ROSS McMillan praised his side’s ruthless execution after Exeter Chiefs powered to a commanding 38-14 bonus-point victory over Newcastle Red Bulls at Kingston Park to help keep their play-off ambitions firmly on track.

The emphatic win saw the Devonians remain in the top four, seven points clear of fifth-placed Bristol Bears, and on course for a first play-off appearance since 2021.

The visitors made a blistering start and immediately put Newcastle under pressure. From an attacking line-out, the ball was moved quickly across the backs for winger Paul Brown-Bampoe to finish in the corner.

Five minutes later, the struck again, this time creating the attacking platform through the middle, before Harvey Skinner’s pass released Campbell Ridl in space to cross with ease.

The Red Bulls, who had come into the contest on the back of a strong showing at leaders Northampton Saints, could not handle the fast start from the Chiefs, who continued to dominate, adding a third try when Brown-Bampoe grabbed his second following a powerful driving maul that drew in the home defence.

Full-back Olly Woodburn secured the bonus point inside 26 minutes, finishing off another flowing move as Exeter’s attacking precision overwhelmed the hosts.

Ridl added his second before half-time, capitalising on a break created by Will Rigg and an offload from Woodburn to leave Newcastle trailing heavily at the interval.

Any hopes of a response were quickly extinguished after the break when Italian international Stephen Varney crossed for a sixth Chiefs’ try, finishing a slick move sparked by Ross Vintcent from another well-worked line-out.

Although the Red Bulls were improved after the break, they still struggled to cope with Exeter’s intensity in Stephen Jones’ first home game as interim head coach.

Despite the one-sided nature of the contest, the home supporters were given a moment to savour when Christian Wade produced a stunning solo effort. Collecting the ball near the touchline, he weaved past four defenders to score a remarkable try, his first in the Premiership for the club.

Late in the game, replacement prop Connor Hancock added a second try for Newcastle, burrowing over from close range, but it did little to change the overall picture of Exeter’s dominance.

The result leaves the Red Bulls bottom of the pile, having lost 11 of their 12 league matches this season.

Post-game, forwards coach McMillan said: “The start of the game looked exactly how we wanted it to go. Fair play to the players, they executed the plan very well.

“For us with the ball, Dave Walder, coming back up to the north, his plan in terms of how we launched our attack, we executed that really well. It looked ruthless and it looked dangerous and potent.”

Australia international Tom Hooper was again the stand-out figure for the Chiefs, winning the man-of-the-match accolade for a second successive week.

McMillan added: “Hoops is a big cog in how we drive the week and our standards. He is a character, one of many at the club. Listen, he is world class, does a huge amount of work-rate and will only get better. He is enjoying his time with us.”

Both sides now turn their attention to European Challenge Cup action this weekend with the Chiefs set to host Munster on Saturday at Sandy Park (12.30pm), while Newcastle face La Rochelle on the same day (8pm).