Chiefs 20 Sharks 19
Exeter Chiefs 20
Sale Sharks 19
Mark Stevens at Sandy Park
They say home is where the heart is.
Well, thankfully for the Exeter Chiefs they will be in familiar surroundings next Saturday when they play host to Sale Sharks in the semi-finals of this season’s Gallagher Premiership.
Rob Baxter’s side produced a stunning second half fightback, making light of Sam Skinner’s second half red card, to hit back from a 16-point deficit to win 20-19 in the Devon sunshine.
For an hour, the defending champions were reeling, such was the ferocity that Sale brought to this epic encounter. The visitors were ruling the roost and targeting a home semi-final of their own, that was providing they could finally floor their rivals with one knock-out blow.
These Chiefs, however, are a steely bunch and having soaked up everything the Sharks threw at them, the hosts underlined their champions qualities, producing a formidable final quarter that will have left Alex Sanderson and his players pondering plenty ahead of next Saturday’s quick-fire rematch.
It was ruthless, it was clinical. In fact, it was ultimately majestic, the way the Chiefs went about their work in the baking cauldron that was Sandy Park.
Late scores from the impressive Luke Cowan-Dickie and Stu Townsend were the highlights, while skipper Joe Simmonds did the rest with 10 points from his trusty right boot.
The Sharks had earlier taken a bite out of the Chiefs by plundering tries from Byron McGuigan, Aaron Reed and AJ MacGinty, the latter also kicking two conversions, but it was ultimately not enough to see them home.
With Sandy Park packed to the rafters, it was the visitors who came storming out of the traps. Just three minutes had elapsed when McGuigan, himself a former Chief, claimed his ninth try in his last ten games when he was able to expose space out wide to claim the opening score, converted by MacGinty.
Handed a dream start, the Sharks were seemingly everywhere as they made light of their illustrious hosts with a robust, rigid and well-drilled tactical approach. Skipper Tom Curry was at the heart of their mayhem, leading the charge at the breakdown and providing a constant thorn in the Exeter side.
Although it was his indiscretion that allowed the Chiefs to cut the deficit, Simmonds landing a lengthy penalty after the England international had been pulled up for side entry at a ruck.
Sale made light of the issue and quickly got back into their attacking groove. Two penalties deep inside the Chiefs 22 allowed them to press hard in attack, but thankfully home prop Harry Williams stood firm under the pressure holding up the visitors when they looked primed to strike.
A bit like the previous week at Northampton, Baxter’s side were not being allowed to dictate matters on their own terms. The Sharks were circling everywhere and on 22 minutes they extended their advantage when MacGinty spotted a gap in the Chiefs rearguard to crash over by the home posts for a second converted try.
Already with two tries in the bag, the Sharks had a real swagger about them. Indeed, their cause was helped further as first the Chiefs lost Jannes Kirsten to a HIA, then Dave Ewers was yellow-carded for a high hit on Simon Hammersley as half time fast approached.
Sale will no doubt claim Ewers should have seen red for his part in the incident, but following detailed dialogue between referee Karl Dickson and TMO Clare Hodnett, the initial interpretation of a red card was downgraded after it was adjudged Hammersley had been spun into the path of the Zimbabwean forward.
Without Ewers for a ten-minute stint, the Chiefs rallied well to not only keep the Sharks at bay but, at the same time, turn round only 11 points adrift at the break.
HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 3 SALE SHARKS 14
Certainly, Baxter would have used the interval to once again instill a few home truths into his players, but his best-laid plans would have been shot out in an instance, as the Sharks extended their lead inside three minutes of the restart.
With their first meaningful assault of the second half, once again Sanderson’s side picked open the Chiefs, MacGinty’s clever grubber kick falling invitingly into the path of winger Reed, who did the rest with a simple finish in the left-hand corner.
Three tries in the bag and now 16 ahead, it was the visitors who had the momentum firming in their favour. The Chiefs were certainly up against it, but their task would get even harder when Skinner was dismissed for a shoulder to the head of Fat de Klerk.
Again, Dickson and Hodnett went through the formal process, evaluating every inch of the incident. However, this time there would be no reprieve for the Chiefs, the Scottish international dismissed and now likely to miss the remainder of the campaign.
What followed, however, will live long in the memories of the 3,000-strong crowd. Almost like flipping a switch, the Chiefs went from down-and-outs to that of schoolyard bullies.
Baxter swapped Sean Lonsdale in for Stuart Hogg and the additional body back in the pack quickly paid dividends as the Exeter eight combined en masse to propel Cowan-Dickie over from close range. Simmonds add the extras and all of a sudden Sandy Park was awash with noise.
As the ‘Tomahawk Chop’ grew louder and louder, so the Chiefs started to inflict further misery on their rivals. Townsend was at the heart of it all, but he was closely back up by the impressive contributions of Lonsdale, Ben Moon, Jack Yeandle, Marcus Street and Richard Capstick.
With pressure mounting by the minute, the Chiefs made the most of Ben Curry’s yellow card to again bludgeon their way into the Sale 22, the fruits of which saw Townsend snipe over from close range for another converted effort.
Now just two points adrift, it was Sale who had to try and fire back into life. Sadly for them, their engine was running low on fuel and it was the energised Chiefs who were finishing with a flurry.
Simmonds potted his side in front for the first time on 71 minutes with a 45-metre penalty - and it was a lead they were able to defend without too much issue.
Sale’s late heartache was compounded with the sight of MacGinty being stretchered off in the final minute. His injury, coupled with serious concerns over Cameron Nield and Akker van der Merwe also, meant it ended up being a miserable finale for the Sharks, who now have to ready themselves for a a return to Westcountry waters in seven days time.
Chiefs: S Hogg (S Lonsdale 60); A Cuthbert, H Slade, O Devoto, T O’Flaherty; J Simmonds (capt), J Maunder (S Townsend 47); A Hepburn (B Moon 47), L Cowan-Dickie (J Yeandle 62), H Williams (M Street 62); S Skinner, J Hill; D Ewers, J Kirsten (R Capstick 28), S Simmonds. Replacements (not used): H Skinner, I Whitten.
Tries - Cowan-Dickie, Townsend; Conversions - J Simmonds (2); Penalties - J Simmonds (2)
Yellow Card: Ewers
Red Card: S Skinner
Sharks: S Hammersley; B McGuigan, S James, M Tuilagi (R du Perez 57), A Reed; AJ MacGinty (S Hill 80), F De Klerk (W Cliff 74); R Harrison (B Rodd 47), A van der Merwe (C Langdon 12), C Oosthuizen (W-G John 47); C Wiese (J Phillips 58), J-L du Preez; C Nield (B Curry 7), T Curry (capt), D du Preez.
Tries - McGuigan, MacGinty, Reed; Conversions - MacGinty (2)
Yellow Card: B Curry
Referee: K Dickson.
Attendance: 3,063