Top spot for Exeter, home wins for Tigers and Sale
The Premiership table suggests they’re streaks ahead of the competition and it tells no lies, but Exeter and Saracens played out an attritional affair at Sandy Park, which the Chiefs won 31-13.
Neither outfit is lauded for their free flowing rugby, instead they are relentlessly committed, and praised, for the principles and processes they believe win games. Be it high phase play, the Wolfpack defence or the driving maul.
When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object though it’s sometimes difficult to relish the contest. For an hour it was exactly that; 10-6 the score but the game was split into three dog fight quarters and then a solitary quarter that belonged to the hosts.
A charged down kick by Sam Skinner on Ben Spencer allowed Luke Cowan-Dickie to dot down in the first-half. Replacement Harry Williams scored the Chiefs’ second try on the hour and shortly after a penalty try was awarded with a Chiefs maul destined for the line.
No matter the opposition Exeter stick to the same script. Play seemingly mediocre rugby to wear the opposition down for an hour before shifting into over drive. The obligatory bonus point followed seconds before the clock entered the red.
Matt Kvesic’s bonus-point try ended Saracens’ 16-match domestic unbeaten run and handed them their first defeat this season. Joe Simmonds’ conversion made it 31-13.
Both sides conceded more penalties than Mark McCall or Rob Baxter would usually be satisfied with; but it was often the excellence of the opposition forcing the mistake rather than incompetence.
Getting over the ball to force the player into not releasing or a perfectly timed engage to win yourself a penalty at scrum time. Hardly elements of the game that see viewing numbers soar but the cornerstone of any champion side.
Had any other team taken on either Exeter or Saracens on Saturday afternoon it’s likely they would’ve been dismantled. It’s a credit to both sides that we saw what some people may call a dull affair.
[playbuzz-item item=”a42579e6-3589-4308-bc84-37d85618e782″ info=”false” shares=”false” wp-pb-id=”147602″]
The Chiefs were comfortably the better side on this December afternoon and are now unbeaten against Saracens in the regular-season for more than two years. Saracens showed in bursts what they could do; Spencer’s try with five minutes remaining an example of their brilliance.
Rarely do you watch a game, especially where one side wins so comfortably, and see exactly why either side could win this year’s Premiership. It’ll take a monumental turnaround for these sides not to meet at Twickenham on June 1.
Exeter won this battle but the war has far from ended.
Elsewhere Geordan Murphy’s great week continued as his Leicester Tigers side finally ended their wretched winless run with a bonus-point 35-19 victory over Harlequins. Murphy was handed the head coach role permanently on Tuesday and Jonah Holmes, who would’ve played last week had in not been for a late withdrawal, scored two first-half tries to set the foundation at Welford Road. Manu Tuilagi and Jonny May also scored.
Sale Sharks enjoyed home comforts themselves, something of a regularity at the AJ Bell, as they beat Bristol. Denny Solomona and Will Cliff crossed to accompany Rob Du Preez’s boot in a 27-10 win.