Jonny Gray pulled Exeter out of their stupor and put his shoulder to the wheel with a hat-trick to subdue an understrength Montpellier and get his team off to an encouraging start in Europe.
The Scottish second-row scored twice in 11 second-half minutes and added his third on the hour as he showed no ill-effects of the shoulder surgery that has curtailed his start to the season.
His hat-trick try secured the bonus point for Chiefs and spark accusations of goal-hanging in the Exeter dressing room while Sam Simmonds and Don Armand applied some late garnish as the hosts won running away.
Gray was playing just his second game of the season since his lay off after going under the knife following the Premiership final and, tries aside, he shrugged off the inactivity.
“I don’t know if Jonny has scored three tries in the rest of his career,” said the head coach, Ali Hepher. “He put himself in the right place and was smart when he picked up. All round we are really pleased with Jonny and we have got to keep him rolling.
“He understands the game. He has had a bad injury and been out a long time. He does not need too long to get up and running because he thinks ahead of the game.”
The hosts did not have it all their own way. Some of the Chiefs’ play in the first half was as lacking in spark as the floodlight at one corner of the end they were attacking which was missing a few bulbs and left one area of the pitch in the murk.
Their scrum struggled against the rejuvenated former Bath and England tighthead Henry Thomas and the loosehead Enzo Forletta, and their discipline at the breakdown left something to be desired.
Hepher added: “The first half was a little bit disappointing, we were watching the game a little bit instead of getting immersed in the fight. The guys got together and fought their way through it to get a convincing win.”
Gruff Rees hailed a “remarkable effort” from his hastily assembled Cardiff team after a 39-7 defeat against the Champions Cup holders, Toulouse. The Arms Park game in Pool B took place against a backdrop of more than 30 Cardiff players and a number of staff – including the rugby director, Dai Young – having to isolate until next week.
Cardiff had been due to play United Rugby Championship fixtures in South Africa last month, and had already arrived there when the country was added to the UK government’s red list for travel restrictions after the discovery of the Omicron coronavirus variant. With such a large group isolating at a hotel near London, it meant a team comprising Wales internationals – who did not travel because of the autumn internationals – semi-pros and academy players was fielded against the European title holders. Cardiff are set to be in the same boat when they visit Harlequins next Saturday.
Rees, the academy manager, is heading the coaching operation in Young’s absence, and said: “Looking at the effort that went on, we were in that game for certain moments. At 20-7, there could have been a score either way, but then you are undone by three or four class moments from the world player of the year [Antoine Dupont].
“There are so many individual stories behind every player on that pitch today. It was a remarkable effort, and I am chuffed we put some good rugby on show against a team that we flustered a little bit and made it scary for them, and we can be proud of that.”
Leinster proved too strong for the Premiership strugglers Bath, winning 45-20 at the Aviva Stadium in Pool A. The 25,403 spectators were treated to a free-flowing first half, at the end of which Leinster led 31-13, with Bath’s late rally seeing Jacques Du Toit crash over from a well-worked lineout move. The hosts had dominated up to that point, bagging their bonus point within 24 minutes as Jamison Gibson-Park (2), Tadhg Furlong, James Lowe and Hugo Keenan, with his first European try, all touched down. Bath’s porous defence leaked two more tries – Ronan Kelleher and Josh Van Der Flier both crossing before the replacement Gabriel Hamer-Webb replied with a late consolation score.
Leinster’s victory was no surprise but Ulster had a notable Pool A victory at Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin when they defeated Clermont Auvergne 29-23.
There was a shock in the European Challenge Cup when Saracens were beaten 21-18 at home by Edinburgh in torrential rain in Barnet. PA Media
Chiefs were given a shot in the arm when Montpellier picked a mostly second string side. Last year’s Challenge Cup winners did not have Handré Pollard, the South African World Cup winning fly-half, who is moving to Leicester next season in the 23.
Paolo Garbisi, the Italian 10, was not on duty either and it was left to the teenage fly-half Louis Foursans-Bourdette to open the scoring with a 40 metre penalty. He made it 6-0 after 10 minutes when Exeter were penalised at the breakdown for the second time and still Chiefs could not get in the French 22. Finally, after 23 minutes, Exeter found their stride. Their forwards carried hard for multiple phases before fly-half Joe Simmonds’ long pass found full-back Stuart Hogg who darted back against the grain of the defence to score and give the hosts a 7-6 lead at the break.
A minute into the second half Gray finished off a move marked by more of the same relentless driving and he was at it again in the 52nd minute to make it 21-6 after Simmonds’ conversion. Then his third made the game safe at 28-6 with the wing Josua Vici sent to the sin-bin as Gray scored and Exeter took control.
• This article was amended on 12 December 2021. An earlier subheading incorrectly implied that Exeter Chiefs won the Champions Cup last season.
