Chiefs still the boss
Champions step it up to power past Newcastle
EXETER shot down the Falcons in brutal style at Sandy Park, as Newcastle dropped from cloud nine with a bump.
These Chiefs have some big beasts in their tribe and having snared this bird of prey, the hunt continues as they travel to Twickenham for their third consecutive Premiership final.
A commanding show of strength means the champions will defend their crown — all their forwards were brilliantly brutish and their backs sparkled when the space was made. Exeter will take a new hero to HQ this time — young Joe Simmonds. The 21-year-old fly-half, preferred in the run-in to wise old head Gareth Steenson, put in an immaculate showing behind a lumbering black pack.
‘I am very pleased,’ said Chiefs boss Rob Baxter. ‘While winning is great, the manner of our win is very pleasing. What we had was a performance glued together.
‘It was glued together for longer than Newcastle and that has made the difference in the scoreline.’
The first half at a heaving Sandy Park was a mass siege. The Chiefs had to shoot their slings and arrows into ahead-wind that would have Francis Beaufort’s fringe fluttering — but my word did they fire some shots.
In seemingly relentless waves of black shirts, the Exeter forwards whacked their way through countless phases all half. If it was not Dave Ewers, the bent-backed brute with hands of a concert pianist, it was wild- haired prop Alec Hepburn, daring Don Armand, jinking Jack Nowell or hawk-eyed Henry Slade.
Newcastle looked like those 300 desperate Spartans at Thermopylae — sacrificing themselves, refusing to relent, clinging on to as many tackles as they could before their inevitable demise.
By half-time the statistics were astonishing. The Falcons had attempted 154 tackles — Exeter just nine, with seven of their XV not needing to make a single hit in defence.
Reflecting afterwards Baxter said: ‘I asked at half-time: “what’s the best thing about our defence?” and they said “we have not had to do anything”, which was exactly right.’
But not until the 38th minute when the Chiefs had peaked at a remarkable figure of 93 per cent possession and 94 per cent territory — could the hosts score a try.
Simmonds had to be content with three penalties. The latter came when Nic White wanted to fizz the ball left but Falcons lock Evan Olmstead slapped it down with a big paw and was sin-binned.
Before the half was out, Exeter finally found a try. From lineout ball Lachie Turner scorched down the right, then Ewers performed an amazing smash-and-offload manoeuvre to find Olly Woodburn. White then had it close to the line, and sniped in for the score. The conversion took Exeter to only 16-0 up, but their dominance was total.
The moment to hammer that home came — oddly — after Newcastle scored. Simmonds hit two more penalties but then Toby Flood found Alex Tait with a cut-out pass and he went over. However, Turner raced up to charge down Flood’s conversion attempt — something hardly seen on a rugby field — and then the Chiefs scored again.
From an attacking scrum, White found Woodburn who finished well. Simmonds converted.
Newcastle’s director of rugby Dean Richards said: ‘The boys did not freeze on the day, they just did not capitalise on what opportunities they had.’
The wound was gaping and Armand poured salt right into it, scoring the last try when Thomas Waldrom made a great surge.
These champion Chiefs are desperate to keep their crown. Baxter’s boys now go hunting for Saracens.