Exeter Chiefs v Benetton Rugby

In a fiery, physical encounter in Treviso, Exeter Chiefs snatched victory at the death of their EPCR Challenge Cup quarter-final against Benetton Rugby.

In a game which was viciously combative and equally matched from the outset, the result ultimately came down to a penalty kick at goal from the boot of Henry Slade in the 79th minute.

The hosts set their intentions clear early on with a try after five minutes. Working the ball across the Chiefs 22, Benetton used their pack’s power to batter at the Exeter line. Elder of the Cannone brothers, Niccolo was the one to make the extra inches to ground the ball before fly-half Jacob Umaga converted the score.

Chiefs closed the gap within three minutes. Stephen Varney spotting a man overlap put a perfectly executed pass to Olly Woodburn who ran into space. The full-back quickly found the try-line with Slade adding the conversion.

Chiefs took the lead with a penalty try as Benetton were reduced to 14-men for the obstruction. Chiefs had been mauling for the line from 10 metres out when Onisi Ratave was deemed to have thwarted the set illegally.

Benetton struck back, running the ball from their own half having stolen a Chiefs lineout throw. Advancing downfield with pace, well-executed passes allowed Umaga to take the ball five metres out to complete the score. The fly-half then converted himself.

The back-line synced up perfectly for Chiefs as they scored a third on the 25th minute. Varney fed Harvey Skinner, who whipped ball out to Woodburn. He in turn fed Immanuel Feyi-Waboso who bumped off a defender to curl a path to the line. Under pressure of the shot clock, Slade converted.

The home side clawed a try back just before the end of the half. The formerly sin-binned man Ratave taking a reload to crash over for five points which Umaga made seven.

The fly-half levelled the score at the end of the half as a breakdown penalty enabled him to go for goal from a position on the Chiefs 10-metre line.

In the week his re-signing was announced, Skinner got another on the board for Chiefs following the break. Tom Hooper had looked up from a breakdown on the Benetton 10-metre line, spotting nothing but space and so broke through into it. With some quick recycles, Skinner was fed the ball beneath the posts. Slade’s conversion broke the 30-point mark.

Benetton responded immediately, moving ball inch by inch on the Chiefs try-line until they found the space for Bautista Bernasconi to force his way through. Umaga’s conversion levelled the score once more.

To strike a dagger into the home crowd’s heart, Italy’s own Andrea Zambonin scored Chiefs’ fifth of the day, a fitting accomplishment for Exeter’s lock. Chiefs had put in bruising carries on the line before the Italian stretched out a hand. Slade then added the conversion.

Moments after slotting a penalty to draw the scoreboard again, Umaga scored a lung-busting try to put Benetton ahead. With his conversion, the fly-half forced Chiefs supporters to sweat.

However, this season has proven to never to count the Exeter men out, and especially not when Slade still has the option of kicking for goal.

In the final closing stages, the Chiefs centre elected to go for the sticks twice. The second, at 79 minutes, was to the thunderous boos of the home crowd. Slade struck it cleanly, split the uprights and turned to smile at his dugout as he ran back into the line.

Seeing out the final 60 seconds, Chiefs kicked the ball dead to advance in the EPCR Challenge Cup knockouts to a semi-final against Ulster Rugby.