Waldrom claims last-gasp try as relieved Exeter end losing run
A converted try in the game’s last play saved Premiership champions Exeter Chiefs from a fourth successive league defeat for the first time in three years.
With time up, No 8 Thomas Waldrom forced his way over beside the posts, leaving Joe Simmonds to slot a simple conversion.
For large parts of the game, the Chiefs were every bit as poor as they had been a fortnight before in losing at home to Worcester, whereas Saints belied their lowly league position and scored three excellent tries through their dangerous back division.
Northampton led 30-17 with 10 minutes left and were on course for only their second away league win since last March, but could not hang on.
Exeter’s relieved director of rugby Rob Baxter said: “It is five hugely valuable points, though I can’t say I am delighted with our performance.
“I predicted we might be a little bit nervy and edgy, and in the first half the number of half-breaks and breaks we made where the next thing that happened was we dropped the ball or lost possession was scary. But the last quarter showed us exactly where we were playing at the start of the season.”
Northampton’s acting head coach, Alan Dickens, said: “For 70 minutes, we were in control. Then Olly Woodburn makes a fantastic break and Exeter finish it off. That gets their tails up. They then get field position from our indiscipline and come away with the bonus-point win.
“Rob Horne was fantastic today, and the centre combination worked pretty well for us, but we just didn’t get another field position opportunity after we went 13 points up.”
The Saints got off to a fine start with a lovely piece of interplay down the left providing a try for Australian centre Horne, improved by Piers Francis.
Exeter responded with a penalty try for Saints collapsing a driving maul, and loose-head prop Campese Ma’afu was sin-binned.
However, the Chiefs failed to capitalise on their one-man advantage and Saints scored the only points while the forward was off, with a Stephen Myler penalty restoring their lead.
Exeter finally managed to get in front for the first time five minutes before the break, when good footwork by scrum-half Will Chudley provided the opportunity for England prop Alec Hepburn to drop over from close range, Gareth Steenson adding the extras.
But soon after, Saints centre Luther Burrell carved through the Chiefs on halfway and good hands by Horne put Ben Foden racing away for a try in the left corner. Francis slotted a magnificent touchline conversion, giving the Saints a 17-14 interval lead.
With the wind behind them in the second half Exeter looked strong, but Harry Mallinder broke away for a try under the posts after excellent work from Francis and Horne, and after Steenson had kicked a penalty for Chiefs, Francis banged over two more to put Saints 30-17 ahead.
The Chiefs ran their bench, making a big call to replace skipper Steenson with Simmonds. Don Armand was put away under the posts, with Simmonds converting for a grandstand finish. In the dying moments, Exeter had a catchand-drive stopped illegally by Teimana Harrison, who was sin-binned, and Waldrom crossed to save them.
Elsewhere, Christian Wade’s lastditch try helped earn a 25-25 draw at Trailing by 12 points at half-time, the visitors drew level in the last play of the game, thanks to Jimmy Gopperth’s conversion.
Sinoti Sinoti marked his new contract with by scoring their fourth and final try in a 28-10 win over their first league victory at the Stoop in almost 18 years.
Zach Mercer’s late try and a nerveless conversion from James Wilson clinched a 33-32 home victory for against
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