Hogg 5, Nowell 8: Exeter Chiefs vs Racing 92 player ratings from Champions Cup final
Top NewsSaturday, 17 October 2020 at 18:38
Exeter Chiefs won their first European title after they held off Racing 92 to win 31-27 in a thrilling Champions Cup final at Ashton Gate.
First half tries from Luke Cowan-Dickie, Harry Williams and Sam Simmonds gave the Chiefs a 21-12 lead at the break with Simon Zebo and Juan Imhoff crossing for the French side.
Henry Slade of Exeter Chiefs goes over for a try and celebrates during the Heineken Champions Cup Final Match between Exeter Chiefs and Racing 92 at Ashton Gate, Bristol on the 17 Oct. PHOTO: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
Zebo and Henry Slade traded tries after the restart before Camille Chat's converted try and a penalty from Maxime Machenaud set up a grandstand finish, 28-27.
Despite being down to 14 men for the final 10 minutes, Exeter held on for the narrow win with Joe Simmonds slotting a late penalty.
STATS ZONE
- Most tackles: Wenceslas Lauret (Racing 92) - 17
- Most missed tackles: Dave Ewers (Exeter Chiefs) - 4
- Most carries: Virimi Vakatawa (Racing) - 12
- Most metres: Virimi Vakatawa (Racing) - 116
- Most defenders beaten: Juan Imhoff (Racing) -3
- Most offloads: Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs) - 3
- Turnovers conceded: Finn Russell (Racing 92) - 4
RUCK’S MAN OF THE MATCH: Jack Nowell
Always hustling. The speedster always performs on the big occasion. A fantastic intercept and offload from the England international to set up Slade's try.
STAR PLAYERS:
Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs) - The lock has to be in Eddie Jones squad for the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup. Absolutely destroyed Finn Russell with a huge hit.
Virimi Vakatawa (Racing 92) - Massive yard maker, integral to most Racing attacks, breaks the gain line and always looking for space or making it. Didn't deserve to be on the losing side.
Finn Russell (Racing 92) - The epitome of cool. Played some lovely passes and little kicks to set team mates into key attacking spaces at times. Probably the most exciting fly-half to watch in the world right now.
UNDERPERFORMERS:
Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs) - Much was made of the fullback going toe-to-toe with his international teammate Finn Russell pre-match. However, Hogg just couldn't get himself into the match, making just three carries and also missing two tackles. Very poor by his incredibly high standards.
Exeter vs Racing 92 player ratings
Exeter: Stuart Hogg 5, Jack Nowell 8, Henry Slade 7, Ian Whitten 6, Tom O’Flaherty 6, Joe Simmonds (c) 7, Jack Maunder 7, Sam Simmonds 7, Jacques Vermeulen 7, Dave Ewers 7, Jonny Hill 8, Jonny Gray 7, Harry Williams 8, Luke Cowan-Dickie 8, Alec Hepburn 7
Racing 92: Simon Zebo 8, Louis Dupichot 7, Virimi Vakatawa 8, Henry Chavancy (c) 6, Juan Imhoff 7, Finn Russell, Teddy Iribaren 5, Antonie Claassen 6, Fabien Sanconnie 7, Wenceslas Lauret 7, Dominic Bird 7, Bernard Le Roux 6, Georges Henri Colombe 6, Camille Chat 7, Eddy Ben Arous 7
RANKED | The 10 highest paid people in rugby union, 2020
Keep reading to see the top 10 highest-paid people in rugby union, ranked in ascending order of earnings.
9=. ANDY FARRELL £600k (Ireland)
The first of two Farrell's on this list, Andy received a significant pay boost when he took over from Joe Schmidt following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
9=. DAN BIGGAR £600k (Northampton Saints)
The Welsh pivot has made the most of his big-money move from Ospreys to Northampton Saints, where he has shone consistently since joining in 2018.
8. STEVE LUATUA £650k (Bristol Bears)
Didn't make any friends within the All Blacks hierarchy when he decided to cash in on his extreme rugby talent, signing for Bristol in 2017. Has since signed a two-year contract extension. The All Blacks aren’t allowed by the New Zealand Rugby Union to pick exiles.
6=. OWEN FARRELL £750k (Saracens)
The England captain signed his deal a while ago. It's set to run until 2022 when he can expect to earn an increase again wherever he decides to play, assuming rugby hasn't completely decided to tighten its belt by then.
6=. EDDIE JONES £750k (England)
The highest-paid international rugby coach. His salary pales in comparison to Manchester City chief Pep Guardiola (£20million) and England football chief Gareth Southgate (£3m).
5. PAT LAM £800k (Bristol Bears)
The former Newcastle, Northampton and Samoa back-row will remain at Ashton Gate until at least 2023 after signing a bumper contract extension in 2019. The 50-year-old, as a result, became the highest paid rugby boss in the world.
4. MARO ITOJE £825k (Saracens)
Signed a new deal last year that was reportedly between £750,000 and £1 million. He's one of the next year and is widely regarded as the best lock in the world, with the salary to match.
3. EBEN ETZEBETH £900k (Toulon)
The 28-year-old Springbok extended his stay at the French club in July by signing a new three-year deal with the club that will see him remain at the club until June 2023.
2=. CHARLES PIUTAU £1m (Bristol Bears)
The former New Zealand wing or full-back become British rugby’s first million-pound player when he signed for Bristol Bears. The former All Black speedster, who deserted his international ambitions at the premature age of 23, has consistently been one of the best players in Europe since 2015.
1=. HANDRE POLLARD £1m (Montpellier)
The World Cup-winning Springboks playmaker Handre Pollard became the joint highest paid rugby player in the world alongside Piutau when he agreed to leave the Bulls in Super Rugby to join Montpellier in the Top 14 last year.
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