Saracens 36 Chiefs 18

Pictures: Exeter Rugby Club/Pinnacle Photo Agency

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Saracens 36

Exeter Chiefs 18

Mark Stevens at Allianz Park

Saracens regained pole position in the race for the Aviva Premiership end of season play-offs by sinking visiting Exeter Chiefs with a five-try salvo at Allianz Park.

The defending champions - swelled by the return of their England contingent following recent Grand Slam heroics - hit top gear to swot aside the attentions of Rob Baxter’s side, who for the first time this season ended a league game without any reward.

Fly-half Owen Farrell led the way for the home side, helping himself to a 14-point haul, whilst also on the mark were Red Rose colleagues Alex Goode and Billy Vunipola, as well as Jackson Wray and Chris Wyles who ensured them of maximum reward.

The Chiefs countered with two tries from Thomas Waldrom - who moved back to the top of the try-scoring charts - and further kicks from Gareth Steenson and Will Hooley, but it was scant reward on a tough day at the office for Devon’s finest.

Having leapfrogged the Londoners following last week’s home win over Northampton Saints, Baxter made five changes to his starting line-up for the trip to the defending champions. Four of them came up front where there were starts for Alec Hepburn, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Damian Welch and Julian Salvi, while behind Phil Dollman was back at full-back having missed out last time due to a calf strain.

Saracens, meanwhile, were buoyed by a glut of international returnees in what many would perceive as a near first-choice XV selected by Mark McCall.

With the elements in their favour first up, the Chiefs were looking for a bright start to this top of the table tussle. Early inroads certainly tested the home defence, but Saracens were happy to soak up what Exeter threw at them, before looking to reply in kind with a tried and trusted pick-and-go game from deep inside their own half.

The opening skirmishes were certainly attritional as both sides looked to gain the early initiative, but it was the visitors who were afforded the first chance of points on six minutes when England lock George Kruis was pulled up for not rolling away at a ruck.

Fly-half Steenson, who last week plundered 15 points against the Saints to stretch his lead at the top of the scoring charts, stepped forward with the resultant kick. However, the normally deadly Irishman saw his long-range effort catch on the wind and sail just wide of the mark.

Saracens made the most of the let-off and as the first half minutes ticked by, so they started to impose a powerful running game on the Devonians. Using the heavy artillery in the form of both the Vunipola brothers, Maro Itoje and Kruis, it allowed them to press their rivals back at an alarming rate.

By the inch they worked their way down the synthetic turf, before it was fed back to Goode who, on the burst, was able to slip and slide his way off a couple of Exeter tackles to touch down by the posts for the opening try, which Farrell converted with ease from in front of the posts.

Ten minutes later and Farrell was afforded another shot at the Exeter posts, this after Thomas Waldrom had propelled himself off his feet as he looked to slow the home side’s attack down. Thankfully, his indiscretion went unpunished as the England sharp-shooter fired wide of the left post.

Undeterred, Sarries threatened again - this time down the left flank - creating an opening for winger Chris Wyles to charge for the line. However, just as the American looked set to dot down in the corner, sterling work from Henry Slade in defence saw him bundle his rival into touch at the key moment.

The Chiefs were certainly living dangerously as the champions continued to pile forward in numbers, but they could do little to thwart the home side from adding a second score just past the half-hour mark. More robust attacking work saw them punch their way deep into the Exeter 22, the fruits of which carved the opening for imposing No.8 Billy Vunipola to smash his way over in the corner.

Up against it, Baxter’s side needed to summon a rapid response before the break, particularly given they had been given first use of the howling wind.

Steenson atoned for his earlier miss when he hit the mark with his second attempt, given after Richard Wigglesworth had strayed offside. Then, with the final action of the half, the Exeter playmaker doubled his tally, plundering a superb effort from halfway after referee Matt Carley deemed Sarries had dropped a scrum.

HALF TIME SARACENS 12 EXETER CHIEFS 6

Having been given a lifeline back into the contest, the Chiefs were looking to pick up from where they left off at the start of the half. Saracens, it seemed, had other ideas as they started at a frantic pace, pinning their rivals back from the outset.

Another hulking run from Billy Vunipola caused mayhem in the exeter rearguard, before swift hands released Will Fraser on the charge just 10 metres out. However, as the open-side looked destined to add a third home try, Slade again denied the hosts with another outstanding last-ditch tackle.

Momentarily the Chiefs got some respite as they were able to clear their lines with two quick-fire penalties conceded by McCall’s men, but it was not long before the ‘Black Wave’ was rising once more.

Initially the visitors did well to quell the home swell, but when Schalk Brits squirmed his way loose in a maul midway inside the Exeter half, it allowed him to release Farrell on the run and the England ace made no mistake, galloping his way to the line for the try which he also converted.

As was the case in the first half, the Chiefs were having to chase the game once more. And, just as they had done in the opening 40 minutes, they fashioned a decent response.

A classy Slade break saw him elude a clutch of home defenders to break free and as he offloaded to Olly Woodburn, the former Bath flyer tore towards the line at a rate of knots. Sadly, Wyles was in hot pursuit and he was able to foil the visiting hearts right at the death.

At last, though, the Chiefs were finding their rhythm and when Carley had warned the home side for yet another blatant indiscretion, the visitors pounced to claim their opening try of the afternoon.

Slade fired the ball to the corner, Geoff Parling won the resultant line-out and when push came to shove from the Exeter eight, it was Waldrom who emerged from the mass of bodies, triumphantly punching the air with his traditional ‘Toot Toot’ salute.

Steenson did his best to add the extras, but just as Farrell had found in the first half, the wind wasn’t going to play ball, dragging his effort away from the far post.

But just as it looked as though the Chiefs could muster yet more points, it was Saracens who struck a knockout blow. Brits was again the architect, his fast feet creating the opening for Farrell who in turn fed Neil De Kock, whose simple pass back inside allowed Wray to race in under the posts for the score.

Farrell added his third conversion, before sinking a long-range penalty from just inside the Chiefs half, to put the home side out of sight and comfortably back on the summit of the Premiership.

Both sides ran their replacements in the closing stages, but it was Saracens who were ruling the roost, rubbing salt into the already exposed Exeter wounds when Ben Ransom set up Wyles, who brushed off the attentions of Slade, Woodburn and Chudley to add a fifth try, which Goode converted with aplomb from wide on the left.

To their credit, Exeter continued to fight to the death and having seen home lock Itoje sent to the sin-bin for the dying minutes, it was Waldrom who ensured the last cheers went the way of the Chiefs as he powered over from a five-metre scrum. Hooley added the extras with the final kick of the game.

Post-match Baxter conceded his side had been well beaten on the day, but at the same time stressed it was at a similar stage last term that Sarries suffered a similar setback at the hands of the Chiefs - and they later went on to triumph at Twickenham in late May.

So, with just four rounds of the scheduled season remaining, it’s all to play for at the top. Next on the agenda for the Chiefs is the visit of Worcester next Saturday.

Saracens: A Goode; D Taylor (M Ellery 73), M Bosch, B Barritt (capt), C Wyles; O Farrell (B Ransom 73), R Wigglesworth (N De Kock 63); M Vunipola (R Barrington 73), S Brits (J Saunders 72), P Du Plessis (T Lamositele 64); M Itoje, G Kruis; J Wray (A Hargreaves 69), W Fraser (K Brown 58), B Vunipola.

Tries - Goode, B Vunipola, Farrell, Wray, Wyles; Conversions - Farrell (3), Goode; Penalty - Farrell

Yellow Card: Itoje

Chiefs: P Dollman (M Bodilly 70); O Woodburn, H Slade, I Whitten, L Turner; G Steenson (capt, W Hooley 70), D Lewis (W Chudley 52); A Hepburn (B Moon 52), L Cowan-Dickie (E Taione 70), H Williams (M Low 52); G Parling, D Welch (O Atkins 70); D Ewers, J Salvi (T Waldrom 73), T Waldrom (K Horstmann 70).

Tries - Waldrom (2); Conversion - Hooley; Penalties - Steenson (2)

Referee: M Carley

Attendance: 9,749