Match Report: Exeter Chiefs 50 – 14 Sale Sharks

Exeter Chiefs secured a home semi-final in the Premiership Rugby Cup with a dominant performance against Sale Sharks in the quarter at Sandy Park this Saturday afternoon.

It was a day dominated by emotion for Chiefs as club captain Jack Yeandle ran out for his 300th club appearance in the same game that England U20s fly-half Ben Coen made his club debut.

Tommy Wyatt scored the afternoon’s opening try in a sun-bathed dead ball area. Clocking that his side were on the front foot, Josh Hodge put a looping pass over the heads of three defenders to also miss out two of his teammates to find Tamati Tua.

Tua brought his centre partner Joe Hawkins into the phase of play who broke a tackle to charge into the Sale 22. Drawing in the remaining defender, he popped the ball away to Wyatt who was running the support line off his shoulder to complete the score.

Having been instrumental to the score, Hodge was the man to complete the conversion.

Scotland international Arron Reed quickly replied for the visitors. Sam Bedlow spotted an overlap in the five-metre channel and put the pass into his winger. Using his quick feet, Reed evaded the attempted tackle of Wyatt to dot the ball down tight to the corner flag.

His captain Tom Curtis converted the score to bring the two sides level.

A penalty for a high tackle on Tua gave Hodge the opportunity to call for the tee and the only three-point score of the game.

The Chiefs winger took no time in adding a further five points to his tally. Picking the ball out of a breakdown on the Sale 10 metre line, he left the Sale men reeling when he broke through the middle for a lone line-break.

As Scott Sio and Ethan Roots put on the back burners to provide him a supporting line, Hodge carved to his left to power into the corner. He was caught by former Chief Tom O’Flaherty at the corner but Hodge had already grounded the ball for the score. He then duly converted to make it a full seven-pointer.

A full-team effort try came just a minute later. Catching Sale on the back-foot, Ben Coen quickly switched direction of play to the shortside. Key carries and off-loads from Josh Iosefa-Scott and Hawkins got the ball into Paul Brown-Bampoe’s hands. A crafty goose-step and the winger crossed in the opposite corner for Chiefs’ third try in 21 minutes.

The try-bonus was wrapped up before a half hour was played. Brown-Bampoe picked up a bounce pass from Coen before again using his footwork to make the all-important extra yards in contact. That allowed him to get the ball back inside to Stu Townsend who drew Wyatt into the play for the full-back to complete the try for his brace score.

Hodge secured the extra two points with a difficult kick from tight to the touchline.

Half-time: Chiefs 29 – 7 Sharks

Chiefs opened the second half of action showing they had lost none of their electricity. A delay on the pass from Coen, who rode the tackle before popping the ball with a flick of the wrist, allowed Hodge to run onto it and feed Brown-Bampoe for the score.

He ran the ball round the posts to give Hodge the simpler conversion which he slotted calmly.

Chiefs had another on the hour mark when quick thinking from Greg Fisilau meant the number eight bridged at the line to place the ball down two-handed over his head. Hodge added the conversion.

The back rowers perhaps had a competition amongst themselves as Jacques Vermeulen scored the seventh try of the day in the exact same manner as Fisilau’s just nine minutes later. Once more, Hodge converted the score.

In the 80th minute, Sale stubbornly struck back to score the last points of the game when replacement prop Onasanya crashed over tight to the posts to help Curtis secure the conversion.

It was a consolation for the opponents, but the day was still all about Chiefs. A poetic end to the day for the men making their 300th and first starts as Chiefs secured a home semi-final.

Full-time: Chiefs 50 – 14 Sharks

Chiefs: T Wyatt (Haydon-Wood 70’); P Brown-Bampoe, J Hawkins, T Tua (Rigg 54’), J Hodge; B Coen, S Townsend (Cairns 54’); S Sio (Blose 58’), J Yeandle (c) (Frost 58’), J Iosefa-Scott (Street 58’), D Jenkins (Molina 61’), C Tshiunza, E Roots (Capstick 66’), J Vermeulen, G Fisilau.

Tries: Wyatt 2, Hodge, Brown-Bampoe 2, Fisilau, Vermeulen Conversions: Hodge 6 Penalties: Hodge

Sharks: O Davies (Willis 61’); T O’Flaherty, J Bedlow, S Bedlow, A Reed; T Curtis (c), G Warr (Thomas 61’); R Harrison (Onasanya 55’), T McElroy (Longstaff 48’), P Bell (Raymont 55’), E Van Rhyn, J Hill (Andrews 55’), J Gilmore, S Dugdale (Bamber 48’), J-L Du Preez (Woodman 71’).

Tries: Reed, Onasanya Conversions: Curtis 2

Referee: Adam Leal

Attendance: 4,681