Exeter relieved to secure home semi
‘RELIEF’ was the overriding emotion for Exeter Chiefs head coach Susie Appleby as her side held on to secure a narrow victory over Bristol Bears in front of a record crowd and set up a repeat encounter at Sandy Park next weekend in the semifinals.
In a tight and physical affair at Sandy Park, wing Jennine Detiveaux opened the scoring, with a barnstorming break from halfway, before Bristol hit back with a well taken try from Grace Crompton, with Amber Reed’s conversion edging her side into an early lead.
With the game ebbing and flowing, the Chiefs hit the front again, as Detiveaux scored her second from a deft kick through by fly-half Patricia Garcia.
But Bristol regained the lead right on the stroke of half-time, as Sarah Bern pounced from close range after Exeter had given up possession from the restart.
At points in the afternoon,
all three of Exeter, Bristol and Harlequins were sat in that crucial second place in the league.
The Chiefs hit the front again shortly after halftime as Kate Zackary pounced following an industrious carry from Hope Rogers that set up a
promising position.
Bristol responded again, as Courtney Keight exploited an overlap to put her side back into the lead, before the Chiefs hit back with a quickfire double of their own.
Both scores came from the driving maul with first,
Emily Tuttosi and then, Zackary again dotting down, to extend the advantage to ten points.
Bristol lost both Keight and Rownita Marston in quick succession as both players saw yellow cards, but the Chiefs then lost Laura Delgado to a red card after a high tackle on Crompton.
The Bears rallied with a late converted score from replacement Lucy Burgess, but they had left too late, as the Chiefs saw out the game and secured a home semi-final next weekend.