Chiefs 19 Saints 30
Exeter Chiefs 19
Northampton Saints 30
Mark Stevens at Sandy Park
As Northampton Saints marched back up the motorway, Exeter Chiefs were left licking their wounds as their unbeaten home record in the Aviva Premiership was taken from them by Jim Mallinder’s men.
Tries from Ken Pisi, Soane Tonga'uiha and Gerrit-Jan van Velze not only steered the visitors to victory and fourth place in the league, but also enabled the Midlanders to claim a seasonal double over the Chiefs.
Fly-half Stephen Myler weighed in with the remainder of Northampton’s bounty, courtesy of three conversions and three penalties, but for the Chiefs it was a disappointing start to 2013.
Leading points-scorer Gareth Steenson notched four penalties for the home side, whilst Sireli Naqelevuki crossed for a converted second half try. However, it was never enough to dent the streetwise Saints and means the Chiefs have not won in their last three Premiership fixtures.
Having been denied all four points during the dying embers of their clash with Bath, the Chiefs made six changes in personnel for the visit of the Saints. Five of them came in the pack where Ben Moon, Neil Clark, James Hanks Tom Johnson and Ben White were all included; whilst behind Ian Whitten was drafted into the midfield in place of Jason Shoemark.
Likewise, the Saints - who came into the game a place and a point ahead of their Devon hosts in the current standings - also made a handful of changes with Tonga'uiha, Paul Doran Jones, Mark Sorenson and Calum Clark afforded the opportunity from running out at the start.
It was, however, the home side who started the brighter, attacking the travelling Midlanders with a real gusto in the opening exchanges. The returning Johnson and scrum-half Haydn Thomas were certainly to the fore, but the early endeavour failed to bring reward as Northampton soaked up the pressure with relative ease.
The Chiefs, though, were not to be denied and on 14 minutes the deadlock was finally broken when Steenson - fresh from bursting through the 1,000 point mark for the club last week - slotted his opening kick of the game after Northampton flanker Phil Dowson had been pulled up for not rolling away at the tackle.
However, home cheers were soon muted as the Saints capitalised to deadly effect within minutes. A loose Luke Arscott clearance was gathered by opposite number Ben Foden who, with time and space to move in, cut through the home defence like a knife through butter, before offloading to the waiting Ken Pisi who made no mistake as he coasted in under the sticks.
Myler plundered the conversion before then adding a penalty after referee Greg Garner adjudged the Chiefs had infringed at a scrum just metres inside their own half.
Although behind, the Chiefs continued to look to play at every opportunity. The Saints, it has to be said, were miserly in defence and having again absorbed another period of sustained home pressure, they added to their tally when Myler - who just moments earlier had struck the upright with a simple shot - slotted a second penalty from wide on the left touchline.
With work to do, Baxter's side finished the half strongly and having punched their way into enemy territory once more, some blatant slowing off the ball from Saints skipper Dylan Hartley not only saw the England hooker trudge slowly to the cooler for ten minutes, but Steenson was on hand to administer the resultant penalty to leave just a score in it at the interval.
HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 6 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 13
With Hartley still sidelined for the resumption, the Chiefs made the most of their man advantage as an early shove at a scrum saw Steenson cut the deficit once more with a third penalty.
But no sooner had Exeter got themselves within touching distance, they shot themselves in the foot when Hanks - on his 150th league appearance for the club - was pulled up for not rolling away at the tackle area, gifting Myler another simple kick from in front of the posts.
Whereas the Chiefs were being made to work for every one of their points, the Saints were too often being gifted their rewards and that is certainly an area Baxter and his fellow coaches will need to look at over the remainder of the current campaign.
That said, one of Exeter’s strengths is their fighting spirit and with Steenson landing a fourth successful kick on 48 minutes, the chance was there for them to finally take hold of the contest by the scruff of the neck.
Sadly they could not capitalise as chances came and went with a growing regularity. Unforced errors, the odd needless penalty, plus some on-field indecision-making meant that although they threatened the visiting line, far too often the Saints could contain them, before eventually easing the pressure.
Exeter’s failure to convert that dominance into points again came back to haunt them as just before the hour mark, the Saints – now restored to a full compliment of troops – worked a line-out move in field, before giant Tongan prop Tonga’uiha peeled off the back and burrowed his way over from close range. Myler obliged with the extras to make it 23-12.
A response was needed from the Chiefs and spurred on by another bumper Sandy Park crowd, the home side dug deep to haul themselves off the floor. A flurry of attacks saw Baxter’s braves drive deep into enemy territory, before the ball was fed to the Fijian Naqelevuki who, still with two man to see off, bulldozed his way over the whitewash to score.
Replacement Ignacio Mieres slotted the conversion with aplomb and all of a sudden it was ‘game on’ again for the Chiefs.
The Saints, however, are not perennial play-off contenders for no reason and although their lead was slender, they again managed to make the most of some Exeter deficiencies to put themselves back within striker range.
Initially the threat was contained by the Devonians, but with another close-range line-out the visitors pounced for a third converted try from South African No.8 Van Velze.
That spelt the end of proceedings for the Chiefs who, with one last flurry, looked to grab some sort of consolation. However, when replacement Tom Hayes spilled the ball with the final move of the game, that was effectively that.
A month of Cup action – both in Europe and domestically – now beckons for the Chiefs, who will then return to a top flight date with struggling Sale Sharks in Salford. Already the countdown to kick-off has begun for that encounter.
Chiefs: L Arscott; G Camacho, I Whitten, P Dollman (S Naqelevuki 47), M Jess; G Steenson (I Mieres 61), H Thomas (K Barrett 41); B Moon (C Rimmer 60), N Clark (J Yeandle 75), H Tui (C Mitchell 60); D Mumm, J Hanks (T Hayes 52); T Johnson, B White (A Muldowney 57), R Baxter (capt).
Try - Naqelevuki; Conversion - Mieres; Penalties - Steenson (4)
Saints: B Foden; K Pisi (L Burrell 59), G Pisi, D Waldouck, J Elliott; S Myler, L Dickson; S Tonga'uiha (A Waller 59), D Hartley (capt), P Doran Jones (T Mercey 65); C Lawes (S Manoa 55), M Sorenson; C Clark, (M Haywood 41-48, T Wood 55) P Dowson, GJ Van Velze. Replacements (not used): M Roberts, R Lamb.
Tries - K Pisi, Tonga'uiha, Van Velze; Conversions - Myler (3); Penalties - Myler (3)
Yellow Card: Hartley
Referee: G Garner
Touch Judges: A Rowden & S Terheege
4th Official: R Campbell
Attendance: 8,357
UP NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS: v Clermont Auvergne (A), Heineken Cup, Saturday, January 12 (7pm)