Exeter Chiefs v Harlequins: 5 takeaways when visitors show ‘imperiousness’ : Planet Rugby

Following Harlequins’ 36-19 victory over Exeter in the Premiership, here are the five biggest takeaways from the thrilling clash at Sandy Park Stadium.

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There is never a dull moment of an Exeter v Harlequins match and this match was no exception.

The guests quickly took to the blocks and put pressure from the very beginning. After wasting two golden opportunities in the opening 10 minutes, Harlequins finally found Oscar Beard as he cut across goal Bosses defense from close range.

The effort revitalized the game, with the teams trading scores. Ross Vintcent scored Exeter’s first goal of the day after some phenomenal support from Olly Woodburn to score. Just a few minutes later, Rodrigo Isgro counter-attacked for Harlequins after a phenomenal attack.

Quins looked commanding in the first half and their third try proved their early dominance. A brilliant attack from Lennox Anyanwu put the Londoners in Exeter’s 22, and after some strong leads, Will Evans broke through the defense and went under the posts.

Exeter needed a moment of brilliance to get back into the game, Will Rigg came out. The powerful center, who only arrived from Championship Coventry midway through last year, found himself in space just outside the 22, put his head down and darted through the defense to score.

In the first exchanges of the second half, the teams went from start to finish, but it was the guests who scored the most important result. After a rather accidental kick from Ross Chisholm, Evans reacted quickly and scored.

Exeter hit Ben Hammersley again and the young center crossed from close range, but Jarrod Evans’ three-pointer made it Quinny They were leading by 10 points until the last 10 minutes.

With the clock winding down, Quins had a final moment when Cadan Murley grabbed a clever grubber and Danny Care scored.

The victory leaves Harlequins fifth in the table and Exeter looking for their first Premiership win of the season.

Dazzling Harlequins backline

I write above that Quins looked “authoritative”, but that potentially does them a disservice. The visiting back three, Green, Isgro and Murley, were incredible on the counter-attack. They simply added a real touch of class to the overall attack.

Their midfield combination of Beard and An added a little more courage to the game, especially Anyanwu. Their more direct work through the middle really complemented the overall attack and added a beautiful new dynamic to it.

Elsewhere, Will Porter maintained his good form; and is quickly proving to be the perfect link for a Quins-style play – no doubt with Care’s help. His natural speed makes him a real threat when he breaks down, but he can generate a consistent, fast ball that keeps his team purring in attack.

Much of Quins’ attack – obviously – revolves around Marcus Smith, but they looked just as good when Jarrod Evans was steering the ship. He worked well with Porter to put them ahead, and his sense of distance also proved crucial in their counter-attacks.

Just amazing work from the entire defense line.

Henry Slade

His return has been a major talking point in the build-up and judging by this performance, he’s certainly ready to take on the All Blacks next weekend.

Chiefs didn’t have much to play with the ball in the first half, but Slade was a constant threat with the ball in hand. He managed to consistently drag Exeter through the forward line with some solid carries, but in typical fashion his ball skills proved crucial in getting Woodburn back into good shape and getting Exeter on the pitch.

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The main reason for his return, however, was a potential desire to test his defense, as England played a very similar style to Exeter, with an aggressive attacking approach, but again he looked solid in this area. He was solid in attack, but also added speed to the defensive line, which will stand him in good stead in the fall Nations Series.

Another important element of his game was calm. The team threatened to move away from Exeter at times, but just having him on the pitch kept the team competitive and allowed for a close fight.

Much improved Exeter but still a lot of work

It has been a really difficult period for Devonians in the Premiership, but they made great progress against Harlequins. This season they were found to be lacking in the contact area, but today they were looking for players willing to fight. Impressive back rowers Greg Fisilau, Vintcent and Jacques Vermeulen led the charge in this segment, but it spread throughout the group and they reaped the benefits. Powerful center Rigg was also very strong in the contact area and his attacking ability was the spark they were missing in their backline play.

Elsewhere, they looked much more capable in attack, which has also been a major problem for them this season. Will Haydon-Wood is still learning his craft at the highest level, but he led the team around the pitch quite well and got them playing a bit wider than before. He also picked up some awards in the form of Will Becconsall, who looked quite good after returning to the starting fifteen. The Cornishman regularly provided Haydon-Wood with clean ball and made some clever kicks in the process.

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While there have been some nice signs of improvement – especially considering last week’s results – they still have some important things they need to fix. They brought a lot more physicality to the defense, but compounded this with 32 missed tackles in the first half alone, allowing Quins to gain an early advantage. This is simply not enough at the highest level.

This is also not the first time they have been caught on the defensive this season. Saracens and even Newcastle made many changes to their blistering defense, with Quins also taking advantage of Exeter’s over-aggressiveness.

Hopefully Rob Baxter will take positives from this performance during the international break and the Premiership Rugby Cup block, but if he wants anything to change this season, they need to learn from games like this.

A watch from England

As always, there was plenty of talent with English-speaking qualifications, and here’s a list of the best performers from this group.

Exeter is back on form Woodburn once again he performed brilliantly on both sides of the ball. He came into action after making two great saves and was also a threat from the penalty area. Newly qualified English Vermeulen he was outstanding again for Chiefs despite the defeat, as was the snubbed youngster Fisilauwho didn’t take advantage of his chances to play for England at all.

There were also some Harlequins men who impressed. Axial center Beard he was solid throughout his shift and earned a well-deserved try for his efforts. Scrum-half Porter he also had great contact during the match and really led Quins around the pitch. Rounding up your picks, Anyanwu he brought plenty of physicality to the action on both sides of the ball and was once again in the window for a potential call-up to England A.