Stunning Bristol fightback sinks Exeter

Gallagher Premiership

Exeter (15) 35

Tries: Brown-Bampoe 2, Feyi-Waboso 2 Cons: Hodge 3 Pens: Hodge 3

Bristol (12) 40

Tries: Marmion, Batley, Oghre, Ibitoye 3 Cons: MacGinty 5

Gabriel Ibitoye scored a stunning late hat-trick as Bristol fought back to beat Exeter 40-35 and go top of the Premiership after a thrilling West Country derby.

Paul Brown-Bampoe and England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso tries gave Chiefs a 15-12 half-time lead, with Joe Batley and Kieran Marmion responding.

A second try apiece from wingers Brown-Bampoe and Feyi-Waboso made it 32-12, but the Chiefs lost the plot after Dan Frost’s 65th-minute sin-binning.

Three tries in four minutes through Gabriel Oghre and Ibitoye (2) put Bears in front.

And after Josh Hodge’s late penalty nudged the Chiefs back in front, Ibitoye raced away to seal a stunning win.

More to follow.

Exeter: Hodge; Feyi-Waboso, Woodburn, Hawkins, Brown-Bampoe; Skinner, Maunder; Sio, Yeandle (c), Street, Tuima, Molina, Vermeulen, Capstick, Vintcent.

Replacements: Frost, Goodrick-Clarke, Iosefa-Scott, Dunne, Roots, Fisilau, Cairns, Hammersley.

Sin-bin: Frost (65).

Bristol: Lane; Bates, Jenkins, Janse van Rensburg, Ibitoye; MacGinty, Marmion; Woolmore, Oghre, Lahiff, Caulfield, Batley, Luatua, S Grondona, Harding (c).

Replacements: Capon, Genge, Kloska, Dun, B Grondona, Randall, Worsley, Elizalde.

Sin-bin: Caulfield (15).

Referee: M Carley.