Aviva Permiership Big Match Review - Exeter Chiefs 40 - 39 Gloucester

Us northern hemisphere types get a rough deal.  All we hear from our brothers and sisters south of the equator is how much better their rugby is:  more tries, bigger hits, lots of flair and more attractive cheerleaders.  Most of the time, this is of course true, and when you’re watching a Friday night game in Manchester in mid-January it’s difficult to mention the words “Aviva Premiership” and “a fun day out” in the same sentence.  But of late, I’ve been having a bit of a change of heart.  It’s been brought about by a couple of factors – namely, the last few rounds of the Premiership (especially as the grounds have hardened up) have yielded countless tries of sublime quality, and Super Rugby has chucked out a couple of turgid kick fests (mainly thanks to the Sharks) offensive to pretty much all the senses.  I genuinely think that we’ve seen some of best rugby over the last year right here in the Aviva Premiership, and if ever there was an advertisement to prove this point, it was Saturday’s match between Exeter and Gloucester.

Neither side was in with a chance of extending their season into playoff territory, but the Cherry and Whites had already secured their place in next year’s Heineken Cup and the Chiefs needed a victory against their visitors to book a spot in the same competition.  So, unlike a lot of matches at this time of the season, there was something riding on the outcome, but that hardly mattered in the entertainment stakes when you had one of the league’s top try scorers against a side with a backline renowned for its flair, speed and inventiveness.  And so it proved in a dazzling display of end to end rugby that contributed to, with the aid of a carnival like atmosphere at Sandy Park, one of the games of the season.

In glorious sunshine the game kicked off and the Chiefs showed just why they have been so prolific this season, showing an intent to run the ball from deep with pace.  After strong carries from James Scaysbrook and Dean Mumm, the Chiefs set up camp in Gloucester’s 22, allowing Jason Shoemark to cut through and across the defence and feed Mumm out of the tackle, and the Aussie lock plunged over for the opening try of the match.  Gareth Steenson yet again demonstrated his eagle-eyed ability with the boot to knock over the conversion from out wide before adding a 40 metre penalty to put the hosts 10 points up. 

Minutes later, they were at it again, this time gaining good ground following a powerful burst from Richard Baxter (playing his final game for the club) before Mumm galloped down the right and recycled for fellow lock Damian Welch to wriggle over the line.  Steenson proved his mortality by missing the tricky conversion but made amends with another shortly afterwards, and Gloucester found themselves 18 – 0 down and sinking without a trace.

But then came the fightback, initiated by a Freddie Burns penalty, before swift hands set Dan Robson bursting out of the visitors’ 22 - the scrum half finding the electric Johnny May on his left, and the winger motored over the line.  Burns missed the 2 points but then snapped up a loose ball in his own half and worked the ball to Charlie Sharples, who matched his fellow winger May’s pace to screech in by the posts.  Burns added the extras, before the visitors took the lead for the first time when Henry Trinder picked off a pass from Scaysbrook, bamboozled Tom Arscott with some footwork and scurried over the Exeter line.

It was breathless, frantic stuff, and before the Cherry and Whites had time to pat themselves on the back for a comeback well done, the Chiefs had retaken the lead following a series of powerful shunts in the scrum that led to referee Greg Gardner awarding a penalty try.  Steenson’s conversion made the score 25-22 to the home side at the break.

If the second half didn’t quite have the free flowing, care-free attitude of the first, it still had all the excitement of the first and twice the tension.  This was reflected in the fact that, shock horror, there wasn’t a try for the first 20 minutes of the second half, with the only points coming from three well struck Steenson penalties to give the hosts a 12 point lead.  Unassailable?  Not quite.  Firstly, Rob Cook went over following a fine dart from Burns and then, after Burns and Steenson had exchanged penalties, the Gloucester fly half went over for one of his own in the corner following quick hands from Billy Twelvetrees.  That tied the scores up, before Burns completed a great personal performance with a magnificent conversion to put the visitors 2 points up with 8 minutes left.

8 minutes was more than enough time however for the Chiefs – a fluffed Twelvetrees clearance gave the hosts good field position, and when the penalty was conceded, it was inevitable that Steenson wouldn’t miss.   The final score was 40 – 39 to Exeter, and they had ensured that they would be playing Heineken Cup rugby the next year.  For the rest of us looking on, it had ensured that another regular season of the Premiership had left a wonderful lasting memory...and just a small sense of pride that maybe our little old league can throw some punches with the big boys down south as well. 

What else was happening across the Premiership this weekend?

Harlequins 22 – 19 Northampton Saints:  The reigning champions set themselves up for a semi final contest at Welford Road against Leicester following a hard fought victory over fellow semi-finalists Northampton Saints.  Quins grabbed scores through Tom Williams, Rob Buchanan and Tom Casson but the Saints pushed them all the way with 5 pointers from Jamie Elliot, Dylan Hartley and Christian Day.

Leicester Tigers 32 – 20 London Irish:  The Tigers cruised to a comfortable victory and booked themselves a home-semi final with a bonus point win against Irish.  The hosts weren’t at their best but scored tries through Tom Croft, Ben Youngs, Mat Tait, Nicky Goneva and Toby Flood, whilst the Exiles replied through Alex Corbisiero, Topsy Ojo and Marlon Yarde.

London Welsh 33 – 22 Worcester Warriors:  The Welsh exiles went out of the Premiership in style with an impressive victory over the toothless Warriors at the Kassam Stadium.  The men in red earned themselves a bonus point with tries from Dan Caprice, Alfie To’oala, Tom Arscott and Nick Scott, with the visitors replying through scores from Josh Drauniniu (2) and Jake Abbott.

Sale Sharks 21 – 20 London Wasps:  The Sharks finished their season of struggles on a positive note by condemning the London club to their 8th consecutive defeat in all competitions.  Tom Brady and Dan Braid both crossed for the hosts, with the irrepressible Christian Wade responding for Wasps with 2 very well taken tries.

Saracens 23 – 14 Bath:  Saracens ensured they finished top of the Premiership in the regular season in the Premiership with an uninspiring but effective win over Bath, who saw their Heineken Cup hopes disappear in the same instant.  Sarries scored 5-pointers through England internationals Chris Ashton, Mako Vunipola and Owen Farrell, whilst Bath crossed the hosts’ line twice, with hooker Rob Webber and Horacio Agulla both going over.