Irish 28 Chiefs 26

London Irish 28

Exeter Chiefs 26

Mark Stevens at the Madejski Stadium

A winter of woes shows no sign of abating for Exeter Chiefs after they slipped to a fourth successive Aviva Premiership defeat.

Shane Geraghty’s dramatic drop-goal - with the last kick of the game - gave London Irish only their fourth win of the campaign and ensured yet more heartache for Rob Baxter and his team who have yet to win in 2015.

Having fought back from 22-13 down entering into the final quarter, the Chiefs were unable to make it stick at the vital time and it was the Exiles who were able to celebrate their first victory in six against their Devon rivals.

Chief tormentor for the home side was former Cornish Pirates flanker Blair Cowan, who claimed two tries on his return to top flight action, while Tom Guest and Alex Lexington all crossed for tries on the day.

Fly-half Geraghty slotted a conversion and the all-important drop-goal, whilst replacement Tom Homer completed the home scoring with a second half penalty.

For the Chiefs, Dean Mumm and Dave Ewers crossed for tries, both of which were converted by Gareth Steenson who also added four penalties, but it was sadly not enough on the day.

Undone for a third successive week in the top flight last time out against Gloucester, Baxter made four changes to his starting line-up for their latest away-day. All of them came up front where Carl Rimmer and Tomas Francis were given the nod in the front-row; Damian Welch took over from the injured Mitch Lees in the second-row, and Don Armand was also back having missed the last game due to the birth of his first son, Miles.

The inclusion of the quartet meant - with the exception of skipper Mumm - it was the same starting XV that defeated the Exiles 44-24 at Sandy Park back in October.

Irish, meanwhile, were themselves looking to get back to winning ways after they slipped 22-6 at Saracens the week previous. They made five changes in personnel, bringing back Halani Aulika, David Paice and Cowan up front, whilst behind Eoin Griffin and Andrew Fenby started in the centre and full-back respectively.

It was, however, the visitors who looked the brighter in the early exchanges, powering the Exiles off their own scrum in the game’s first set-piece, before threatening with a couple of raids through Matt Jess and Henry Slade.

Moments later and centre Slade was afforded the first opportunity at goal when home backs Topsy Ojo and Geraghty were penalised for infringing at at a ruck just inside their own half. Sadly, the young English could not capitalise firing his long-range punt against the left post.

At the other end, Irish momentarily threatened with a Geraghty cross-field kick intended for wing Alex Lewington, but Exeter’s Jack Nowell manfully collected the kick with ease before instigating a clever Chiefs counter that almost paid dividends with a charging run down the right from Welch.

Having survived the early Exeter raids, it was then the turn of Irish to go close as twice the experienced Ojo looked to pick his way through the Chiefs rearguard as he latched onto two passes from playmaker Geraghty.

The Chiefs, though, looked the more threatening and having again gone close through Slade, who was held up just short of the home line following a clever break, they finally made the breakthrough on 20 minutes when leading points-scorer Steenson landed a 40-metre penalty after Scottish international Cowan was pulled up for infringing at a ruck.

Within minutes, however, Irish had the chance to level as a scrum offence from Rimmer allowed former England international Geraghty his first shot at the target. His effort from halfway, though, was wide of the mark and the Chiefs were momentarily spared.

Irish had a scent of blood and having won another scrum penalty, this time they declined the shot at goal in favour of a kick to the corner. And from the resultant line-out, the home pack - aided by a collection of token backs - drove towards the line, where upon Cowan was able to dot down at the back for the opening try, which went unconverted.

Home joy was to prove short-lived as the reliable Steenson restored Exeter’s slender advantage just past the half-hour mark when he delivered another telling strike after home prop Aulika was the latest to fall foul of referee Dean Richards at scrum time.

Back in front, the Chiefs extended their lead just before the break when a sustained spell of pressure saw them work the ball from one side of the field to the other where Mumm was able to collect and drive over from a couple of yards out to claim Exeter’s opening score that Steenson duly converted on 37 minutes.

It was just the lift Baxter’s side needed before the interval, but they came within a whisker of closing the half on the downhill slope as first they scrambled sufficiently to deny Paice in the left-hand corner, before a wayward line-out from Jack Yeandle almost gift-wrapped an opening for the home side to pounce. Thankfully, a knock-on from Scott Steele just yards from the visiting line saved the Chiefs.

HALF TIME LONDON IRISH 5 EXETER CHIEFS 13

The Chiefs re-emerged for the second period with a change in the front-row as Scottish international Moray Low came on for Francis, who departed the field at the end of the first half looking in some discomfort.

And it didn’t take Low long to make his mark, the tight-head combining with his fellow forwards to win the Chiefs a scrum penalty on halfway. With it out of Steenson’s range, up stepped Slade to deliver the strike which, although it was accurate, fell just short of the home posts.

Irish continued to threaten and having won a soft penalty when Sam Hill was penalised for holding on in the tackle, they hit the Chiefs with a second try of the afternoon when a slick line-out move was thrown over the back, two forwards combined with a simple pop pass and there was Guest to charge his way under the posts for the converted score.

Two minutes later and the visitors were hit again, the Exiles this time crafting a score out of seemingly nothing when they recycled ball wide on the right to the other flank where Fergus Mulchrone’s clever switch back inside allowed Lewington the opportunity to slide over from five metres out. Referee Richards was unsure of the grounding initially, but a quick check with the TMO confirmed the score.

If the try was not a painful enough blow for Baxter, the sight of Low departing on a stretcher after he was injured in the build-up did little to brighten up what was already proving a somewhat gloomy afternoon for the Devonians.

Things continued to go from bad to worse for the Chiefs, however, as Irish claimed their bonus point just before the hour mark when another lightning attack saw them switch the ball from the right to left in a flash, creating the opening for Fergus Mulchrone to feed the ball back inside to winger Lewington, who was able to slide over from five metres out.

Up against it, the Chiefs needed to find a way back into the contest and it duly arrived inside two minutes as some strong running from Messrs Hill, Armand and Ewers, saw the latter propel himself over the whitewash to claim the converted score.

But no sooner had they hauled themselves back to within touching distance, Irish nudged themselves further in front when replacement Homer milked a penalty out of the officials when he was supposedly checked as he looked to chip over the top.

Steenson replied almost immediately with a kick of his before the Dungannon-born marksman repeated the feat with just four minutes remaining when Irish was pulled up for sacking a Chiefs line-out illegally.

Now leading by two entering into the final minute, all the Chiefs needed to do was clinically see out the dying embers. Irish, though, had other ideas and having been giving the chance to reclaiming possession, they tore back down field at pace to create the opening for Geraghty to land his telling blow.

For the Chiefs it was another bitter pill to swallow, especially in the wake of the recent home loss to Gloucester, but they must quickly regroup with a crunch European encounter in Galway to come a week today.

London Irish: A Fenby (T Homer 55); T Ojo, F Mulchrone (M Dorrian 70), E Griffin, A Lewington; S Geraghty, S Steele (T O’Leary 55); T Court (M Parr 65), D Paice, H Aulika (G Cross 49); G Skivington (capt), N Rouse (D Leo 62); T Guest (K Low 58), B Cowan, O Treviranus.  Replacement (not used): J Stevens

Tries - Cowan (2), Guest, Lewington; Conversion - Geraghty; Penalty - Homer; Drop-Goal - Geraghty

Exeter Chiefs: P Dollman; J Nowell, H Slade, S Hill, M Jess; G Steenson, W Chudley (H Thomas 58); C Rimmer, J Yeandle (L Cowan-Dickie 50), T Francis (M Low h/t, B Moon 49); D Mumm (capt), D Welch; D Ewers, D Armand, T Waldrom. Replacements (not used): T Johnson, S Simmonds, I Whitten, B McGuigan.

Tries - Mumm, Ewers; Conversions - Steenson (2); Penalties - Steenson (4)

Referee: D Richards

Attendance: 5,909

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS: v Connacht (A), European Challenge Cup, Sunday, January 8 (3:15pm)