Exeter continued their impressive start to the season with a fifth successive win as Worcester became their latest victims in a hard-fought 28-21 success at Sandy Park.
The Warriors were competitive in the opening quarter but conceded three tries in the second to ensure that there was to be no repeat of last season’s shock 6-5 win at Sandy Park, which was the only occasion that Exeter were beaten in the league on their home ground.
Dave Ewers scored two tries for Exeter, Jack Yeandle and Harry Williams one apiece, with Gareth Steenson converting all four.
Two penalties from Chris Pennell and a try from Ted Hill were Worcester’s response as they now have their eyes firmly set on next week’s crucial home game with Premiership newcomers Bristol.
Warriors, buoyed by last week’s surprise 44-37 win at Leicester, frustrated their opponents in the first 15 minutes as Exeter made a number of uncharacteristic errors.
There were a couple of mistakes in set pieces to add to a number of inaccuracies in their passing, which resulted in a featureless opening to the game.
It therefore came as no surprise that the first points came by way of a penalty, kicked by Pennell to give his side an 18th-minute lead.
That score was against the run of play as Exeter were becoming increasingly dominant and were rewarded with the first try of the game when Yeandle finished off a driving line-out for his first try of the season.
Worcester suffered two further blows in quick succession. First their Wales wing, Josh Adams, limped off with a leg injury to be replaced by Michael Heaney with Francois Hougaard switching to the flank.
Then another Wales international wing, Alex Cuthbert, lit up proceedings with a 45-metre run that set up the platform from which Ewers drove over from close range.
A minute from the interval, Ewers repeated the dose after Chiefs had repeatedly battered the visitors’ line with Steenson’s third successful conversion giving his side a 21-3 half-time lead.
Exeter’s Sam Simmonds did not come out for the second half as their opponents collected the first points after the resumption with a simple penalty from Pennell.
That score was the precursor for Warriors’ best period of the match and they picked up their first try through Hill to add to the two he scored at Leicester on his Premiership debut.
Cuthbert and Worcester’s skipper, G.J. Van Velze, were both replaced as Worcester continued to have the better of the third quarter but a yellow card for their replacement prop, Ryan Bower, ensured there was to be no comeback with Williams forcing his way over for the bonus point try.
