CHIEFS IN COMMAND
Cool Simmonds sinks Sharks
SALE SHARKS’ bid to reach their first Premiership final since 2006 ended in disappointment in a semifinal thriller.
Exeter never lost the lead after Luke Cowan-Dickie’s fifth-minute try, but Sale refused to go away and kept their hopes alive until Joe Simmonds’ (below) penalty two minutes from time.
Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said: “You don’t win semi-finals by conceding 40 points.
“That’s not been our nature all year, but our speed of thought and speed of movement, and how intense we were around our own try line when we were five metres out is probably the biggest take-home lesson. But we can be very proud of how far we have come.”
The Chiefs secured their sixth successive Premiership final and director of rugby Rob Baxter said: “Credit to the players. They came through a real war against Sale last week and had to dig massively deep, and they have done the same today.”
A dramatic opening half an hour saw four tries and a yellow card for England centre Manu Tuilagi that could have been a red. He caught Exeter back rower Richard Capstick in the head with a tackle only five minutes into the game, which saw the youngster miss the rest of the match.
Seconds later, CowanDickie scored a close-range try, converted by
Simmonds, and six minutes later Henry Slade put Tom
O’Flaherty racing away for a score to give Chiefs a 12-point lead in almost as many minutes.
Sale responded with a long-range Rob Du Preez penalty but that was cancelled out by Simmonds to make it 15-3.
However, winger Arron Reed caught the kick-off and sent centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg in at the corner, with Du Preez slotting a touchline conversion to reduce the deficit to only five points.
Jack Nowell scored the Chiefs’ third try from a quick tap penalty on the half-hour mark, before a Du Preez penalty left the Sharks trailing 22-13 at the break.
A Simmonds penalty early in the second half was cancelled out by Van Rensburg’s second try from a grubber kick through by Du Preez, who converted, but a second for Nowell gave the Chiefs some breathing space again at 32-20.
Alex Cuthbert’s 67th-minute touchdown all but sealed it, but a tappenalty score from Dan Du Preez gave Sale renewed hope nine minutes from time until Simmonds’ match-sealing kick. EXETER: Tries: Cowan-Dickie, O’Flaherty, Nowell (2), Cuthbert Pens: Simmonds (3) Cons: Simmonds (3)
SAlE: Tries: Van Rensburg (2), Du Preez Pens: Du Preez (3) Cons: Du Preez (2), Wilkinson