Exeter Chiefs comfortably beat London Irish

Exeter Chiefs have cruised to a comfortable 44-24 win over London Irish in the Aviva Premiership this afternoon, despite three tries in the last 10 minutes from their opponents.

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Tries from Carl Rimmer and Henry Slade with just over 20 minutes played helped the home side to a comfortable lead, while Gareth Steenson kicked three first-half penalties.

Damian Welch extended the Chiefs' lead further just before the interval with their third try of the day after Jack Nowell won the ball back for Exeter.

Welch was over again shortly after the restart, while Don Armand powered across the line two minutes later as the home side continued to pull away from their opponents.

As Exeter took a number of their starters off, the Exiles started to see more of the ball in the final 20 minutes, allowing Andy Fenby in for a try, while Blair Cowan came off the bench to add a quick brace.

The result keeps Exeter in the top four, while Irish stay eighth.