2019/20 Round 1: Stade Rochelais 12 Exeter Chiefs 31

Exeter took control of Pool 2 with a bonus-point win at the Stade Marcel Deflandre, crossing through Dave Dennis, Tom O’Flaherty, Henry Slade and Sam Simmonds.

Lock Dennis squeezed over from close range early on before wing O’Flaherty stepped inside to finish superbly eight minutes before half-time.

Chiefs took a 14-0 lead into the second half, but La Rochelle threatened a comeback following the restart as an excellent move saw Arthur Retière send Geoffrey Doumayrou over.

But the hosts’ hopes of a recovery were short lived as centre Slade scooped up a loose ball and sprinted away to dot down before No.8 Simmonds barrelled over for Exeter’s fourth on 62 minutes.

Joe Simmonds kicked a penalty to take his personal tally to 11 points and move Exeter further in front, but La Rochelle had the final say when Kini Murimurivalu crossed in the final play.

2019/20 Round 6: Exeter Chiefs 33 Stade Rochelais 14

Exeter made it two bonus-point wins from two over La Rochelle and secured top spot in Pool 2 as they ran in another five tries at Sandy Park.

Luke Cowan-Dickie profited from a driving maul early on before Kini Murimurivalu finished clinically in response for La Rochelle.

Dave Ewers notched Chiefs’ second on 19 minutes but the visitors would hit back again as a deliberate knock-on from Stuart Hogg saw them awarded a penalty try and the full-back shown a yellow card.

But Exeter survived until half-time and following the restart, Sam Simmonds crossed twice in 10 minutes before Stuart Townsend added a fifth score on the hour mark to send the hosts into the knockout stage in emphatic fashion.

Exeter would go on to beat Northampton Saints (38-15), Stade Toulousain (28-18) and Racing 92 (31-27) to lift the Heineken Champions Cup for the first time, while Sam Simmonds claiming the EPCR Player of the Year award.