Exeter Braves 20 Saracens Storm 25

Exeter Braves 20

Saracens Storm 25

By Mark Stevens at Sandy Park

Defending champions Saracens Storm kicked off the defence of their Aviva Premiership A League crown by seeing off hosts Exeter Braves at Sandy Park.

Tries from Mike Ellery, Nathan Earle and Tom Whitely did much of the damage for the visitors, whose remaining points came courtesy of kicks from Baden Kerr and skipper Nils Mordt.

In reply, the Braves countered with tries of their own through Sam Simmonds and Byron McGuigan, whilst fly-half Will Hooley weighed in with a conversion and two penalties, alongside a late conversion from Joe Simmonds.

At the death the home side could have snatched victory with a late driving maul, but sadly it was not to be as their charge for the line was deemed to have been held up by referee Daniel Parrott.

Handed a testing opener against last season’s top side, the Braves - who included six of their summer signings in their starting XV - started brightly with full-back Chrysander Botha and Sam Skinner linking well to offer the first real threat

Although Skinner was thwarted as he charged towards the line, the Braves made the most of their next opportunity, winning a scrum penalty that Hooley dispatched with aplomb to break the game’s deadlock.

The home lead, however, proved short-lived as within three minutes the visitors had drawn level, the Braves pulled up by the referee for straying offside in midfield, allowing Kerr to slot a penalty of his own.

It was the first meaningful threat from the Londoners, but as the half developed it was the Braves who offered the greater attacking presence. Sadly, though, they could not turn territory and possession into points as a collection of chances came and went in quick succession.

And Exeter’s failure to convert their chances came to haunt them just before the half-hour mark as Saracens - in a rare foray forward - silenced the home crowd with the first try of the night.

Having made the most of a spill from Brett Sturgess at the front of a line-out, the visitors used the resultant scrum to position themselves deep inside the Exeter 22. Initially, there appeared little on for the visitors, but when Samuel Vunisa and Henry Taylor linked at the base of a scrum, it was the later who was able to feed former England Sevens star Ellery for the try in the right corner.

The Braves looked to response almost immediately, piling through the middle with a succession of forward raids, but when it was fed out to Hooley, his grubber kick in behind just eluded the onrushing McGuigan and the chance was lost.

Up front, the battle was fierce, but the scrums were a complete mess and in the end referee Parrott lost patience, dispatching Exeter’s Harry Williams and Sarries loosehead Richard Barrington to the sin-bin on the stroke of half time for persistent infringing.

HALF TIME EXETER BRAVES 3 SARACENS STORM 8

The Braves started the second half brightly as Hooley cut the deficit with his second penalty of the night after replacement scrum-half Whitely had strayed offside in front of his own posts.

But no sooner had the Chiefs responded, they allowed Saracens to counter at the other end, Kerr landing a penalty of his own after the home side were adjudged not to have released at the tackle area.

With little to choose between either side, the Braves sensed they had the authority up front and when a driving maul propelled them to within sight of the visiting line, off peeled Sam Simmonds to cross for the try, which was duly converted by Hooley.

Again, though, Exeter could not hold onto their advantage and they were hit with a two-try blast that eased the visitors firmly into the distance.

Winger Earle was the first to cross, rounding off a slick handling move under the posts, before Hooley’s intended clearance was charged down by Whitely, who gobbled up the loose ball and was able to dot down unopposed.

On both occasions, skipper Mordt hammered over the additional extras to put Saracens in commanded at 25-13.

The Braves were far from finished and with five minutes remaining, they gave themselves a lifeline when strong work up front allowed the ball to spread back to Joe Simmonds, whose sublime cross-field kick found McGuigan in space – and he dotted down with relative ease for the converted score.

Still with minutes to play and roared on by a crowd of over 1,400 inside Sandy Park, the Braves had won last throw of the dice. A Simmonds penalty to the corner created another line-out which, propelled by a plethora of home bodies, seemed destined for the line.

As bodies piled in from both sides, it appeared the Braves had claimed the all-important score. Referee Parrott was unsure and having checked with his fellow official on the near side, the try was deemed to have been held up and victory went the way of the Londoners.

Next up for the Braves is next Monday’s short trip to Bath’s Recreation Ground (7:30pm)

Braves: C Botha; B McGuigan, M Campagnaro, J Jones, P Laverick (H Cully 76); W Hooley (J Simmonds 68), H Thomas (J Maunder 68); B Sturgess (J Woolmore 75), S Malton, H Williams; O Atkins (J Sexton 53), J Hill; S Skinner, S Simmonds (A Brown 38), K Horstmann (capt). Replacement (not used): J Innard

Tries - S Simmonds, McGuigan; Conversions - Hooley, J Simmonds; Penalties - Hooley (2)

Yellow Card: Williams

Saracens: C Fercu; M Ellery, T Streather, N Mordt, N Earle; B Kerr (N Tompkins 52), H Taylor (T Whitely h/t); R Barrington, D Porecki (J Saunders h/t), T Lamositele (J Culverhouse 68); H Stringer, J Tredrea (O Marriott 63); A Maka, K Brown (J Conlon 52), S Vunisa. Replacement (not used): R Adams Hale

Tries - Ellery, Earle, Whitely; Conversions - Mordt (2); Penalties - Kerr (2)

Yellow Cards: Barrington, Fercu

Referee: D Parrott

Attendance: 1,486