Investec Champions Cup: Exeter 21-15 Bath - Hosts fight back to book quarter-final spot

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was a threat throughout the game and picked up the player-of-the-match award

Exeter Chiefs fought back to beat Bath at Sandy Park and book a spot in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals.

Despite playing into a strong wind and losing Finn Russell to an early injury, Bath led 12-7 at half-time after tries from Thomas du Toit and Ted Hill.

Exeter had the majority of first-half territory, but could only manage one score through Ross Vintcent.

However, the hosts clicked into gear in the second period with tries from Greg Fisilau and Ethan Roots.

Rob Baxter's side will now face the winner of Toulouse or Racing 92 - who play on Sunday - in the quarter-finals next weekend.

An away win for Racing, who struggled in the pool stages with only one win, would give the Chiefs a home tie.

But if Toulouse beat Racing, Exeter will face a difficult trip to the five-time winners, who were ranked as the number one seeds heading into the knockout stages after winning all four pool games.

Feyi-Waboso helps spark Chiefs to victory

Bath, who are second in the Premiership, only lost one pool game - to Toulouse - in what has been an impressive first season for coach Johann van Graan across both competitions.

The signing of Russell has been at the heart of this form, and Bath were dealt a major blow when the Scotland fly-half limped off after just 14 minutes.

Despite this setback and playing into a gusty first-half wind, it was the visitors who scored first when Du Toit powered over his ninth try of the season.

With the posts swerving from left to right, Ben Spencer's conversion blew back towards halfway to show the extent of the difficult Devon conditions.

From that restart, Exeter instantly responded when Italy number eight Vintcent, who impressed in his debut Six Nations, picked up a dropped ball from Alfie Barbeary to race clear.

Van Graan's side were not going to get many chances in the opening period, and pounded when they could, as Hill plucked a kick out of the sky to sprint clear of a chasing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to score a try out of nothing.

The Chiefs had shown resilience in the pool stages to come from behind to beat both Toulon and Glasgow by late Henry Slade kicks.

And England wing Feyi-Waboso showed all that fight to offer a constant spark throughout this game and broke several tackles in the lead-up to Fisilau's try as a sold-out Sandy Park sensed another comeback victory.

The 21-year-old, who impressed against Scotland and Ireland in the Six Nations, missed England's final game of the tournament against France due to injury.

Once again, the winger made metres in contact which looked impossible as he helped Exeter get up to the tryline before Roots powered over to take the victory.

Baxter's youthful side continue to show they are never out of any European game as they go in search of their second Champions Cup after victory in 2020.

'We are a resistant young group'

Player of the match Feyi-Waboso, speaking to TNT Sports: "That was so tough. Bath are a great team, with a lot of big boys.

"They were tough to stop, but the boys pulled together in difficult conditions and upped our intensity.

"We believe in our system and at half-time we knew if we stuck to our system we could do it.

"They did it to us in the first half and we went back at them. We managed to pull through. We are a resistant young group."

Line-ups

Exeter: Hodge; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Devoto, Woodburn; Skinner, Cairns; Sio, Yeandle, Painter, Tuima, Jenkins (capt), Roots, Tshiunza, Vintcent.

Replacements: Innard, Southworth, Street, Pearson, Fisilau, Townsend, Haydon-Wood, Wimbush.

Bath: Gallagher; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, Muir; Russell, Spencer (capt); Obano, Dunn, Du Toit, Roux, Ewels, Hill, Underhill, Barbeary.

Replacements: Annett, Schoeman, Stuart, Stooke, Reid, Schreuder, Bailey, Coetzee.

Sin-bin: Tom Dunn (5)

Referee: Luc Ramos (France)