Bristol U18s 17 Chiefs U18s 21

Bristol Under-18s 17

Exeter Chiefs Under-18s 21

 

By Mark Stevens
10/1/17
Coach Rob Gibson praised the fighting spirit of his Exeter Chiefs Under-18s side after they opened their 2017 Academy League campaign with a very hard fought 21-17 win against their Bristol counterparts on Saturday.

A strong second half showing from the visitors proved significant as they overcame a 7-3 half time deficit to claim victory at Felton College.

Fly-half Joe Elderkin kicked Exeter’s only points of the opening half, but early tries from prop James Kenny and winger AJ Cant helped to settle the nerves early into the second period.

Kenny’s try came after Exeter used a line-out move to set up the platform from which they drove the young forward over; then Cant showed his finishing skills, following up a chip over the top and winning the subsequent race to the try line.

Bristol, however, refused to go quietly and they kept themselves in touch for much of the contest thanks to tries from Sam Perry, Will Capon and Charlie Powell, one of which was converted by Nathan Chamberlian.

Thankfully, the Chiefs held firm and they ensured victory late on thanks to two penalites from replacement Gwyn Parks.

“For a first run out we were relatively pleased,” said Gibson. “The squad had not played together since the summer and a certain amount of rustiness did show. The second half, though, we showed much greater fluidity and our combinations started to develop.

“I’m sure having had this run-out we will be much stronger next week. Also, we have very good depth across all positions and while the competition for places is very strong, the ability to for us as coaches to have complete confidence in the bench and know that all players will add values on performance is very heartening.”

Next up for the Chiefs is a trip to London Irish this Saturday.

Chiefs: T Naduva; J Penprase, O Gibbon (G Parks 47), C Gilbert (T Williams 61), AJ Cant; J Elderkin, J Snow (capt, S Maunder 51), J Kenny (D Southworth 55), B Phillips (W Rideout 55), M Street (A Petch 61); J Parker Cooke, L Pearson; M Norey (T Clarke 26), R Capstick, R Tuima (W Gibson 42)