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Jonny Hill (David Davies/PA)

Worcester were swept aside by opponents far quicker in thought and deed, with Exeter posting a 41-10 victory to move top of the table.

Exeter cruised to victory at Sixways as the Aviva Premiership champions recorded a second successive bonus-point win.

Worcester, bottom of the table and still to break their points duck this season, were swept aside by opponents far quicker in thought and deed, with Exeter posting a 41-10 victory to move top of the table.

Chiefs number eight Sam Simmonds scored the opening try and despite Worcester working overtime in defence, further scores followed before half-time for England and Lions wing Jack Nowell and lock Jonny Hill.

There was realistically no way back for Worcester after that, and although they claimed a try from juggernaut prop Biyi Alo that Sam Olver converted to add to an earlier penalty, Exeter pulled clear again through an Olly Woodburn touchdown and Simmonds’ second score. Fly-half Gareth Steenson kicked 16 points.

It meant that Exeter maintained their 100 per cent record in English rugby’s top flight against Worcester, sending them into Sunday week’s rematch of the 2017 Premiership final against Wasps in fine shape.

Worcester showed one enforced change from last weekend’s home defeat against Wasps, with Alo replacing Nick Schonert, who suffered a serious ankle injury after just 25 seconds of that game. Exeter also made a front-row switch as they handed Carl Rimmer a start instead of Ben Moon.

Steenson booted Exeter into an early lead, but the game quickly developed into endless bouts of tactical kicking as both sides looked to generate a territorial edge. Olver, on after just 11 minutes for an injured Tom Heathcote, landed an equalising penalty before Exeter saw a Woodburn try disallowed following a knock-on during some otherwise slick Chiefs approach play.

But Worcester’s defensive rearguard could only last so long, and Exeter scored three tries in 15 minutes to take the game away from their hosts.

Simmonds, who claimed two touchdowns during Exeter’s opening weekend defeat against Gloucester, pounced for the first from close range. Nowell then scored wide out before Hill finished off after Chiefs centre Henry Slade made light work of Worcester’s midfield defence.

Steenson’s immaculate goal-kicking meant all three tries were converted, taking Exeter into a 24-3 interval lead, with their dominance underlined by Worcester not making one excursion into the Chiefs’ 22 during the first half.

Worcester, though, set about making amends for that territorial imbalance after the restart and they breached Exeter’s defence after 49 minutes when Alo powered over for a second try in successive Premiership games.

Olver’s conversion further reduced the deficit, yet it was the cue for Exeter to storm back upfield through a surging break by substitute scrum-half Stuart Townsend. Fellow replacement Lachie Turner, though, could not gather his pass with the try-line staring him in the face.

Steenson’s second successful penalty put Exeter 17 points clear, and then it was purely a question of whether or not the bonus-point try would arrive.

Predictably, Exeter came up trumps with 18 minutes left as Worcester finally ran out of defensive numbers and Woodburn claimed a fourth touchdown that Steenson again converted.

And Exeter kept a collective foot to the floor, with Simmonds powering over for his fourth league try of the season and Steenson’s conversion taking them past 40 points before they finished a player short after Townsend was sin-binned.

Elsewhere, Bath slipped to a 24-6 defeat against Northampton and Sale Sharks claimed a comfortable 36-7 triumph over 14-man London Irish.

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