Exeter Braves 13 Royal Navy 31
Exeter Braves 13
Royal Navy 31
Mike Smith at Sandy Park
Exeter Braves coach Ricky Pellow said he was proud of the efforts of his young side in tackling a strong Royal Navy outfit at Sandy Park.
In what was a fourth outing this season for the club’s Outreach Group, Pellow and other members of the Exeter coaching staff were keen to cast their eyes over a string of up-and-coming players from clubs across the local region.
In front of a crowd of almost 1,500, the young Braves did not disappoint, providing stubborn resistance to the Navy, who themselves are readying themselves for upcoming battles against the British Police, Royal Air Force and, their crunch clash with the Army at Twickenham on May 2.
On a miserable Wednesday evening, it was the Braves who started the brighter. Sidmouth No.8 Peli Vea – who was a constant threat for the hosts all night – created their first chance, latching onto a pass from Jay Toogood. However, as he looked to make serious inroads into the Navy 22, support from his team-mates was slow in coming and the chance came and went in a flash.
Undeterred, the Braves continued to push forward and they were eventually rewarded on 17 minutes when fly-half Haydn Lidstone fired them in front, referee Ben Russell punishing the visitors for infringing at a ruck.
That lead, however, proved short-lived as the servicemen roared back into contention. Ben Chambers claimed their opening try, the winger providing a slick finish in the left corner following neat approach play involving Gareth Rees, Ed Pascoe and Jordan Gott.
Scrum-half Rees plundered a superb touchline conversion and he was on hand to add the extras to their second try, which arrived just past the half-hour mark when hooker Ben Priddey rumbled over from a close-range line-out drive.
As half time approached, the Navy claimed their third converted score of the night, Chambers again the finisher, this time fly-hacking a loose ball in behind the Braves defence and then winning the subsequent sprint race to the try-line.
HALF TIME EXETER BRAVES 3 ROYAL NAVY 31
After a disappointing ending to the first half, the Braves were hoping the interval would allow them to regroup and come out firing. Again, they edged the opening exchanges, but their failure to convert possession and territory into points was telling and it was visitors who would extend their lead on 48 minutes.
Making the most of turnover ball, the Navy crafted an opening for replacement Henry Hughes, who brushed aside the attentions of a couple of Exeter defenders before propelling himself over the whitewash for the score.
To their credit, the Braves refused to lie down and from the restart they claimed their first try of the night, the impressive Vea showing a good turn of speed and then power in his carrying to work the opening for winger Josh Davies to collect and dive over for the score.
Up and running at last, the young Braves continued to offer a genuine threat in attack, but it was the Navy’s strength – coupled with a more precise game plan – which enabled them to add another score just before the hour mark.
With an obvious edge up front, particularly at scrum time, it came as no surprise when a close-range scrum allowed No.8 Timoci Kava to dot down unopposed.
The final quarter saw both sides empty their benches and it was Exeter replacement Ben Martin who made the biggest impact, the young back-row forward claiming his side’s second try of the night, burrowing over from a few metres out.
Post-game, Pellow reflected on his side’s latest showing. He said: “We’re immensely proud of what this group have achieved, not just tonight, but across all of the fixtures. Yes, we’re a little frustrated with how the game unfolded and with the scoreline, but in the three games building up to this game - and again tonight – what those players have done, both individually and collectively, is shown some real character which is what we really look for.
“They’ve really shown what it’s like to come together as a group, in a small amount of time, and put it all out onto the field. The likes of Peli Vea, the way that he carried the ball tonight, he would fit in really well with one of our A League sides.
“Ollie Schuster-Wood is a young prop who is showing some real potential with what he does around the field. I thought he was really powerful and explosive with his work and technique around the scrum. Also, the two centres Rhys Palmer and George Banfield, they are a real handful and have shown they can step up another level.
“Overall, it’s been good to see all these guys in these fixtures. Getting out and working with these local clubs is a huge positive for us and we’ve seen some great rugby from this group.”
Exeter Braves: D Lilley (J Banfield 71); W Loughton (J Saunders 59), G Banfield, R Palmer (C Edbrooke 59), J Davies; H Lidstone, J Toogood (O White 57); O Schuster-Wood (F Frinconnet 57), H Hocking (W Bremner 59), W Norton (J King 59); S Baker, J McQuillan (A Northcott 54); F Elworthy (B Martin 59), R Edbrooke (capt), P Vea. Replacement (not used): S Coogan.
Tries - Davies, Martin; Penalty - Lidstone
Royal Navy: J Gott (A Peterson 69); T Gobey, B Janes (K Baker 66), S Raumakita, B Chambers (H Hughes h/t); D Rutter (J Hanley 69), G Rees (S Carter 54); R Ives (S Bentley 43, D Cleverley 73), B Priddey (E Barnaschone 73), A Wilman (K Alton 73); J Kirwan, S Makepeace (capt, B Watson 66); E Pascoe (D Johnson 62), M Spencer (R Bonnick 51), T Kava (T Papp 62).
Tries - Chambers (2), Priddey, Hughes, Kava; Conversions - Rees (3)
Referee: B Russell
Attendance: 1,453