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Feyi-Waboso stars in Exeter win but Quins produce late play-off twist
By PA
England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scored two tries as Exeter kept their Gallagher Premiership play-off hopes alive with a superb 58-26 victory over Champions Cup semi-finalists Harlequins.
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It was a big dent to Quins’ top-four ambitions, but a last-minute try by Louis Lynagh earned them a four-try bonus point that could yet prove crucial come 5pm next Saturday afternoon.
Exeter trailed 21-14 after 36 minutes but hit back spectacularly with 44 unanswered points – before Lynagh’s late try – to leapfrog Harlequins into fifth place in the table.
Chiefs now travel to Leicester on the final day of the season sitting two points behind fourth-spot Sale, with Quins at home to Bristol the same day.
Quins made a blistering start, scoring a try after only 100 seconds with a fantastic show-and-go and sidestep by England fly-half Marcus Smith taking him through the Exeter defence and in beside the posts, converting himself.
The Chiefs responded superbly to that early setback, but it took them until the midway point of the first half to turn their pressure into points due to some fine Quins defence.
Exeter finally got on the scoreboard when they worked the ball to the left where Smith’s international teammate Henry Slade got over in the corner before adding the extras.
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After wasting a couple of chances close to the try line, Quins finally carved out an opportunity for Jarrod Evans to put full-back Tyrone Green over for their second touchdown of the game, converted again by Smith.
Smith then turned from hero to villain when he finished another sizzling run with a wild one-handed pass which was picked up off the deck by Feyi-Waboso, who crossed next to the posts, allowing Slade the simple task of converting to level it all up at 14-14.
Harlequins hit back almost straight away when number eight Alex Dombrandt broke off the back of a driving maul to brush aside Exeter scrum-half Tom Cairns’ weak tackle.
However, the pendulum swung back towards the hosts with the last play of a breathless first half when an excellent handling move saw young full-back Dan John get his second try in two weeks to leave it 21-21 at the break.
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The Chiefs came firing out of the blocks at the start of the second half, and fly-half Harvey Skinner put them in front for the first time with their bonus-point try in the corner.
The home side lost South African flanker Jacques Vermeulen to a yellow card for killing the ball at a Quins break, but instead of the visitors capitalising on their extra man, it was instead Exeter who stretched their lead to 13 points with two Slade penalties, and he added another after Exeter were back up to full complement.
With Quins showing signs of tiring after their short turnaround following their European semi-final defeat to Toulouse, Feyi-Waboso added his second try of the game./
That was quickly followed by a second from Skinner and a seventh for the team from skipper Dafydd Jenkins, with Slade making it nine out of nine with his boot for a personal 21-point haul.
Silky stuff from @ExeterChiefs ?
Greg Fisilau shrugs off a big hit on the way to sending Dan John over ?
Watch live on @rugbyontnt ?#GallagherPrem | #EXEvHAR pic.twitter.com/NaXQ0liKd5
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) May 11, 2024
