It's game day.
An English club are guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup as Exeter Chiefs host Bath Rugby at Sandy Park on Saturday in the last 16 knockout round.
Both sides come into the match off the back of defeats in the Gallagher Premiership last weekend with Exeter suffering a 41-5 defeat away at Sale Sharks on Sunday, while Bath were involved in a classic at the Twickenham Stoop, coming back from 40-3 down narrowly fall short 40-36.
Chiefs made it through to the semi-finals of the Champions Cup last season, going down 47-28 to La Rochelle in Bordeaux but after a clear-out in the summer, there are very few players left at the club who were involved in that game. This weekend is about the new generation for Exeter, while Bath are also ushering in a new era in the second season of Johann van Graan's reign.
The game kicks off at 3pm on Saturday.
Follow all the build-up, team news, live play-by-play match updates, reaction, stats, analysis and highlights from Sandy Park with regular updates below...
Key Events
Reaction from Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter
Fair play to the guys, they have responded in the best way possible to that display at Sale Sharks.I can't credit the players enough, the one thing we had to today was full blooded commitment from everyone from the first minute and we build the game from there.It would have been easy to have thought at half-time they hadn't done enough. But the reality was we got a lot of hard work done and that probably was the winning of the game for us. I know that sounds a bit strange because you would have thought Bath getting those two scores would have been the deciding factor in the game. But it felt to me we had so much possession and worked them so hard that there would be opportunities in the second half.
On the performance of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
Baxter said:
"He is the closest replacement to a Jack Nowell we could have had, a guy who just gets you metres out of nowhere. And he is getting better at it. He is only learning how to use those talents that he has. At least two of our tries came from momentum he gained almost on his own, at times when he didn't deserve to get momentum. That shows his value."
MATCH REPORT: Exeter Chiefs comeback to beat injury disrupted Bath to reach the Champions Cup quarter-finals
Exeter Chiefs came back to beat Bath Rugby 21-15 at a windswept Sandy Park on Saturday to reach the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals and continue their rich history in Europe.
Bath could not overcome the loss of fly-half Finn Russell who departed the action after just 15 minutes with a potential groin injury. Further disruption to the backline, with Cam Redpath limping off in the second half leaving the visitors playing with scrum-half Ben Spencer at standoff, saw them falter in the face of Exeter's stirring comeback into the wind, recovering from eight points adrift.
The Chiefs, tournament winners in 2020 and semi-finalists last season, scored tries through number eight Ross Vintcent, replacement Greg Fisilau and flanker Ethan Roots, with Roots’ England colleague Henry Slade kicking three conversions and the irrepressible Immanuel Feyi-Waboso named the player of the match.
Despite being starved of the ball, Bath claimed first-half touchdowns from prop Thomas du Toit and flanker Ted Hill, while captain Ben Spencer added a conversion and penalty, but they could not build on a 15-7 lead approaching the hour-mark.
Reaction from Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan
Van Graan said:
"We are incredibly disappointed.
"A Euro knockout game comes down to small margins. If one of our long kicks bounces into touch, we have a 50/22, but instead, it rolls the other way, and we have a defensive scrum in our own half.’
"Both teams found the conditions very tough both in attack and defence.
"This is the first time we as a group have been through this experience and there are a lot of hurt men, but that is because we care. But it has been an incredible European journey.
"Not often you lose your nine for an HIA, then your fly-half and then your inside centre, but that’s the nature of a contact game.
Reaction from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in his player of the match interview with TNT Sports
It was so tough, they have a lot of big boys.
We have a great coaching staff and players and the message at half time was to stick to systems and we came back at them in the second half
We managed to pull through, we are resilient for a young group.
There is a real team buy in here, all the coaches all the players, everyone just wants to put their best foot forward.
Official player of the match
The outstanding Immanuel Feyi-Waboso gets the gong from broadcasters TNT Sports after a huge performance despite not scoring a try.
Who will Exeter play next?
Exeter Chiefs will face either Toulouse in France or Racing 92 here next weekend in the quarter-finals.
The two Top 14 sides face each other tomorrow with Toulouse heavy favourites with the bookies.
FULL TIME - Exeter Chiefs 21 Bath Rugby 15
Exeter Chiefs have done it again, for a third time in the Champions Cup this season they have come from behind to win and will advance to the quarter-finals of the competition at Bath's expense.
The injury disruption to the Bath back line played havoc. You have to question head of rugby Johann van Graan's decision to go with the 6:2 spit on the replacements bench.
21-15
Line out steal
Matt Gallagher has hit throw to the front pod of the lineout 25m out picked off by Christ Tshiunza.
That is another big defensive play.
21-15
Huge turnover
Exeter are looking to run down the clock with Jack Innard carrying passively. You can't do that with Sam Underhill around and he jackals over the ball to win a penalty for not releasing.
Matt Gallagher kicks long for touch.
This is a big moment to come.
21-15
Big rip
Bath are hanging on in their game.
Mike Reid rips the ball in a tackle as he defends his own tryline and the visitors put boot to ball.
The kick is a couple of feet from being a 50/22 but bounces the wrong side of the 22 flag for the Blue, Black and White.
Exeter will have the lineout.
21-15
The roll of the ball favours Exeter
Not for the first time this game, Matt Gallagher gets a little too much on a kick into the Exeter backfield and it rolls dead.
Chiefs will have a scrum on halfway.
And they win a penalty at it.
Everything is going Exeter's way.
21-15
TRY - Exeter Chiefs - 21-15
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has done it again. The winger drives low and wins the collision against two tired Bath defenders to get Exeter to within a couple feet of the Bath try line.
Ethan Roots comes in and finishes the job with a powerful flop over the whitewash.
Henry Slade then banana kicks the conversion through the posts, judging the wind perfectly.
This has been phenomenal from Exeter.
21-15
Brutal midfield contest
This has turned rugby league-esque at the moment with two straight lines of attack and defence crashing into each other with some seismic collisions.
Unlike rugby league, Ollie Lawrence comes up with a great turnover as he rips the ball in a tackle.
But Bath kick away possession and Henry Slade comes up with a brilliant kick of his own to pin Louis Schreuder into coffin corner. The replacement scrum half is then smashed into touch to hand Exeter a great platform to attack from.
14-15
Exeter looking dangerous
Bath are not adapting well to the positional changes in the backfield and look to have lost all their structure. Ben Spencer seems to be playing at fly-half with Orlando Bailey at 12.
Exeter sense they have momentum and are attacking with vigor as Olly Woodburn bursts down the left wing. Joe Cokanasiga just gets back to drag the Chiefs man towards touch to force him to throw a desperate offload that is taken by Ben Spencer
14-15
TRY - Exeter Chiefs - 14-15
Exeter are over the line.
A Immanuel Feyi-Waboso short range blast gets Chiefs close and then replacement number eight Greg Fisilau bursts over from close range. Ethan Roots also had a couple of epic carries in traffic in the build-up to that score.
Henry Slade then adds the conversion from 10m to the left of the uprights. In the wind that is a good kick.
Bath forced into a backline reshuffle
Scrum half Louis Schreuder is on for centre Cam Redpath who looks to have injured his ankle.
Ben Spencer is also on so we have two number nines on the pitch.
7-15
So close to an interception
Exeter employ their aggressive line speed in defence and Olly Woodburn is so close to intercepting the ball.
In the end it just reaches Joe Cokanasiga but then Chiefs pile in to win a penalty at the breakdown for not releasing.
7-15
Big moment from Ewels
Matt Gallagher fails to judge the wind and a 70m kick rolls dead to hand Exeter a scrum on the Bath 22.
Tom Cairns breaks off the back and goes beyond the first attempted tackle but Cam Redpath brings him down and then Charlie Ewels jackals over the ball to win a penalty at the breakdown where Bath are dominating.
7-15
PENALTY KICK - Bath Rugby - 7-15
Josh Hodge is penalised for coming in at the side as he tries to clear out a ruck on halfway following a brilliant tackle from Charlie Ewels.
The kicking tee comes on and Ben Spencer, wind assisted, smashes over the 50m effort with ease. He could have scored that from at least 65m.
7-15
Stunning from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is forced to run back to gather a deep kick in behind the Exeter line.
He gets up to full speed and beats three defenders before a pair of Bath tacklers drag him down.
Bath get the ball back and spot an opportunity to launch a cross-field kick to Will Muir who is in plenty of space but the ball bounces horribly away from him.
Nice idea from Orlando Bailey.
7-12
Turnover for Exeter
Bath mess up the lineout in the Exeter 22, overthrowing their intended jumper.
Ethan Roots catches but his offload to Ehren Painter is dropped.
However, at the following scrum Ben Spencer gets scragged by Roots and Rusi Tuima comes in to win a penalty for not releasing.
7-12
Interception
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso gambles and bursts out the line to intercept a pass from Ben Spencer down the blindside, but referee Luc Ramos brings play back for offside.
Matt Gallagher kicks into the corner from the penalty on halfway.
7-12
SECOND HALF KICKS OFF
Bath captain Ben Spencer has passed his HIA and is back on the pitch.
The visitors get the game back underway through Orlando Bailey who is on the pitch following the injury to Finn Russell in just the 14th minute.
That appears to be a groin injury but we have had no confirmation.
7-12
HALF TIME - Exeter Chiefs 7 Bath 12
Considering everything seemed to go Exeter's way in that first half, Bath will be very happy with the scoreline.
Despite losing Finn Russell to game ending injury, and with club captain Ben Spencer off for a HIA, and after Alfie Barbeary horribly knocked on to hand Chiefs a try through Ross Vintcent, they points ahead of Chiefs who have played with the howling wind at their backs in the first 40 minutes.
Tries from Ted Hill and Thomas du Toit have delivered their lead.
7-12
