SUPER SAM IS EXETER CHIEF
Now Simmonds could be England’s new No8
ENGLAND may need a new No 8 this autumn and Exeter’s Sam Simmonds is making a more than compelling case to be the man each week.
At Sandy Park he was brilliant, as he has been all season. The 22-year-old may only be 6ft tall and 14st 9lb, hardly the ball-carrying brute, but he is doing so much that is excellent he is worthy of a Test call-up.
With Billy Vunipola out for three more months with a knee injury, Nathan Hughes yet to recover from a dead leg and Jack Clifford dislocating his shoulder on Friday night for Harlequins, Si mmonds is moving into prime position for the autumn Tests.
As the Chiefs notched a routine win to go back to the top of the table — their 11th consecutive Premiership home win — he carried 13 times, made 70 metres, beat five defenders and scored a stunning try. Working in tandem with the superb Nic White, it was a great display from the back of the scrum.
Forwards coach Rob Hunter is enjoying Simmonds’s start to the season. ‘Every time he touches the ball people are waiting to see whether he’s going to make a break,’ he said. ‘He is in great form. Hopefully he is in l i ne for an England call. Whether he fits what they want, and depending on who else is available we must wait and see.’ Newcastle have never won here and were probably happy taking a bonus point, which keeps them third. It took the champions just nine minutes to open the scoring, White sneaking in from a metre out. Steenson converted and added a penalty 10 minutes later, when the Falcons were offside, before Exeter scored again. It was much prettier than the first. From quick line-out ball White and Simmonds exchanged passes and the Australian went through before drawing the final defender on the right to send Turner in. Steenson hit the kick.
Then a nasty moment. Jack Nowell was caught in the face by a stray limb as he entered a breakdown, and spun away clutching the wound below his left eye that bled profusely (left). The England winger did not return and later went to hospital.
Will Welch’s close-range try, confirmed by the TMO, saw the Falcons wake from their slumber but after Tane Takalua missed the kick the Chiefs soon restored order, as Simmonds scored a beauty.
He burst down the left wing, burned DTH van der Merwe and stepped past both Takalua and Alex Tait to score his fifth try of the season.
Juan Pablo Socino replied for Newcastle before the break, following a poor White clearance kick. That prompted Exeter head coach Ali Hepher to jump out of his seat in the stands, shout an expletive and head for the dressing-room in disgust.
After the break Socino was sinbinned when he drove his forearm into the face of Ian Whitten. Steenson hit the resulting penalty.
A Tait try gave Newcastle hope, Toby Flood knocking over the conversion nine years after his last for the club, but it was soon snuffed out. Van der Merwe stopped a rolling maul illegally, coming in from the side. He was yellow- carded and a penalty try gave the home side a bonus point.
Goneva scored Newcastle’s fourth, which Flood converted, but t he day belonged to the Chiefs and Simmonds.