Exeter 31 - 0 Cardiff

Full time

18 Jan 2026

Stage: Pool 3 Round 4

Sandy Park

💩 1

😭 1

Exeter Chiefs secured a commanding 31-0 victory over Cardiff Rugby in the Challenge Cup. Bachuki Tchumbadze was the standout performer, scoring two tries in the opening 19 minutes and converting both, with Henry Slade adding another conversion shortly after. Cardiff's Rory Thornton received a yellow card, which further hampered their efforts to compete. The Chiefs continued to assert their dominance, with tries from Joseph Dweba and Julian Heaven before Paul Brown-Bampoe capped the scoring late in the match. Exeter's defensive line held firm throughout, leaving Cardiff unable to register any points. Multiple substitutions were made, but they did little to change the flow of the game. Overall, it was a comprehensive display by the Chiefs, showcasing their attacking prowess and defensive solidity.

Broadcasters

Where to watch in: France, Ireland, United Kingdom

Weather

Temperature: 6.6°C (Feels like 7.0°C) Condition: Cloudy Wind: 2.8 km/h, gusting to 7.6 km/h Humidity: 94% Cloud Cover: 99%

Highlights

Events

Kickoff
5'

Try

Bachuki Tchumbadze · Exeter

5 - 0
6'

Conversion

Henry Slade · Exeter

7 - 0
10'

Substitution

Richard Capstick on for Kane James · Exeter
18'

Yellow Card

Rory Thornton · Cardiff
19'

Try

Bachuki Tchumbadze · Exeter

12 - 0
21'

Conversion

Henry Slade · Exeter

14 - 0
23'

Try

Joseph Dweba · Exeter

19 - 0
28'

Yellow Card Complete

Rory Thornton · Cardiff
Halftime 19 - 0
Second Half
49'

Substitution

Corey Domachowski on for Danny Southworth · Cardiff
49'

Substitution

Javan Sebastian on for Sam Wainwright · Cardiff
49'

Substitution

George Nott on for Josh McNally · Cardiff
51'

Substitution

Cameron Winnett on for Cornel Smit · Cardiff
57'

Substitution

Jimmy Roots on for Bachuki Tchumbadze · Exeter
57'

Substitution

Will Goodrick-Clarke on for Scott Sio · Exeter
57'

Substitution

Julian Heaven on for Joseph Dweba · Exeter
61'

Substitution

Dafydd Hughes on for Evan Lloyd · Cardiff
61'

Substitution

Alun Lawrence on for James Botham · Cardiff
61'

Substitution

Lewis Pearson on for Dafydd Jenkins · Exeter
66'

Try

Julian Heaven · Exeter

24 - 0
67'

Conversion

Henry Slade · Exeter

26 - 0
67'

Substitution

Ben Hammersley on for Rory Jennings · Cardiff
67'

Substitution

Ieuan Davies on for Stephen Varney · Cardiff
67'

Substitution

Charlie Chapman on for Tom Hooper · Exeter
69'

Substitution

Rusi Tuima on for Rory Thornton · Exeter
77'

Try

Paul Brown-Bampoe · Exeter

31 - 0
Fulltime 31 - 0

Player ratings

Exeter

15 Olly Woodburn 6.2
14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso 6.3
13 Henry Slade 6.9
12 Will Haydon-Wood 6.8
11 Paul Brown-Bampoe 9.2
10 Harvey Skinner 7.7
9 Stephen Varney 5.6
1 Scott Sio 7.0
2 Joseph Dweba 8.1
3 Bachuki Tchumbadze 8.3
4 Dafydd Jenkins 6.9
5 Andrea Zambonin 6.0
6 Tom Hooper 7.5
7 Ethan Roots 7.3
8 Kane James 6.3
16 Julian Heaven 7.4
17 Will Goodrick-Clarke 6.5
18 Jimmy Roots 6.7
19 Rusi Tuima 6.2
20 Lewis Pearson 6.4
21 Richard Capstick 6.6
22 Charlie Chapman 6.2
23 Ben Hammersley 6.6

Cardiff

15 Jacob Beetham 6.4
14 Mason Grady 5.8
13 Cornel Smit 5.4
12 Rory Jennings 5.5
11 Tom Bowen 6.0
10 Ioan Lloyd 6.2
9 Johan Mulder 6.3
1 Danny Southworth 6.0
2 Evan Lloyd 7.9
3 Sam Wainwright 5.8
4 Josh McNally 5.9
5 Rory Thornton 5.1
6 James Botham 6.9
7 Dan Thomas 6.8
8 Taine Basham 7.4
16 Dafydd Hughes 6.3
17 Corey Domachowski 5.4
18 Javan Sebastian 6.5
19 George Nott 6.2
20 Alun Lawrence 6.0
21 Tom Cottle –
22 Ieuan Davies 5.9
23 Cameron Winnett 6.1