Yarnell Hattrick as Exeter Begin Season With a Bang

After a powerful start, Exeter raced out of the blocks with a try from scrum-half Will Yarnell after a clever offload off the base of the scrum from Paul Schroter. Bath however, responded quickly after a strong break from their fullback Altier took them to deep within the Exeter 22, their winger Barrett eventually diving over from close range. After a penalty from Harry Bazalgette stretched Exeter’s lead to 10-5, Bath were next to score as they spotted the space outside the Exeter defence, finding their other winger McStay out wide. The successful conversion gave them the lead for the first time in the match.

Despite constant pressure from Exeter, the first half was one of missed opportunities, with glorious breaks from fullback Mehson and winger Bond going unrewarded as handling errors crept into the Exeter game with the try-line begging on three separate occasions, much to the frustration of the coaching staff. In fact, they could’ve found themselves further behind at the interval where it not for some quite outstanding defensive work on their own line. After a kick through from the Bath fly-half Morris, fullback Luke Mehson took a quite brilliant take under pressure in his own in-goal area, before setting off upfield, stopping a certain score. Bath’s final attack in the dying seconds of the half saw them go through the before spilling the ball under significant pressure from Jaiani and Yates. However, it was they who took a 12-10 lead at the break.

Exeter began the second half with the same bullish dynamism as the first, winger Jordan Bond finishing off a superb team score which saw the defence push Bath back almost 30 metres before turning the ball over. After strong carrying from Lasha Jaiani, centre Joe Elderkin’s bustling run created space in the midfield, which Bond duly spotted, racing clear to regain the lead for Exeter. Bath responded again however, with a strong carry off the base of the scrum from their number 8 Ashcroft regaining the lead 19-17. In stark contrast to the first half, Exeter were now playing with more composure in attack and this was rewarded in the 55th minute with Will Yarnell scoring his second of the match.

After a quick free-kick for an early engage from Bath at the scrum, number 8 Addison was pulled down just short of the line, before Yarnell spotted the white line, dotting down for the score. Minutes later, Exeter had their bonus point score through outside-centre Harry Tarling, getting his reward for an industrious performance in both attack and defence. Yet again, the opportunity came after another scything break from fullback Luke Mehson, who’s hard, direct running continued to put Exeter into strong attacking positions. From his initial break, the backs did the rest, shipping the ball on to Tarling, who was able to hand off his opposite number to break clear for the score. Bazalgette continued his faultless afternoon from the tee, stretching the score to 31-19.

The introduction of Cameron Bullard and Albert Slade into the Exeter back-row bought added bite to the defence, with the two constantly working in tandem to force Bath back beyond the game-line. This relentless pressure on the Bath 22 caused Bath to spill the ball in contact. After a couple of pick and go’s at the fringes of the ruck, scrum-half Yarnell spotted a gap, racing clear to secure his hattrick. Bazalgette’s conversion extended the lead to 38-19, with Yarnell and winger Bond both being replaced in the aftermath to a rapturous reception from the supporters’ club that both performances richly deserved. Bond’s replacement Charlie Davies entered the field looking like a man with a point to prove, with 3 dominant carries within a minute of entering the action, almost scoring with his first touch. His carry into the Bath 22 resulted in the opposition being penalised for going off their feet, Bazalgette opting to go for the posts to extend the advantage to 41-19 with 10 minutes left.

It was Bath who scored the last try of the game, turning the ball over in their 22 as Exeter pressed for another score. Quick hands saw the ball work its way to fullback Altier, who fed his winger Barrett who raced clear for their bonus-point score. With 2 minutes left on the clock, Bazalgette struck one last penalty, keeping up his 100% record from the tee, leaving the final score 44-26 in favour of Exeter.

Overall, a positive start to the Super Rugby season, with Yarnell, Tarling and Mehson impressing with ball in hand, with the added presence of Slade and Bullard in the second half adding extra grit to the Exeter defence. Despite securing the 5 points, Exeter will know their execution will have to be sharper as the season progresses. However, after an opening day win, they have set themselves up well as they look to continue their early season momentum at home against Cardiff Met.