Izuchukwu treble as Chiefs sent crashing

By MARK STEVENS

Ulster …………………………… 52pts

Tries: Izuchukwu 21, 66, 78; McCann 27, 73; Timoney 38, Herring 49, Carson 69

Conversions: Doak 22, 50; Cooney 67, 70, 74, 78

Exeter ………………………….. 24pts

Tries: Brown-Bampoe 3, Vintcent 14, Tuima 30, Wimbush 80

Conversions: Haydon-Wood 4, Skinner 80

Diving over: Ben Carson scores the sixth try for Ulster

PICTURES: Getty Images

THE Exeter Chiefs‘ season hit an ominous nadir in Belfast, the city synonymous with the ill-fated Titanic.

In a cruel twist of irony, their seasonal fortunes have mirrored that of the ship’s tragic descent as they suffered yet another crushing Champions Cup defeat, this time at the hands of Ulster.

What began as a campaign with hopeful aspirations has sadly devolved into a tale of missteps, misfortune and missed opportunities.

Belfast, steeped in history and known for building unsinkable vessels, became the stage where the Chiefs‘ once-reliable game plan seemed to crumble under pressure, leaving fans and players alike searching for answers amidst the wreckage of a season gone awry.

Dumped out of Europe, languishing just a place above the foot of the Premiership table, there is now very little left for Rob Baxter‘s side to fight for this season.

Other than advancing onwards in the Premiership Rugby Cup, just what can the Devonians salvage from a season which has underlined some glaring issues?

For 40 minutes at least, the Chiefs – who made 12 changes from the side hammered by Bordeaux-Begles the previous week – were competitive enough. Indeed, they stunned the hosts with an early score from Paul Brown-Bampoe, before Ross Vintcent and Rus Tuima got in on the scoring act.

At the other end, though, defensive frailties continued to hinder them and Ulster made them pay as Cormac Izuchukwu, Dave McCann and Nick Timoney all found their way over the whitewash to ensure the scores were deadlocked 17-17 at the turn.

Baxter acknowledged afterwards his mass switch-up could have ramifications – and so it proved – as the Chiefs, many of whom have had limited game time in recent weeks, faltered in the face of Ulster aggression.

The impressive Izuchukwu added two more scores to complete his hat-trick, whilst McCann stole over for another, alongside further efforts from Rob Herring and Ben Carson.

“The easy way to wrap that up is we reap what we sow,” said Baxter. “We did put a team together that hasn’t played a lot and had a lack of game time in their legs. I actually thought when we had the legs under us, we looked good, we looked dangerous, and we played some good rugby that put Ulster under pressure.

“As our energy waned, you could start to see the pressure build on us and things started to snowball very quickly as that fatigue element set in. It was heartbreaking for our players to look up and see a scoreboard with 50 points on it.”

Sadly, that’s the grim reality of Exeter’s European exploits, which has seen them ship a half century of points in three of their four pool games this season.

Earlier, it had started so well as Brown-Bampoe gave them the lead when he was able to capitalise on an offload from Ben Hammersley to score inside the opening ten minutes.

It was one of several highlights in an absorbing first half in which the two rivals traded blows like prized heavyweights. Brown-Bampoe’s opener was quickly followed by a sensational score from Vintcent, who spotted a gaping hole around a ruck before tearing clear of the cover to race half the field to score.

Ulster’s response was not only swift, but highly effective, as first Izuchukwu thundered his way over, closely followed by McCann.

Tuima restored the Chiefs advantage on the half-hour, stretching over after a decent burst from Joe Hawkins, only for the hosts to counter with a score from Timoney, who was able to shake off the attentions of Vintcent before darting over.

The second half, however, belonged to Ulster, who took the lead for the first time when Herring was able to attach himself to the back of a destructive maul .

Four tries in the space of 11 minutes told its own story, Izuchukwu’s brace bookending further efforts from Carson and McCann, before the Chiefs grabbed a late bonus when Zack Wimbush capitalised on a fumble from Flannery to score under the sticks.

It was nothing more than a consolation for the Chiefs, whose sinking season is in desperate need of a revival of sorts.