Exeter 19-13 Wasps: Chiefs claim Premiership title to secure historic double

Exeter Chiefs pipped Wasps at Twickenham to claim the 2020 Premiership title

Exeter edged Wasps 19-13 at a deserted Twickenham to secure their second Premiership title and seal a historic domestic and European double.

A Henry Slade try and 14 points via the boot of Joe Simmonds saw Rob Baxter's Chiefs follow their European Cup final win over Racing 92 in Bristol last week in perfect fashion with victory in driving rain.

Wasps, who came into the final minus 11 squad players due to positive Covid-19 tests and close contact protocols, scored their points through a Jacob Umaga try, Jimmy Gopperth conversion and two Gopperth penalties.

Lee Blackett's side were always in the tight and error-ridden contest, played out in torrential rain for its entirety, but were left to rue a late five-metre lineout throw which was critically stolen by Exeter replacement Jonny Gray.

Chiefs skipper Joe Simmonds kicked flawlessly in the victory

The final was played put in torrential rain at a deserted Twickenham

Played behind closed doors and amidst a chorus of sustained hooting and cheering from either side's support staff and non-playing squad members, the start to the final was tense, with several errors in terrible conditions.

Indeed, both sides lost lineouts in promising positions, miscued kicks from hand, and knocked on in general play within the opening stages.

The first clear-cut scoring chance did not arrive until 13 minutes in, as Wasps centre Gopperth kicked his side into a 3-0 lead after Exeter lock Sam Skinner had been penalised for falling on the wrong side and failing to roll away.

Wasps centre Jimmy Gopperth kicked the opening points on 13 minutes

The Chiefs repost seemed instant as immediately from the restart, prop Harry Williams earned a textbook breakdown penalty after fantastic jackal technique, and Slade kicked to the corner. Wasps forced an unplayable maul from the resulting lineout to win a turnover though, as the Chiefs uncharacteristically visited a 22 without garnering points.

Just when Wasps thought they had averted the danger, however, clearing their lines and defending strongly to push the Chiefs behind the gain-line, Slade showed superb intelligence to dummy and sprint down the right for an outstanding try.

Henry Slade scored Exeter's only try in a tightly contested final

Simmonds converted for a 7-3 lead, but the sides continued to trade mistakes thereafter as a swirling rain continued to lash down - Chiefs overthrew a lineout, Wasps skipper Joe Launchbury knocked on, Exeter conceded a free kick at scrum-time on their own feed.

On the half-hour mark, Wasps then hit back via a stunning Umaga try.

Scrum-half Dan Robson fixed Chiefs hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie with a dart and pass to Umaga, after which the Wasps 10 stepped past Stuart Hogg and skipped ahead of a trailing tackle by Dave Ewers to dive over.

Wasps hit back through a fabulous Jacob Umaga try

Moments later, Wasps full-back Matteo Minozzi knocked on a Jack Maunder box-kick just outside his 22, and Chiefs would take advantage, as they forced the concession of two penalties - one at the scrum, one for playing the nine - allowing Simmonds to level the contest from close-range at 10-10.

Into dead time of the first half, Exeter eked out another penalty to take the lead, when Launchbury was penalised for hands in the ruck. Simmonds duly split the uprights for a 13-10 half-time score.

Six minutes into the second half, Exeter turned down a potential shot at goal for a kick to the corner, but it proved the wrong decision when Wasps flanker Jack Willis won a monumental breakdown penalty on top of his own try-line.

Jack Willis won a breakdown turnover on his own try-line in the second half, swinging the momentum Wasps' way for a bit

With the ball beginning to resemble a bar of soap and the lineout a lottery, knock-ons became frequent.

Just shy of the hour mark, Gopperth levelled things from the tee after fantastic play from replacement Lima Sopoaga - who acrobatically collected the ball and landed in-field before dispatching a monster kick downfield - meant Exeter missed touch with a penalty kick from hand and then conceded a penalty at the breakdown when under pressure.

Wasps had again forced an Exeter maul unplayable within their 22 just before that, as the recently-crowned European champions began to experience frustration.

Simmonds edged Exeter into slender leads at critical times through the match

A dominant scrum penalty put Chiefs back into the territory they needed to be, however, before Willis was penalised at the breakdown for hands in the ruck. It presented Simmonds with a kick from the 22 to establish another slender Chiefs lead at 16-13 with 14 minutes to go.

Another penalty against Wasps - this time at the lineout - saw Slade produce a sensational kick to touch, but the Wasps defence of the subsequent maul was strong, before they forced a Chiefs knock-on within their 22.

The best chance of the second half fell Wasps' way inside the final six minutes as a maul which rumbled forward was illegally halted mere metres from the Chiefs try-line.

Wasps kicked to touch again, but the ensuing five-metre lineout was critically stolen by Exeter lock Gray - an action which proved the winning of the final.

Jonny Gray's lineout steal inside the final few minutes was the crucial moment of the final

The Chiefs saw out the remainder of the game by accruing penalties at three consecutive mauls, before a Wasps indiscretion at the breakdown resulted in Simmonds having the concluding kick of the match to register three more points and prompt Exeter elation.

The Chiefs could celebrate a historic double having suffered Premiership final defeats in 2019, 2018 and 2016

Slade was named man of the match after the Chiefs win