank to score the opening try of the second half.
The momentum was firmly with Exeter, and though a try was ruled out moments later for a knock-on at the line, they struck again in style. Full-back Jed Findlay hit a scorching line to slice through the Swansea defence, profiting from fly-half Freddie Hirst’s brilliantly deceptive play — Hirst sold the pass out the back and held his marker, before releasing Findlay at the last second. With Hirst converting both tries, Exeter had turned the game on its head to lead 17–12.

Hirst soon made way for Nic Allison, who wasted no time making his presence felt. His pinpoint cross-field kick found Noah Fenton on the opposite wing, and though Fenton was stopped just short, Exeter turned to their physical game and let the pack take charge, hammering away with pick-and-goes until the defence cracked. The visitors kept piling on the pressure, and when a quick tap penalty drove them to the 5-metre line, Allison once again seized the moment, cutting a defence-splitting line to score under the posts. Findlay added the extras to extend the lead.

With Swansea reeling under the lights, Exeter smelt blood. Replacement prop Isaac Godfrey burst through with a powerful carry, drawing the last defender before offloading selflessly to Fenton, who finished in the corner. The coup de grâce came in the dying moments, when substitute Dewi Thomas produced the try of the game. After collecting a loose box-kick inside his own half, Thomas saw his opportunity to make his mark as he weaved his way past a line of exhausted defenders, surging clear to dot down under the posts in a spectacular solo effort.
In truth, Dewi Thomas’ try was a perfect encapsulation of the game as a whole - Exeter’s quality off the bench was simply too much for Swansea’s ranks to match.

It was a devastating second-half display from the men in green. Exeter’s replacements brought too much intensity and magic for Swansea to contain, and under the lights at Sketty Lane the visitors capped off a 41–12 triumph. With back-to-back wins over Welsh opposition, Exeter now turn their focus to long time rivals Loughborough in round three.

FULL TIME: SWANSEA 12 – EXETER 41