Exeter Chiefs hammer Harlequins to keep Premiership play-off hopes alive

Exeter Chiefs 58 Harlequins 26

Exeter are still very much alive. The Chiefs will head into next weekend with a chance to make the top four, having worked hard to match Harlequins’ pace in the first half before leaving the visitors in their wake as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso added another outrageous performance to his growing collection.

The outcome here means that Exeter, Bristol Bears and Harlequins will all be hoping that fourth-placed Sale lose at Saracens, while needing to secure wins themselves. Exeter are away at Leicester, while Harlequins host Bristol at The Stoop.

“We’re in control of our destiny next week over Harlequins at least and Bristol didn’t get anything. It’s going to be absolutely crazy next week,” said Exeter’s director of rugby Rob Baxter. “We haven’t won at Leicester for a while [since 2020]. I’m just delighted the whole week is going to be exciting.”

On the road again six days after their valiant attempt to topple Toulouse in the Champions Cup semi-final, Harlequins eventually faded. Exeter, knowing full well how draining a game against Toulouse can be, waited for Harlequins to tire mentally as much as physically and then pounced after the break, winning the second half 37-5. Henry Slade, lethal off the tee, finished with 26 points.

A first-half backline reshuffle stemming from Cadan Murley’s injury, which saw Marcus Smith moved to full-back, proved to be unsettling as Harlequins’ six-two bench split backfired. The only solace for Quins was that with 90 seconds left, Louis Lynagh dove over in the corner for their bonus-point try, a score made by some brilliance from Marcus Smith kicking a short restart. How crucial that extra point might prove to be next weekend.

“That try at the end there could be really important and the character we showed to get that was good, but the second half performance was not acceptable in a Quins jersey,” said Danny Wilson, Harlequins head coach. “Exeter were outstanding but we were really soft in defence – it was a bit of a collapse.”

Harlequins took the lead on three occasions in the first half but were reeled in each time by Exeter, the pick of the visitors’ tries coming from Marcus Smith inside the first two minutes. Surely no player has fallen harder for a dummy this season than Ethan Roots, as the England No 10 cut through before rounding Tom Cairns to score.

Not that it all went Smith’s way. Forcing an offload spectacularly backfired, with his England team-mate Feyi-Waboso beating every Harlequins player to the ball before scooping up and racing away to score. Greg Fisilau, Exeter’s highly-impressive No 8, was integral to the final try of an entertaining first half which finished 21-21.

And then after the break Exeter put the hammer down, with Harvey Skinner barging over as the hosts began controlling territory and squeezing mistakes out of Harlequins. Three penalties by Slade in six minutes were followed by three tries to take the Chiefs well clear, the pick of them another brilliant finish from Feyi-Waboso barging through Tyrone Green’s tackle.

A young Exeter side have surpassed expectations this season, but making the top four would be some statement.

Match details

Scores: 0-5 Smith try, 0-7 Smith con, 5-7 Slade try, 7-7 Slade con, 7-12 Green try, 7-14 Smith con, 12-14 Feyi-Waboso try, 14-14 Slade con, 14-19 Dombrandt try, 14-21 Smith con, 19-21 John try, 21-21 Slade con, 26-21 Skinner try, 28-21 Slade con, 31-21 Slade pen, 34-21 Slade pen, 37-21 Slade pen, 42-21 Feyi-Waboso try, 44-21 Slade con, 49-21 Skinner try, 51-21 Slade con, 56-21 Jenkins try, 58-21 Skinner con, 58-26 Lynagh try

Exeter Chiefs: D John; I Feyi-Waboso, H Slade (W Haydon-Wood 73), J Hawkins (Z Wimbush 34), O Woodburn; H Skinner, T Cairns (N Armstrong 63); S Sio (B Keast 54), J Yeandle (M Norey 42), M Street (E Painter 54), J Dunne (C Tshiunza 50), D Jenkins, E Roots (R Vintcent 60), J Vermeulen, G Fisilau
Yellow card: Vermeulen 49

Harlequins: T Green; L Lynagh, O Beard, L Northmore, C Murley (J Evans 23); M Smith, W Porter (D Care 66); J Marler (F Baxter 50), J Walker (S Riley 66), W Collier (D Lewis 50), I Herbst, S Lewies (G Hammond 73), C Cunningham-South (J Kenningham 54), J Chisholm (W Evans 59), A Dombrandt

Referee: M Carley

Attendance: 14,054

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