Match Report: Northampton Saints 30 – 24 Exeter Chiefs

A bruising encounter in Round Two saw Exeter Chiefs take a losing bonus point for their first road trip of the season against Northampton Saints at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

The show had begun before the game of rugby even kicked off – the reigning champions being welcomed to the pitch with a green and gold fire display.

And in front of a rapturous crowd, the hosts were the first to score. Juarno Augustus carved his way through the Chiefs line on the 10-metre line, with Paul Brown-Bampoe pumping the legs from the wing to track him back.

A joint tackle from the Chiefs winger and his teammate Josh Hodge brought down the big number eight but he was able to pop the ball up for an onrushing Alex Coles to secure the try. Fin Smith’s successful kick then added the extras.

A seatbelt tackle from Christ Tshiunza on George Furbank was the catalyst for Saints’ next points as Smith elected to go for goal from five metres into the Exeter half and cleanly split the uprights.

A highlight of the first 20 minutes for Chiefs was Brown-Bampoe showing his pace on the wing. Joe Hawkins made a big hit on James Ramm as the Saint went to kick, dislodging the ball for the Welshman to flick on to his teammate. The young Exeter winger stormed down to the Saints 22 from his own, only to be brought down and stripped of the ball at the breakdown.

Just shy of 30 minutes played, Chiefs were scrummaging on their own five metre line when the call went the way of Northampton. Smith then confidently called for the tee, slotting the easy three-point penalty from in front of the posts.

A dummy pump of a pass secured a line-break for Harvey Skinner with four minutes left in the half. Carving into the 22, it was two on one as the Chiefs fly-half had Olly Woodburn on his shoulder. The pop pass inside then secured the try for the winger with Hodge taking all the time allotted to slot the conversion from in front of the posts.

Half-time: Saints 13 – 7 Chiefs

As the second half got underway, a pivotal turnover attempt from Ethan Roots at the breakdown secured a not-releasing penalty against the Saints for Chiefs. From inches inside the Saints half, Hodge sliced the ball cleanly through the post to bring the Chiefs to within a score on the board.

Unfortunately for the Exeter men, Sam Maunder was charged down at the ruck on his own five metre line just minutes later and Chunya Munga dove over the whitewash for the try which Smith quickly converted.

The Northampton men added another five minutes later when Furbank exploited Exeter’s lack of cover on the wing by putting a kick out to Rory Hutchinson for a quick gather and dive over the line at the corner flag.

A tough conversion from the touchline by Smith put the hosts two scores ahead.

As the hour was about to tick over, Smith went for the drop goal from the Exeter 10 metre line. After a check with the TMO, the points were given taking Saints to three times the Chiefs’ tally.

Despite build-up in the corner with repeated driving mauls, it was a backs move that secured the Chiefs their next points. Moving the ball through the hands quickly, the pass came to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the wing to tiptoe the touchline and cross for the score.

Hodge lined up the conversion attempt five metres in from touch and, despite catching the right upright, the ball crossed the bar for the extra two points.

A yellow card with five minutes left in the game reduced Saints to 14 men as Hutchinson’s sin-binning was a result of a high tackle on Woodburn.

Chiefs electing to go for the scrum option from the middle of the 22. With the pack keeping things steady, Tom Cairns tore off to the right. A pass to Will Haydon-Wood allowed the fly half to put out a spiral pass to Feyi-Waboso on the wing for his second.

Hodge’s conversion brought Chiefs within six points with less than three minutes left on the clock.

And that was how the encounter was to end – with the reigning champions victorious but Rob Baxter’s men securing an important losing bonus point in their first away trip of the season.

Full-time: Saints 30 – 24 Chiefs

Saints: G Furbank; J Ramm (Sleightholme 51’), F Dingwall (Thame 75’), R Hutchinson, T Freeman; F Smith, T James (McParland 59’); E Iyogun (West 59’), C Langdon (Smith 59’), T Davison (Green 51’), C Munga, A Coles (Scott-Young 61’), J Kemeny, T Pearson, J Augustus (Graham 57’).

Tries: Coles, Munga, Hutchinson Conversions: Smith 3 Penalties: Smith 2 Drop goal: Smith

Yellow card: Rory Hutchinson

Chiefs: J Hodge; I Feyi-Waboso, O Woodburn, J Hawkins (Rigg 61’), P Brown-Bampoe; H Skinner (Haydon-Wood 61’), S Maunder (Cairns 59’); S Sio (Goodrick-Clarke 40’), D Frost (Yeandle 40’), E Painter (Street 40’), R Tuima (Dunne 50’), C Tshiunza, E Roots (Moloney 67’), R Capstick, R Vintcent.

Tries: Woodburn, Feyi-Waboso 2 Conversions: Hodge 3 Penalties: Hodge

Referee: Adam Leal