Falcons keep nerve as Chiefs lose again
NEWCASTLE Falcons secured just their third win of the season with a precious victory over a wasteful Exeter Chiefs who suffered their fourth defeat in five games.
Newcastle led by seven points at half-time as George McGuigan, Mateo Carreras and Guy Pepper went over for the hosts with Ruben van Heerden and Jack Yeandle replying for the Devon side. Both sides had tries disallowed for knock-ons after the break as Brett Connon added a penalty for Newcastle.
Scott Sio scored a late try for Exeter but Newcastle held on to claim the win.
Throughout their recent success Exeter have possessed a formidable scrum, but this season it has proved their Achilles heel and that continued as they conceded three critical penalties at scrum time on Friday night.
Falcons head coach Dave Walder was delighted with his side’s hard fought display that secured backto-back wins for the first time this season.
He said: “Two tries off the back of mauls put us in a good position and then we just dug in. Exeter threw everything at us and I thought we fought and scrapped and showed a brilliant attitude to hang in.
“It was a great game plan put together by Mark Laycock, Micky Ward, Scott MacLeod and Mark Wilson, we showed brilliant attitude to hang in there and the urgency and desperation to win from the boys was outstanding.
“Defensively we felt pretty comfortable, and for the most part the only way they were moving up the pitch was through our own lack of self-discipline.”
The home side flew out of the blocks and had a seven-point lead in as many minutes, Connon kicking a superb penalty to touch from a narrow angle to set up a line-out five metres out down the right.
A dextrous one-handed take from Sebastian de
Chaves set the platform for a textbook driving maul, from which the familiar sight of McGuigan grounding the ball was once again forthcoming.
However, Exeter lock van Heerden levelled the scores with a pick and go from under the posts just five minutes later.
Having put in a try-saving tackle on Matias Moroni, Exeter full-back Josh Hodge missed a challenge on Carreras that allowed the Argentina winger to sprint in for Newcastle’s second after 18 minutes as Exeter struggled at the breakdown.
Exeter had a good chance foiled by a strong Newcastle defence 12 minutes before the break, but they eventually got through from close range shortly before half-time through skipper Yeandle.
However, Pepper replied with the final play of the half as he dived in after a maul was collapsed by Van Heerden, for which the Exeter lock was sent to the sin-bin.
Falcons should have extended their lead 12 minutes after the break, but Freddie Lockwood knocked on as he went to touch down after a good
break by Micky Young, before Connon added three points.
Dogged defence from the home side kept the Devonians at arm’s length as Moroni stopped replacement Solomone Kata in his tracks with a superb tackle, but there was no halting Sio when the Aussie veteran ploughed over from a pick-and-go in the right corner with six minutes remaining.
But Newcastle held on to send Exeter back on the league’s longest away journey without a win for the first time since January 2018.