Paul Brown-Bampoe on verge of 'international recognition' with Exeter Chiefs heroics
Published 27/03/2026 at 23:07 GMT
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Paul Brown-Bampoe is on the verge of being recognised as an England winger thanks to his performances in a Exeter Chiefs shirt, believes TNT Sports pundit Chris Ashton. The winger backed up his strong showing last weekend with two tries against Newcastle Red Bulls, as Rob Baxter's side put them to the sword at Kingston Park on Friday to further cement their place in the Gallagher Prem top four.
Brown-Bampoe opens the scoring for Chiefs with slick finish at Kingston Park
Video credit: TNT Sports
Chris Ashton believes that Exeter Chiefs winger Paul Brown-Bampoe is on the cusp of receiving international recognition as his club performances continue to impress.
The Chiefs flyer crossed the try line twice against Newcastle Red Bulls in PREM Rugby action, making it eight tries scored so far this season.
Whilst his finishes were simple and came as a result of Exeter's formidable power up front and from the set-piece, it marks another solid outing from the 23-year-old.
"He's been such a good find, Brown-Bampoe," Chris Ashton told TNT Sports.
"He didn't have to do too much tonight. The forwards and the set-piece before the ball got to him were enough, but he's been so good in a few areas for quite a while now for Exeter. He's so close to getting internationally recognised.
The winger has also stepped up in the absence of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, providing Exeter with the tries they need out wide whilst the marquee international is out injured.
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Highlights: Chiefs put Newcastle to the sword with bonus point win at Kingston Park
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ashton continued: "He's so raw, and he does things you don't see many players doing. In tight spaces he beats people, he's strong - we were admiring his legs before the game!
"I think that unpredictability. There's something about being a winger and being unpredictable, it just works."
David Flatman also praised Brown-Bampoe, and centered on the parts of his game outside of his try-scoring efforts.
"It's easy to focus on the finishing and scoring, and that's great. But I liked his work taking the ball out of the air. I liked him in the high ball, taking the ball above his head in the wind, low awkward kicks. I liked his defensive work.
"When he gets the ball, people are standing off for two reasons. One is they're not quite sure where he's going to move because he's really agile.
"The other is, it's like tackling a bag of spanners. He's just massive. Really explosive and I'm not sure he knows where he's running sometimes, but it works.
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Wade scores against Chiefs to move one closer to PREM Rugby try record
Video credit: TNT Sports
Newcastle 'need continuity' to kick on
Newcastle head coach Stephen Jones was hoping for another solid display after his side pushed Northampton Saints to the wire last weekend in a 28-27 loss.
But the hosts were instantly overwhelmed by the Chiefs as they conceded twice in the opening 10 minutes, and within 25 minutes Exeter had four tries and their bonus point wrapped up.
Jones believes the side are ultimately moving in the right direction, but addressed the lack of continuity and consistency as the squad struggled to back up a good performance.
"I thought in the first half, the intensity they brought to the game put us under a lot of pressure in the contact area. We didn't get any momentum in that first half, and we gave ourselves a big hill to climb," Jones said.
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"From our perspective, we weren't as accurate. Our catch and pass skills put ourselves under pressure.
"They committed well to the break and the line speed was good. And because we didn't win the collisions, we got no forward momentum. That's something we have to address.
"I'm not going to fault the effort, the effort was there. The reality of it is our accuracy will need working on. I can tell you that now.
"We need to give ourselves continuity. We need to be able to ask questions of defences. But if we turn the ball over easily, we don't get the chance to do that.
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