Chiefs 24 Falcons 5
Exeter Chiefs 24
Newcastle Falcons 5
Mark Stevens at Sandy Park
Sometimes you just have to win ugly.
In years to come, not many will remember this latest Gallagher Premiership encounter, but in the grand scheme of things, the five points Exeter Chiefs collected could yet prove pivotal in the final shake-up.
Rob Baxter’s side propelled themselves back into the play-off picture with a workmanlike display against visiting Newcastle Falcons who, for large parts of the first half, were the more dominant side.
A try from Mateo Carreras had given them the lead, but that was their only reward on a hard day of toil in the Westcountry. Instead, it was the Chiefs who were celebrating come the end, courtesy of a penalty try and further efforts from Dan Frost, Jack Nowell and Sam Simmonds.
After the disappointment of their Twickenham drubbing seven days earlier, the Chiefs - who showed five changes to their starting line-up - were hoping a return to home comforts would allow them to rediscover their winning formula at the first attempt.
The Falcons, however, have proved formidable foes in recent meetings and they arrived from the snow in the North East to the drizzle of the South West looking to add to the woes of the Devonians.
With first use of the wind, the visitors started brightly and they controlled the opening 15 minutes, pinning the Chiefs back deep inside their own 22. Although they bossed both possession and territory, they could not find a way through the water-tight home defence.
Indeed, they turned down a perfectly kickable penalty chance for fly-half Brett Connon, instead looking for greater reward in the right corner. The tactic, however, back-fired and the Chiefs - who were guilty of coughing up a number of soft penalties in the opening quarter - held firm as the Falcons looked to drive a line-out from five metres out.
The tetchy nature of the contest continued as first Exeter centre Solomone Kata had his shirt ripped from his back in an off-the-ball altercation, then a further melee in front of the East Stand brought about another fracas, which this time brought about a word of warning for both sides from referee Tom Foley.
Still, though, the Falcons continued to press in attack and their efforts were finally rewarded when good work from skipper Michael Young created space out wide for Carreras. Still with plenty to do, the Argentine winger stepped in off the left flank and cut a lovely path to the try-line for the game’s opening score.
It was a more than justified lead for the visitors, but the score seemed to ignite the Chiefs into life. Straight from the restart, Ian Whitten regathered Harvey Skinner’s kick, helping to instigate Exeter’s first meaningful attack of the game.
Scrum-half Sam Maunder was deemed to have been held just shy of the line as he darted from the back of a ruck, but with the resultant penalty, the Chiefs used the five-metre line-out to propel hooker Frost over the line to restore parity.
Up and running, the Chiefs now had a greater spring about their step. Kata was an ever-willing runner in midfield, whilst the forwards continued to go about their business in trucking the ball up, only for the move to fail right at the death.
Exeter’s scourge, however, remained the penalty count and when Whitten was sent to the sidelines for a deliberate knock-on in the shadows of his own posts, the Falcons were afforded another greater opportunity to strike.
Just as they had done earlier, they twice declined kicks at goal, going for the corner instead. On both occasions, the Chiefs held firm, including with the last play of the half as they repelled a line-out drive which Foley needed to check with the TV match official for validity of grounding.
Thankfully, there was no clear evidence and the Chiefs were spared as they headed for the half-time sheds.
HALF TIME: EXETER CHIEFS 5 NEWCASTLE FALCONS 5
Discipline would clearly have been a buzz word for the coaches during the interval, but it appeared the message hadn’t got through to the Chiefs, who continued to fall foul of Foley during the initial exchanges.
Whitten returned from the sidelines, but flanker Aidon Davis would instantly take over his already warmed seat as the patience of Foley finally told. Exeter’s ill-discipline was literally killing them, but somehow the scoreline remained untouched as the minutes ticked by.
To their credit, the fight was there in abundance from the Chiefs and when they finally got back into their attacking groove, they were able to make a crucial breakthrough, skipper Nowell the hero as he caught the visitors napping with a quickly taken penalty to power over. Skinner added the extras to make it a maximum haul.
In front for the first time and with the Sandy Park faithful now clearly roused by the efforts of the ‘Men in Black’, the Chiefs continued to push forward in numbers. A penalty award just inside the Falcons half allowed them to pin Newcastle back deep in their own 22 where, from the resultant line-out, the Exeter eight amassed as one to produce a powerful drive to the line.
Hands down it looked destined to produce a score, only for Falcons forward Callum Chick to crudely bring it to a shuddering halt. Foley spotted the infringement, binning the Newcastle man and awarding the penalty try, which extended Exeter’s lead to 14 points.
With the breathing space they craved, now the Chiefs were able to exert their own form of pressure on the Falcons. It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t need to be at times. The key thing was with three tries in the bag, it was essential they now gleaned a fourth and the all-important bonus point.
They continued to huff and puff - and the bench certainly offered a renewed vigour - and it was eight minutes from time that they got their reward when No.8 Simmonds, deemed surplus to requirements by England earlier in the week, burrowed his way over for the score.
Minutes later and Simmonds thought he was over again, but this time his effort was chalked off following a number of reviews, the officials deeming he had lost possession of the ball as he looked to touch down.
In the end it mattered not, Exeter’s mission had been accomplished and with it the race for the play-offs once again heated up with just four rounds of the regular season remaining.
Chiefs: J Hodge (J Simmonds 60); J Nowell (capt), I Whitten, S Kata (R O’Loughlin 68), O Woodburn; H Skinner, S Maunder (J Maunder 60); S Sio, D Frost (J Yeandle 58), M Street (P Schickerling 65); J Kirsten (M Williams 62), J Dunne; D Ewers, J Vermeulen (A Davis 37), S Simmonds. Replacement (not used): D Southworth.
Tries - Frost, Nowell, Penalty, S Simmonds; Conversion - Skinner (2)
Yellow Cards: Whitten, Davis
Falcons: E Obatoyinbo (I Stephens 65); A Radwan, M Morini, M Orlando (P Lucock 73), M Carreras; B Connon, M Young (capt, S Stuart 54); A Brocklebank (L Mulipola 58), J Blamire (O Fletcher 73), R Palframan (M Tampin 60); P Rubiolo (T Dalton 65), S de Chaves; F Lockwood, C Chick, C Fearns (T Marshall 65).
Try - Carreras
Yellow Card: Chick
Referee: T Foley
Attendance: 9,198