Chiefs 32 Falcons 17

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Exeter Chiefs 32

Newcastle Falcons 17

Mark Stevens at Sandy Park

This wasn’t the vintage, high-octane rugby we’ve seen at other times this season from Exeter Chiefs, but nevertheless the five precious points Rob Baxter’s side picked up were celebrated just as much, if not better.

Devon’s finest ground out their 11th league win of the season against a gutsy Newcastle Falcons outfit who, for at least an hour at Sandy Park, matched their higher-placed rivals toe-to-toe.

In the end, the Chiefs had just too much in their attacking arsenal for Dean Richards’ side and netted another maximum haul courtesy of Elvis Taione’s late score.

Further touchdowns from Thomas Waldrom, Phil Dollman and Sam Hill helped put the seal on a victory that was topped off by Gareth Steenson, whose 12-point haul saw him eclipse Tony Yapp’s all-time league points-scoring record of 1,526.

It’s a remarkable achievement for the Dungannon-born marksman, who will be looking to add to his tally against visiting Northampton Saints next Sunday.

Before that fixture, however, the Chiefs will take some much-needed rest after this physical encounter and review a display that saw them ship converted tries to Sonatane Takulua and Nili Latu, as well as a first half penalty from Newcastle’s returning fly-half Mike Delany.

Looking for a response following their defeat to Leicester Tigers last time out, Baxter made a handful of changes to his starting XV. Up front, Jack Yeandle, Harry Williams, Lewis Stevenson and Waldrom all returned to the fray, while behind there were also starts for Will Chudley, Olly Woodburn and Henry Slade.

For England star Slade, it was his first taste of competitive action since he broke a leg and damaged ankle ligaments in the away win against Wasps at the start of December. His return, albeit sooner than many expected, was warmly welcomed by all four corners of Sandy Park.

The Falcons, meanwhile, also made a glut of changes to their line-up, which went down narrowly at home to Worcester Warriors in Round 15. Included in the visiting ranks were the experienced Mouritz Botha, Mike Delany and Sinoti Sinoti, the latter two returning after lengthy spells out with injury.

In a largely uneventful opening to the match, one in which neither side really did anything of meaningful note, it was the Chiefs who finally grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck to break the deadlock on nine minutes.

Pressing forward in attack, Steenson’s intended cut back pass for Woodburn was blatantly knocked down by Tongan international Latu, thus allowing the Irishman to slot a simple kick from in front of the visiting posts.

Up and running at last, the Chiefs threatened again shortly after when skipper Yeandle carved a lovely line through the heart of the Newcastle defence, but with team-mate Don Armand waiting on his right shoulder, he opted to go alone and was subsequently swamped by a plethora of scrambling Falcons.

It was certainly a missed opportunity for the Chiefs who, it has to be said, were guilty of trying to over complicate things, particularly when in sight of the Newcastle try-line.

At the other end, the returning Delany saw a long-range penalty chance sail wide of the mark after the hosts were penalised, but it was brief respite for the Falcons who then had to withstand another spell of sustained home pressure.

Baxter’s side collected a clutch of penalties in and around the Falcons 22, each time opting for a kick to the corner and a line-out drive. However, each opening failed to bring reward as a mixture of spilt passes, unforced errors and stout Newcastle defence held them at bay.

Frustrations levels were mounting for the hosts and having failed to make the most of their pressure, the Falcons - as you’d expect for a side fighting for their Premiership existence - lived off their growing confidence to draw level on 29 minutes.

Afforded a second shot at the target, former All Black Delany made no mistake this time around, drilling his right-footed effort between the sticks.

The Chiefs did their best to regain the initiative just before the break, but try as they may they could not find a way through what was proving a stubborn Newcastle defensive line.

HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 3 NEWCASTLE FALCONS 3

After what was largely a fairly uninspiring first 40 minutes, it was the Chiefs who were first to show on the resumption, regaining their advantage within minutes of the restart.

A storming break from Armand saw him tear down field at a rate of knots and although he was finally felled just shy of the line by a last-gasp tackle from Chris Harris, the wait for the opening try was not long in coming.

In looking to mop up the danger, though, Harris went back deep into the in-goal area, forcing him to rush his kick clearance. In the end, he made a hash of it all, punting straight into the arms of Waldrom, who gleefully accepted the ball before darting over under the posts for Steenson to convert.

Home cheers proved short-lived, however, as in an instance the Falcons had restored parity, scrum-half Takulua sniping off the base of an attacking ruck to leave a trail of Exeter defenders in his wake. Delany slotting the extras.

Finally, though, the masses were been treated to something a little more enlightening. The Chiefs were certainly much improved and with some hard, direct running, they fashioned a second try of the afternoon.

Ian Whitten set the launchpad with a trademark burst, before Steenson and Geoff Parling combined nicely to tee up Dollman for the score, which Steenson converted to take him past Yapp’s long-standing record.

Again, the Chiefs could not hold onto their slender advantage, even though they had been given a warning shot from Juan Pablo Socino, whose intended score was chalked off by the officials once they had reviewed the build-up on the big screens.

Undeterred, the Falcons pushed forward again in numbers and following a sustained spell of pressure deep inside the Exeter 22, they were rewarded when Latu powered his way under the home posts for a second converted score.

Back roared the home side with another concerted effort, the fruits of which may have not troubled the scoreboard, but did see visiting skipper Will Welch dispatched to the sidelines for ten minutes for a professional foul.

And it was while Welch was sitting in the cooler that the Chiefs regained their lead, Steenson slotting his second penalty of the afternoon after the visitors were adjudged to have strayed offside.

Although the lead was minimal, the Chiefs attack was steadily gathering momentum and with six minutes remaining they extended their buffer when centre Hill bulldozed his way over from eight metres out, finishing off strong approach work from the home pack.

Now with the bonus point in their sights, the Chiefs mercifully went for the Newcastle jugular in a final throw of the dice. Buoyed by fresh muscle from the bench, they slowly inched their way into enemy territory.

Waldrom, Parling and Carl Rimmer all made decent inroads, before a final shove from the defiant Exeter eight helped to propel Taione over for the bonus point score. Initially, referee Craig Maxwell-Keys was undecided whether the Tongan had grounded the ball, but a quick discussion with TV match official David Rose confirmed what many inside Sandy Park had already claimed.

It was fitting therefore that on his special day, Steenson slotted the resultant conversion to add the coupe de grace.

For the Chiefs, it’s another five-point haul banked in the seasonal tally, but they know they will need to be much improved for the visit of Northampton next Sunday, a game which could further enhance their play-off claims.

Chiefs: P Dollman; O Woodburn, H Slade (M Bodilly 72), S Hill, I Whitten; G Steenson, W Chudley (D Lewis 54); B Moon (A Hepburn 65), J Yeandle (capt, E Taione 75), H Williams (C Rimmer 50); L Stevenson (O Atkins 54), G Parling; D Armand, J Salvi (D Ewers 55), T Waldrom. Replacement (not used): W Hooley.

Tries - Waldrom, Dollman, S Hill, Taione; Conversions - Steenson (3); Penalties - Steenson (2)

Falcons: A Tait (T Penny 24); G Vendetti, C Harris, J-P Socino, S Sinoti; M Delany (C Willis 77), S Takulua (M Young 66); A Rogers (B Harris 60), G McGuigan (S Lawson 69), M Cusack (K Hatakeyama 55); M Botha, C Green (A Hogg 55); M Wilson, W Welch (capt), N Latu (R Mayhew 80).

Tries - Takulua, Latu; Conversions - Delany (2); Penalty - Delany

Yellow Card: Welch

Referee: C Maxwell-Keys

Attendance: 9,174