Sale Sharks 23 Exeter Chiefs 17
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: Sales Sharks 17 Exeter Chiefs 0
Read more: http://exeterchiefs.co.uk/news/sharks-23-chiefs-17/#sthash.VpWIHFFX.dpuf
Image: Geoff Parling of Exeter Chiefs on the break - Phil Mingo/Pinnacle www.ppauk.com @ppauk
