Chiefs 18 Saracens 16

Exeter Chiefs 18

Saracens 16

Mark Stevens at Sandy Park

London’s Calling once again for Exeter Chiefs after they produced a dramatic finale to sink Saracens in this pulsating Aviva Premiership semi-final encounter at Sandy Park.

With just over a minute remaining, Henry Slade looked up, took aim, before delivering a telling blow for Devon’s finest.

His 40-metre kick to the corner not only put Euro Kings Saracens on the back foot but, more crucially, it put him and his team-mates in prime position to strike.

In what was literally a last throw of the dice for Rob Baxter’s side, the gamble paid dividends as the resultant line-out was gathered and the assembled Black Mass formed as one to propel replacement Sam Simmonds over for the all-important, winning score.

Sandy Park duly erupted, the Chiefs celebrated, while Sarries looked crest-fallen having given a herculean effort. Finishes simply don’t get any more dramatic than this.

Up until that moment, the two rivals had slugged in out in a heavyweight encounter in which both teams gave every ounce of blood, sweat and tears. In the end, however, it was the Chiefs who prospered thanks to tries from Jack Nowell and Simmonds, plus a further eight points from the boot of skipper Gareth Steenson.

In reply, Saracens led early on thanks to two Owen Farrell penalties and they claimed tries later in the game through wingers Chris Wyles and Mike Ellery. However, it was not enough against a workmanlike Chiefs outfit.

Having edged Sarries out in terms of league positions at the end of the scheduled season, Baxter’s side were hoping home advantage would prove pivotal in their quest to down the reigning top flight and European champions.

With Sarries arriving in Devon having reclaimed Europe’s top prize the week previous in Edinburgh, they made just one enforced change to their starting personnel. It came in the centre where skipper Brad Barritt had failed to recover from a leg injury, so into the fray came Duncan Taylor.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, had a number of key faces back having missed out in the last game away to Gloucester.  Full-back Phil Dollman was one of the returning stars, as were Don Armand and Thomas Waldrom in the back-row.

Personnel in place, the Chiefs – led out by Ian Whitten on his 100^th league appearance for the club – took to the field to a wall of a noise from a thunderous Sandy Park crowd.

Up against a stiff breeze in the opening half, it was the Londoners who made the first impression, England international Farrell firing them in front on five minutes with a long-range penalty.

It was the ideal start for the visitors, but they were forced into a double change with just ten minutes on the clock as both Michael Rhodes and Chris Ashton limped out of the action.

Undeterred, Mark McCall’s all-conquering outfit continued to press in attack and they doubled their advantage through a second Farrell penalty after referee Wayne Barnes pulled up the Chiefs for dropping a five-metre scrum.

Keen to avoid a repeat of last season’s Premiership Final, where Saracens dominated the first half at HQ, the Chiefs looked to summon a swift response.  Initially they did well to repel another visiting attack, before they countered with their first telling blow.

James Short, up against his former employers, lapped up a loose pass, tore down field to gain crucial territory for the Devonians. As the cavalry followed in hot pursuit, Sarries scrambled, albeit illegally, gifting the hosts an attacking platform.

Although the resultant five-metre line-out drive got within range, again Sarries infringed this time allowing Steenson the chance to pot over his first points of the contest.

The kick ignited not only the home faithful, but also the Chiefs – who sensed their edge in the scrum – could be a key factor in which to attack.

Roared on from all four corners, Baxter’s men lay siege on the visiting line again. Wave upon wave of attacked followed, forcing a second penalty that the deadly Steenson dispatched with aplomb.

Whereas the first quarter had been all about the champions, now it was the Chiefs who ruling the roost. Waldrom threatened when he picked off the base of a five-metre scrum, only to be felled by a hefty collision from opposite number Billy Vunipola; then Jack Nowell came within a whisker of scooting his way through the middle only to be denied at the death.

HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 6 SARACENS 6

Now with the wind in their favour, the Chiefs were looking to kick-start the second period in the same vein as they finished the first. Straight from the outset they tore at their rivals with a gusto that had every Exeter fan roaring in approval.

Initially, the Sarries defence did well to repel the threat, a point emphasised when Mako Vunipola floored both himself and Dave Dennis with a brutal tackle that saw both men head for a quick check on the sidelines.

In their absence, it was the Chiefs who struck with the game’s opening try. Huge carries from Geoff Parling and Ollie Devoto set the tone, Stu Townsend sniped for the line, before Nowell poached superbly to leave Billy Vunipola flat-footed and over for the score, which Steenson converted with aplomb from the right touchline.

Now in front for the first time in this absorbing contest, it was the Chiefs who looked to hammer home their slender advantage. Sarries, though, were having none of it, defending stoutly, throwing bodies into every collision as though their very existence depended on it.

Indeed, having soaked up the Exeter bombardment, Sarries replied in kind with a try of their own just before the hour mark. Using their heavyweight forwards to drive them down field, they worked the opening wide on the left for Itoje to feed Wyles to squirm over in the left corner.

Crucially, Farrell could not convert on this occasion, his touchline effort catching in the wind, much to the joy of those packed into the East Terrace.

With little to choose between either side, the game entered into the final quarter on a knifes-edge.  Baxter emptied his bench, including a whole new front-row that won a crucial penalty with just ten minutes left on the clock. As Sarries set themselves for a Henry Slade kick to the corner, the Chiefs caught them napping releasing Whitten at a rate of knots down the left.

Although the move came to nothing, it was the Chiefs who were forced into defence just moments later as a break from Brits and Bosch released Mike Ellery. He was halted, but as the ball came back inside, it took a crucial turnover from Sam Simmonds to save the day for the home side.

Then, at the other end, Whitten underlined the home side’s energy and commitment to the cause when he propelled Ellery onto his backside with a chase tackle that left the visitors with little option but to scramble a clearance.

It proved a telling moment as Saracens reclaimed possession just shortly after, driving down field once again, fashioning a key opening. Farrell offloaded to Brits, whose clever looped offload found Ellery on the right. Still with plenty to do, the winger drove for the line, fending off a hefty Slade tackle to somehow score in the corner.

Again Farrell could not convert, this time pulling his effort wide of the far post.

Behind once more, the Chiefs had little option but to throw caution to the wind. The restart saw Saracens gobble up crucial seconds on the clock, before Wigglesworth punted down field in a bid to stave off the home threat. The Chiefs countered immediately, winning a penalty just inside the visiting half.

Handed the ball, Slade stepped forward, drilling a spiralling effort to within just five metres. He simply could not have got a better connection, nor a better result. Still with a line-out to contend with, the Exeter forwards mingled, the plan was set and, as it proved, duly delivered as Simmonds somehow found his way over the whitewash.

The fact Steenson missed with the second conversion was irrelevant, Sandy Park was already in bedlam.

It was, fittingly, a magic moment for what has been a stunning second half to the season for Baxter’s outfit. Now, they have to replicate their efforts once again, this time hoping for a better and more victorious outcome at English Rugby HQ.

Chiefs: P Dollman (H Slade 68); J Nowell, I Whitten, O Devoto (M Campagnaro 70), J Short; G Steenson (capt), S Townsend (W Chudley 54); B Moon (C Rimmer 58), L Cowan-Dickie (J Yeandle 58), H Williams (T Francis 58); D Dennis (M Lees 42-47), G Parling; K Horstmann (M Lees 60), D Armand, T Waldrom (S Simmonds 68).

Tries – Nowell, S Simmonds; Conversion – Steenson; Penalties – Steenson (2)

Saracens: A Goode; C Ashton (M Ellery 11), M Bosch, D Taylor, C Wyles; O Farrell, R Wigglesworth; M Vunipola (T Lamositele 42-47), J George (S Brits 45), V Koch; M Itoje, G Kruis; M Rhodes (S Burger 10), J Wray, B Vunipola. Replacements (not used): P Du Plessis, K Brown, B Spencer, A Lozowski.

Tries – Wyles, Ellery; Penalties – Farrell (2)

Referee: W Barnes

Attendance: 12,436