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Exeter reached its first Heineken Champions Cup final after defeating French heavyweight Toulouse with a 28-18 victory at Sandy Park.
The Chiefs forwards led them into a final showdown against Racing 92 at Ashton Gate next month, when prop Harry Williams scored two attempts, number eight Sam Simmonds also landed and captain Joe Simmonds iced the celebratory cake with an impressive individual score.
Flying half Joe Simmonds, Sam’s younger brother, converted all four scores, and just 10 years after Exeter rose to the Premier League, they are one win away from being crowned kings of Europe.
The Chiefs remain firmly on their way to a national and European double, a feat only achieved by three English clubs: Leicester, Wasps and Saracens.
Toulouse’s bid for a record fifth European title will have to wait, although they pushed Exeter to the finish.
They led for much of the first half, with replacement blocking Alban Placines scoring a try and winger Thomas Ramos kicking two penalties, before Matthis Lebel added a consolation score that Ramos converted.
Toulouse’s bid for a record fifth European title will have to wait, although they pushed Exeter to the end.
They led for much of the first half, with replacement blocking Alban Placines scoring a try and winger Thomas Ramos kicking two penalties, before Matthis Lebel added a consolation score that Ramos converted.
But Toulouse failed to score a point between the 36th and 76th minutes, such was Exeter’s control, built on great effort and impressive discipline.
Exeter showed a lone trade from the side that beat Northampton in the quarterfinals last weekend, with Sam Skinner replacing wing Jacques Vermeulen, while a trade for Toulouse saw a start for hooker Julien Marchand.
The visitors made a magnificent start, engaging their star winger Cheslin Kolbe twice in a multi-phase attack, before Exeter infringed and Ramos kicked a penalty in the fourth minute.
Ramos doubled Toulouse’s lead with a second penalty 10 minutes later, and Exeter was able to make little impression on the match as their opponents dominated possession and territory.
Zebo and Ryan help Racing to reach the final
Toulouse put together repeated threatening passages of play, securing a big defensive change from the Chiefs, and it took a good tackle from Exeter wing Tom O’Flaherty to deny his opposite number Yoann Huget a try.
The only setback for Toulouse during a dominant first quarter was seeing their Australian international blocking Rory Arnold get injured, though Exeter moved when center Ian Whitten broke free and posed a first question to the Toulouse defense.
And the Chiefs grew thanks to Whitten’s opportunism as they advanced through a short-distance trademark after their forwards made noise with Toulouse and Williams landed.
Simmonds kicked the conversion, and a one-point lead after being dominated for so long spoke volumes about Exeter’s character and stamina.
The lead only lasted five minutes, however, as Toulouse produced further evidence of its ability to maintain possession and quickly recycle it as Placines crossed into the corner after Exeter’s defense ran out of numbers.
But the Chiefs responded again, leading 14-11 at the break after the collective strength and organization of their forwards allowed Sam Simmonds to claim Exeter’s second down, which his brother converted.
Toulouse had only conceded a total of 19 points in the second half in seven matches in the Champions Cup this season, so Exeter still had a long way to go.
They had to absorb more pressure as Toulouse came back on the front foot, but a break from the Chiefs’ Scottish international winger Stuart Hogg established momentum and the Exeter group prospered.
And again it was Williams who emerged from underneath his fellow forwards, claiming a second try and Exeter’s third. with the conversion of Simmonds leaving Toulouse 10 points adrift.
And then Joe Simmonds put Exeter in dreamland, smashing Toulouse’s defense to score a brilliant solo try that he also converted, and booking a meeting with Racing on 17 October.
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