Sharks 23 Chiefs 17

Sale Sharks 23

Exeter Chiefs 17

Mark Stevens at the AJ Bell Stadium

Sale Sharks whipped up their own on-field version of ’Storm Imogen’ to wreak havoc on the high-flying hopes of Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership.

Undone on home soil by league leaders Saracens the week previous, Rob Baxter’s side crashed to a second successive league defeat as the Sharks delivered a telling first half bite that the Chiefs never really recovered from.

Johnny Leota, Nev Edwards and Mike Haley all crossed for tries during the opening 40 minutes for Steve Diamond’s side - and fly-half Danny Cipriani did the rest of the damage as he slotted a conversion and two second half penalties.

To their credit, the Chiefs were much improved after the break as they landed converted tries through skipper Jack Yeandle and Dave Lewis. However, it was never enough for victory and it took a late Gareth Steenson penalty to ensure they at least headed home with a losing bonus point.

Having seen their 13-month long unbeaten home record come unstuck against last season’s champions, Baxter resisted making wholesale changes for the long trek to the North West. His sole change came in the pack where young lock Jonny Hill was given the nod ahead of Ollie Atkins in the Exeter engine room alongside the experienced Geoff Parling.

The Sharks, fresh from a first victory at Leicester in eight years, made four changes in personnel as they looked to defend their own impressive home record, which stretched back to last April.

Into the fold came Dave Seymour and Mark Easter up front for the absent TJ Ioane and Josh Beaumont, while behind Peter Stringer started at scrum-half and Leota was drafted into the centre for the injured Sam Tuitupou.

Up against a stiff breeze in the first half, the Chiefs - as they have tended to do this season - started brightly, laying an impressive siege of early pressure on the Sharks. Thomas Waldrom threatened with the first chance, only to be denied for holding on in the tackle, while wingers Olly Woodman and James Short also made decent impressions with ball in hand.

However, Sale were holding firm in defence and although they lost prop Ross Harrison to the sin-bin when be blocked Will Chudley from taking a quick penalty, the Chiefs could not make their numerical advantage pay as chances came and went in quick succession.

Buoyed by their strong defensive resolve, the Sharks then showed the Chiefs how it should be done when they capitalised on the visitors losing Short to the sin-bin. The Exeter winger became the second player to see yellow from referee Andrew Small when he was - somewhat harshly - deemed to face taken Will Addison out in the air as he looked to gather a Stringer box kick.

England international Cipriani fired his long-range penalty wide of the mark and he could not convert Sale’s opening try, which duly arrived on 16 minutes. Seymour appeared destined to cross the whitewash when he shot clear of the cover - only to be denied by a great tackle by Phil Dollman - but the hosts recycled well at pace, spinning the ball to the right where the waiting Leota was able to cross with ease.

The Chiefs looked to counter almost immediately, but as they pressed forward in numbers, far too often they were denied either by some stout Sale defence or the whistle of Small, who was quick to pull them up for either holding on in the tackle or going over the top in key areas.

Again, Sale showed their rivals - who had won the previous encounter at Sandy Park on Boxing Day 33-17 - how to finish, winger Edwards galloping down the left flank to score their second try, following a slick handling move that had created space out wide.

Although Cipriani again fired wide with the conversion, he made no mistake shortly before the break when he added the extras to the home side’s third try.

Having initially seen a rushed Cipriani drop-goal chance cannon back off the left post, full-back Haley was quickest to react to the loose ball, gobbling it up before darting over the whitewash to make it 17-0 at the turn.

HALF TIME SALE SHARKS 17 EXETER CHIEFS 0

In the same city where a certain Sir Alex Ferguson was renowned for his ‘hair-dryer treatment’ - you can bet your bottom dollar a less than impressed Baxter used the half time break to tear into his own troops after a disappointing first 40 minutes of play.

Whatever was said within the confines of the main stand, it clearly had some impact as the visitors again started the half brightly. Relentless early pressure saw them lay siege on the home line which, after a brave resistance, was finally breached when Steenson collected in the pocket before spinning a lengthy pass wide to Yeandle, who crossed with ease for Exeter’s opening try, converted by Steenson.

The score should have ignited the Chiefs into a powerful reaction, but almost in an instance Baxter’s men leaked a soft penalty just inside their own half, and up stepped Cipriani to land a lengthy kick for the hosts.

Baxter turned to his bench in a bid to add some fresh injection into proceedings, but still the visitors continue to huff and puff in attack without making any significant impact.

Waldrom, the division’s top try-scorer, looked to sneak down the blind-side off one particular line-out move just past the hour, while a succession of pick-and-go drives then positioned the Chiefs to within sight of the home line as the Sharks scrambled in defence.

With less than 15 minutes remaining, the Chiefs knew it was ‘now or never’ in terms of rescuing themselves a victory. Putting pressure on the home line, Waldrom charged off the base of a scrum and headed towards the line at a rate of knots. As bodies lay strewn all around him, the No.8 himself believed he had collected his 12th of the campaign. However, the officials were undecided and following a check with the TV official, the decision did not fall in favour of the ‘Tank’.

Undeterred, the Chiefs used the subsequent scrum to strike more purposefully. With Waldrom masterfully controlling things at the base once more, replacement Lewis gathered the ball before picking his way through the gap to touchdown for the try, which Steenson again converted with relative ease.

All of a sudden it was game on for the men from Devon as they chased a victory that seemed highly unlikely at the turn. However, no sooner had they got to within touching distance of their rivals, they allowed Cipriani another shot at the target and the Sale marksman made no mistake, drilling a lengthy effort between the posts to put his side ten points clear.

Up against it once more, the Chiefs valiantly rallied in the dying embers of the contest to win themselves another penalty with just a minute remaining on the clock. Initially, it appeared as though Steenson would opt for a kick to the corner and greater bounty, but a quick re-think whilst Sale’s Will Addison limped away from the tackle area, saw him opt for a kick at goal.

A foot inside his own half, Exeter’s prolific goal-kicker stepped forward to dispatch a sublime effort that had just enough on it to creep over the crossbar.

Even then, the drama was not over as from the restart Sale gleaned another penalty chance of their own as the Chiefs looked to counter for a late winner, but this time Cipriani’s effort fell short of the mark, allowing Baxter’s side another opportunity to run from deep.

Unlike the scenes at Worcester’s Sixways ground a few years ago, this time there was to be no miraculous length of the field score to seal victory. This time, the Sharks had just enough bite to deny the Chiefs, who must quickly regroup for next week’s away-day at lowly London Irish.

Sale Sharks: M Haley; W Addison (T Arscott 79), S James, J Leota, N Edwards; D Cipriani, P Stringer (C Cusiter 63); R Harrison (E Lewis-Roberts 55), T Taylor (N Briggs 63), V Cobilas (B Mujati 55); B Evans, A Ostrikov (J Mills 48); C Neild (E Lewis-Roberts 11-18), D Seymour (capt), M Easter (M Lund 66). Replacement (not used): J Ford

Tries - Leota, Edwards, Haley; Conversion - Cipriani; Penalties - Cipriani (2)

Yellow Card: Harrison

Exeter Chiefs: P Dollman; O Woodburn, I Whitten, S Hill (M Bodilly 28-36), J Short (M Bodilly 63); G Steenson, W Chudley (D Lewis 60); B Moon (A Hepburn 69), J Yeandle (capt, L Cowan-Dickie 56), M Low (H Williams 70); J Hill (O Atkins 56), G Parling; D Armand, J Salvi (K Horstmann 63), T Waldrom. Replacement (not used): W Hooley.

Tries - Yeandle, Lewis; Conversions - Steenson (2); Penalty - Steenson

Yellow Card: Short

Referee: A Small

Attendance: 4,236