Harlequins 22 Exeter Braves 39

Harlequins 22

Exeter Braves 39

Mark Stevens at the Twickenham Stoop

Exeter Braves netted their first Aviva A League win of the season as they produced a powerful performance to sink Harlequins on their own patch.

A double from Ben White, plus tries for fellow forwards Elvis Taione, Moray Low and Shaun Malton, proved the key highlights on the night, while fly-half Will Hooley and Joe Simmonds weighed in with the remaining points for Ricky Pellow’s side.

In reply, Luc Jones and Robbie Nairn (2) grabbed scores for the home side with Ruairdh Jackson landing a first half penalty alongside two conversions from James Lang.

However, it was never enough to dent the defending champions, who looked good value for all five points on the night.

Having kicked off their title defence with defeat at Saracens, the Braves again found themselves back in the capital for their second assignment of the season against a powerful Harlequins side.

Former British & Irish Lions prop Adam Jones, Scottish fly-half Jackson and Samoan centre Winston Stanley were among the starting XV paraded by the Londoners, whilst the Braves themselves were able to hand starts to their own clutch of internationals in Low, Elvis Taione and Tom Johnson.

With conditions perfect at The Stoop, it was the home side who set the early pace with some strong running in the opening exchanges.

The Braves, however, were holding firm and despite losing lock Sam Skinner to a fifth-minute yellow card for taking Aaron Morris out in the air, the scoreline remained untouched until he returned ten minutes later.

Harlequins, though, continued to press and in the end their efforts were rewarded when Jackson punished Sam Simmonds for infringing at a ruck with a simple penalty inside the Exeter 22.

The home proved short-lived as within four minutes the Braves were in front, Tongan hooker Taione working his way over from a close-range line-out move after Hooley had kicked to the left corner with a penalty.

As the game continued to ebb from one end to the other, it was Harlequins who wrestled back the lead on 24 minutes. Jackson’s clever cross-field kick saw Stanley out jump Sam Simmonds and his simple pass inside allowed the home side to work the opening for Luc Jones to score.

That, however, proved as good at it got for Quins’ during the reminder of the half as the Braves - particularly up front - started to take command.

Flanker White claimed their second try of the night when he finished off some sustained pressure, squirming over under the posts for the score.

Hooley added the conversion to that score, before adding a sumptuous drop-goal just a minute later, as the Braves pulled clear at 17-8.

And as half time approached, things got even better for Pellow’s side, who having pegged the hosts back with a Hooley clearance to the corner, then nicked the resulting line-out, creating the platform for Low to claim converted try number three.

HALF TIME HARLEQUINS 8 EXETER BRAVES 24

Up against it, Harlequins came out firing at the start of the second half as they looked to fashion a way back into the contest. The Braves, it has to be said, were having none of it - a point underlined when skipper Jack Maunder won a brilliant turnover penalty underneath his own posts.

The threat repelled, it was the turn of the visitors to go again. A powerful line-out drive - in which Taione was the spearhead - saw them make 20 metres, before it was crudely brought to the floor by Adam Jones.

Exeter used the penalty award to kick again for the corner, but as they looked to add the all-important fourth try, they were unable to recreate the same platform as that of the first half and the chance came and went in a flash.

Undeterred, the Braves continued to push forward and having threatened with a number of attacks, they finally made the breakthrough on the hour as White - just as he did in the first half - claimed his second of the contest, finishing off another crafted line-out drive.

With Harlequins wilting by the minute, so the Braves went for the home jugular.  A stunning break from Joe Simmonds saw him cut through the heart of the home defence and although his threat was halted, the home side again infringed in the subsequent scramble.

Using the tried and trusted kick to the corner, the Exeter eight again formed in unison to propel themselves the necessary five metres to score, this time from replacement hooker Malton. Holley obliged with the extras to make it 36-8.

To their credit, Harlequins refused to throw in the towel and with just over ten minutes remaining they gave their supporters a rare moment to savour when Nairn raced over in the left corner for a converted score.

Nairn added another converted score in the dying embers, but it was left to Joe Simmonds to wrap things up with a penalty with the last kick of the match.

Harlequins: A Morris; C Walker (S Aspland-Robinson 64), W Stanley (R Nairn 60), H Sloan, R Chisholm (capt); R Jackson (J Lang 55), L Jones; O Evans (S Rodman 47), C Piper (K Gibson 60), A Jones (M Shields 55); S Twomey, S South (C Matthews h/t); G Naoupu, A White, M Luamanu. Replacement (not used): K Gibson, H Cheeseman.

Tries - L Jones, Nairn (2); Conversions - Lang (2); Penalty - Jackson

Braves: J Simmonds, H Cully, M Bodilly, T Hendrickson (H Strong 60), J Short; W Hooley (T Landry 66), J Maunder (capt, J Snow 74); C Rimmer (J Owlett 60), E Taione (S Malton 50), M Low (W Norton 69); O Atkins, S Skinner; T Johnson (S Daly 74), B White (S Lonsdale 69), S Simmonds.

Tries - Taione, White (2), Low, Malton; Conversions - Hooley (4); Drop-Goal - Hooley; Penalty - J Simmonds

Yellow Card: Skinner

Referee: J Makepeace