Exeter Chiefs Open Win Account For New Season
After a difficult start to the new Premiership Rugby league season, Exeter Chiefs picked up a first win of the campaign as the Premiership Rugby Cup got underway.
The Vertu Motors-backed side had suffered defeat in each league game to date and went into the opening cup match away against the Cornish Pirates chasing a morale-boosting victory.
In the first competitive match away to their local rivals in more than a decade, the Chiefs elected to go with a near full-strength line-up against the Championship side - which had also endured a tough start to the season.
Exeter took control of the game in the early stages, with Will Rigg going over in the second minute and Paul Brown-Bampoe then scoring twice inside the opening 20 minutes as his side took a 21-0 lead.
Bruce Houston responded for the home side, but Josh Hodge, Dan Frost and Rigg ensured that the game was won by half-time – with Hodge converting five of the tries.
Despite a number of changes for the second-half, Exeter ran in four more tries, with Harvey Skinner crossing for the seventh try before Hodge added his second.
Jack Innard and Brown-Bampoe then made it ten tries – with the latter completing a hat-trick – to wrap up a dominant 68-7 win.
The Chiefs will now return to Sandy Park this weekend to face Hartpury seeking to make it two wins from two.