Premiership: Exeter Chiefs 57-20 Bath - Hosts return to top after impressive win

Olly Woodburn had not scored a try since April last year before his double against his former club

Exeter scored eight tries as they blew away Bath to move back to the top of the Premiership with a 57-20 victory.

Early scores by Tom O'Flaherty and Olly Woodburn put Exeter in control before Sam Simmonds and Jannes Kirsten crossed to secure the bonus point.

Simmonds added his second soon after the break and after Bath's Zach Mercer replied, Elvis Taione also crossed.

Max Wright and Ruaridh McConnochie went over for Bath before Woodburn's second and a Jack Maunder try for Exeter.

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The win saw Exeter return to the top of the table, while Bath dropped to sixth as a consequence of Wasps' win over Gloucester.

Having lost narrowly at Harlequins last week, Exeter racked up another half century at home against a play-off rival having beaten Northampton 57-7 at Sandy Park two weeks ago.

They wasted little time in showing there were no lasting ill-effects from last week's loss in London as O'Flaherty was on the end of a lovely pass from Nic White to dive in after five minutes, and Woodburn doubled the lead soon after following Tom Hendrickson's powerful break.

The situation worsened for Bath as Sam Simmonds reminded England boss Eddie Jones of his prowess as he burrowed through a maul for his first try, and the visitors had Josh McNally sin-binned for a high tackle before Kirsten was forced over soon after.

Simmonds claimed his second try within seconds of the start of the second half as he showed superb footwork to breeze past two defenders and go in.

Mercer pulled one back for Bath after a series of attempts on the Exeter line, but Taione extended the lead immediately in similar fashion before Wright injured himself as he went over for Bath's second try.

McConnochie intercepted Jacques Vermeulen's pass to go in for his side's third as Exeter's defence looked a bit leaky, but their attack was again superb and Woodburn's second came after good play from Phil Dollman and the returning Jack Nowell, while Maunder crossed after a lovely run from Hendrickson.

Exeter forwards coach Rob Hunter:

"The guys were on it this week. It just felt in the changing room that they were right on their game. Some weeks it is like that. You can tell straight away.

"It is easy to say you would like it like that every week but there are other teams involved and everything has its impact.

"If that scoreline is closer, then the 10 minutes of half-time is different. You can say what you like in the changing room but the reality is it is not nil-nil.

"However many times you say just re-set, it is not because there is quite a big cushion. Often you get a foot comes off the gas."

Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper:

"The key thing is, if you look back over the games played here, as we do, turning the ball over in your own half leads to this.

"It has been seen before with Northampton who did exactly the same.

"You have to make sure you don't give them easy opportunities to attack you when you are in your own half.

"There were a number of areas across the board that we were off. In the first-half, that is not what we want to see when we pull on the Bath jersey."

Exeter: Dollman; O'Flaherty, Whitten, Hendrickson, Woodburn; J Simmonds (capt), White; Hepburn, Taione, Williams, Kirsten, J Hill, Ewers, Vermeulen, S Simmonds

Replacements: Poole, Moon, Pieretto, Witty, Armand, Maunder, Steenson, Nowell

Bath: Homer; Rokoduguni, Wright, Willison, McConnochie; Priestland, Chudley; Obano, Walker, Judge, McNally, Stooke, Williams, Louw (capt), Mercer

Replacements: Dunn, Boyce, Nixon, Ellis, Bayliss, Cook, Burns, De Glanville

Referee: Luke Pearce

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