Braves 36 Irish 12
Exeter Braves 36
London Irish 12
Mark Stevens at Sandy Park
Exeter Braves closed the gap on Saracens Storm at the top of the Southern Conference in this season’s Premiership Rugby Shield with this one-sided victory over visiting London Irish.
Ricky Pellow’s side dominated from start to finish, running in tries from Kyle Cooper, Tom Wyatt, Max Bodilly, James Short (2) and Jordon Poole, while fly-half Harvey Skinner banged over three conversions.
Irish countered with tries from Belgium Tuatagaloa and Will Partington, the latter converted by Jacob Atkins, but they were the only real crumbs of comfort on a night when they were outclassed in most areas of the game.
Looking to build on their hard-fought win at Bristol Bears last month, it didn’t take the Braves long to get back into the groove. An early penalty, given after Irish’s Sam Collingridge had taken Max Bodilly out in the air, allowed Harvey Skinner to position the hosts deep inside the Irish 22.
From the resultant set-piece, Tom Price was thrust high into the air, his fellow forwards assembled around him en masse as they drove towards the try-line. As the move edged ever closer, Irish hauled it to the floor, gifting the Braves another penalty.
This time round, they opted to go quickly, feeding centre Hendrickson, who was propelled over the line at a rate of knots for the opening try of the night.
Harvey Skinner converted that score and Exeter’s second, which arrived almost immediately from the restart. Price charged down an intended kick from the visitors, he raced after the loose ball, hacking it twice towards the Irish posts. Although he was unable to touch down, team-mate Wyatt was close at hand, dotting down for a second converted score inside the opening four minutes.
It was hardly the start the Exiles would have envisaged, but they looked to respond almost immediately. A penalty of their own allowed them to replicate the earlier tactic of the Braves. However, despite a five-minute period of pressure, they were unable to breakthrough the miserly home defence.
Threat repelled at one end, it was the Braves who looked to add to their tally midway through the half. Another penalty to the corner put them in prime position again, but on this occasion Cooper failed to find Sam Skinner, allowing Irish to mop up possession and clear their lines.
Undeterred, the Braves continued to press, using their powerhouse pack as their launchpad. Working a scrum on the left flank across the field, it was Wyatt who fed Bodilly on the charge. Still with plenty to do, the full-back showed not only some fancy footwork, but a super turn of speed, before diving over in the right corner to make it 19-0.
The Braves were the dominant force and it came as no surprise when they bagged the all-important fourth try on 33 minutes, former Irish player Short gliding over in the left corner following a slick counter-attack from the home side.
To their credit, Irish refused to lie down and their brave efforts were rewarded with the last play of the half, winger Tuatagaloa squeezing over in the corner after a period of sustained pressure from the visitors.
HALF TIME EXETER BRAVES 24 LONDON IRISH 5
Both the returning Sam Skinner and Tom O’Flaherty, together with Cooper, were all replaced at the break, having been given decent work-outs, but the reshuffle in personnel did little to dampen the home side’s spirits.
Indeed, the scoreboard operators were soon called into action on the resumption as the Braves crafted another smart opening for Short to race over for his second of the night.
As both sides emptied their benches, so the contest lost much of it’s attacking flow. That was until replacement Danny Southworth picked a perfect line through the middle. The young prop lapped up the lavish open space in front of him, before drawing in the cover and shipping inside to Poole, who won’t get an easier chance all season to score. Skinner converted to make it maximum reward for the hosts.
The Braves were already home and hosed by this stage, but Irish continued to put up a fight and they were rewarded with a second try when replacement Partington claimed their second of the night, racing over in the left corner with ten minutes remaining. Fly-half Atkins sent over a superb touchline conversion to help further reduce the deficit.
Both sides looked to add to their tally during the dying embers of the match, but in truth the final scraps were largely uneventful. Exeter did what they needed to do when called upon in defence - and when they did try to threaten late on, too often they were guilty of turning over soft possession.
The Shield takes a break now until March, when the Braves make the short trek to Bath. However, a Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final looms large on the horizon against Harlequins, where many of tonight’s players gave themselves a decent audition to be involved in that very tussle.
Braves: M Bodilly; T O'Flaherty (A Relton h/t), T Wyatt, T Hendrickson (S Morley 58), J Short; H Skinner (R Tuima 69), S Maunder (J Snow 58); B Keast (D Southworth 60), K Cooper (J Poole h/t), M Johnson (W Norton 58); W Witty, T Price; S Lonsdale, R Capstick, S Skinner (capt, S South h/t).
Tries - Cooper, Wyatt, Bodilly, Short (2), Poole; Conversions - H Skinner (3)
Irish: A Veitokani (W Partington 61); B Tuatagaloa (A Phillips 50), B Canpbell, P Cokanasiga, T Fowlie; J Atkins, S Steele (capt, R Brand 58); W Goodrick-Clarke (L Green 61), B Atkins (G Lewis 53), B O'Connor (W Hurd 35); S Collinridge, C Munya; J Cooke, J Smart, I Moore-Aiono. Replacements: (not used): L Green, W Lafoalo, C Englefield.
Try - Tuatagaloa, Partington; Conversion - Atkins
Referee: A Wookey
Attendance: 1,252
