Northampton v Exeter: Five takeaways as ‘drastic drop-off’ prompts return of the ‘Chiefs of old’
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (front left) and Edoardo Todaro (right) played their part in a dramatic 33-33 draw at Franklin's Gardens.
Following an enthralling 33-33 draw between Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs at Franklin’s Gardens, here are our five key takeaways from the PREM round one fixture.
The top line
Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs played out a gripping draw at Franklin’s Gardens, in the ultimate game of two halves.
The hosts held the advantage after the first-half, with Tom Pearson, Alex Coles, Tom Litchfield and Edoardo Todaro (2) crossing to give them a 33-7 lead at the break, with an Immanuel Feyi-Waboso score after just three minutes the only blemish.
But, things turned on a sixpence in the second-half, as Exeter scored 26 unanswered points through Ross Vintcent (2), Paul Brown-Bampoe and Feyi-Waboso again, and it could have been more had Henry Slade’s late score not been crossed off for a forward pass in the build-up.
That draw, coupled with try bonus points apiece, sees both sides take three points away from the contest, but you feel Exeter will be the happier side.
What a game
The first round of the new PREM era has already delivered plenty of entertainment, but this feels like the game to properly light the touchpaper of the new season. It was just utterly breathless from the get-go.
Momentum swung on a pendulum throughout, with both sides dominating one half apiece, while also having a couple of flashes in there for good measure, too. Around that, it just had everything you want to see from this new era: big hits, tasty scrums and delicious tries.
This felt very much like the proper start of the new era, even with the rest of the excitement this weekend. A classic.
Beautiful, crazy
Northampton’s attack has already gained a good reputation, but it was at its absolute best in the first-half. It was frightening, it was sexy, it was ruthless.
Their positional fluidity was a real strength, with Anthony Belleau and Fraser Dingwall often interchanging at first receiver, while James Ramm, Edoardo Todaro and George Hendy often found themselves swapping spots to good effect, too, but it wasn’t just random changes; it was all with a purpose.
Dingwall stepping into that number 10 role saw Belleau drop slightly deeper, therefore having more time on the ball to create a space and send one of his floating back-three players or Tom Litchfield flying through. The changing around of that backfield unit also saw Todaro cross twice on different wings, while Ramm also provided the creator for one of them in a spot you’d usually find an outside centre.
Belleau himself was also at the heart of it, in whatever role he was used in. Things just seemed to happen around him whenever he touched the ball, with his desire to play flat to the line creating havoc in the Exeter defence. He also pinned the Chiefs back with some expert kicking out of hand.
They were also given the perfect platform to play from in that first-half, with the pack dominating much of the battle up front. The scrum fired very well, winning several penalties as a result, while the work of the likes of Callum Chick and Tom Pearson ball-in-hand consistently got them over the gainline.
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But, come the second-half, things quickly changed. Exeter began to win those collisions and turn the scrum battle around; balls started finding the floor rather than hands, and overall, things just weren’t firing for them.
That drastic drop-off will annoy Phil Dowson and the rest of the coaching ticket, given just how comfortable things seemed at the break.
Don’t call it a comeback
Exeter seemed dead and buried at the half-time break, but that second-half performance should set the tone moving forward.
It was eerily similar to their PREM Cup win over Bath last weekend, where the replacements came on and just upped the ante in every department. They started winning the collisions, with the likes of Andrea Zambonin and Dafydd Jenkins throwing their frames about without so much as a care for their own welfare, while the replacement front-row also turned the tide at the scrum.
That change in fortunes up-front helped create more space just around the ruck, which the Chiefs capitalised on with powerful carries from Vintcent and Greg Fisilau. In turn, this allowed Exeter to play with that attacking freedom new attack coach Dave Walder has been hoping to see. Feyi-Waboso and Brown-Bampoe started finding the ball in their hands more often, while Slade started having his customary flicks and tricks as well.
It was just so reminiscent of the Chiefs of old. It was a performance built on doing the simple stuff incredibly well, and then playing off the back of it.
This is what the Exeter faithful have been desperate to see for a good while now, but it should give them yet more hope of an improved year.
Test watch
As always, there were plenty of players who put their hands up for Test selection.
Man of the Match Callum Chick proved he has all the hallmarks of a Steve Borthwick number eight, leading the way for carries and also throwing himself into the defensive efforts too. Fraser Dingwall again looked in lovely touch as that playmaking centre, which will impress the England boss.
Italian wing Edoardo Todaro will have sent alarm bells ringing back in Rome over a potential senior call-up, while Italians Stephen Varney, Ross Vintcent and Andrea Zambonin also left their mark on the game with impressive performances for Exeter.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso also marked his return to the PREM with a brace, and while he did pull up in the act of scoring the second, it was a very pleasing return on the whole.
READ MORE: Northampton Saints v Exeter Chiefs – Result, match details, stats, line-ups