Match report: Saracens 24 – 30 Chiefs

A triumphant Exeter Chiefs team will return to Devon with an early Christmas present in hand having beaten Saracens at the StoneX Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Gallagher PREM round seven clash was far from a simple result for the Exeter men. It was a gritty encounter, sometimes hampered by ill-discipline, but it showed the true fight bubbling amongst this Chiefs squad.

Henry Slade kicked Chiefs’ first points of the day after four minutes played. An expert steal at the lineout from Andrea Zambonin put them on the front-foot before Olly Woodburn ducked his way past an attempted tackle to carry from one 10-metre line to another.

An infringement at the breakdown awarded Chiefs the penalty and Slade opted for the posts as the mark was firmly within range.

Saracens took the first try of the day with an intercept on the Exeter 10-metre which Noah Caluori ran in unchallenged beneath the posts, with Owen Farrell slotting the conversion.

Max Malins followed with a second when he took a pop pass off the rear of a driving maul, tip-toeing the touchline to ground the ball tight in the corner. The angle resulted in a missed conversion from Farrell.

Chiefs’ blindside flanker Tom Hooper was shown a yellow card on 27 minutes. The Australian was judged to have cleared out the ruck dangerously, referee Luke Pearce sending him to the sin bin for 10 minutes following a TMO check to rule out a potential red.

It was Chiefs however who added first to their points tally with an offside penalty in the Saracens half giving Slade another prime position to goal-kick from.

Stephen Varney marked his return to action by scoring Chiefs’ first try just as Hooper’s card was due to run out. There was a prolonged TMO check of a potential knock-on under the high ball from Prem debutant Campbell Ridl in the build-up but it was ultimately dismissed.

To the backdrop of the boos of Saracens fans, Slade saw out the shot clock to take the conversion.

Half-time: Saracens 12 – 13 Chiefs

It was a frustrating start to the second half for Chiefs as they were dealt a double blow of Saracens being awarded a penalty try for a deliberate knock-on a metre out and Ridl receiving a yellow card for the action.

A brace-try for Caluori secured the bonus-point for the hosts on 55 minutes but the angle again proved wrong for Farrell off the tee.

Chiefs weren’t to be counted down and out. A penalty on the edge of the 22 enabled Slade to go deep into the corner and the Chiefs pack put their opposition on full blast, barging their way over for a try from Greg Fisilau. Slade’s conversion attempt rebounded off the right upright, making Saracens’ lead a six-point one.

Captain Dafydd Jenkins took matters into his own hands when he took a lobbed pass from Slade minutes later. The imposing Welshman rampaged his way down the touchline before Varney and replacement Kane James fed the ball inside to Fisilau who managed to zigzag step a would-be defender to carve his way through the line and over for the score.

With a deep breath, Slade sliced the uprights for the conversion which took Chiefs ahead.

An uncharacteristic miss from Farrell in front of the posts snatched a chance of Saracens retaking the lead before Slade quite literally snatched the ball from the turf to storm downfield to the rapturous screams of his teammates as he scored the bonus-point try on 80 minutes.

The result not only secured Chiefs the full five points but also puts them top of the table with just two games left to be played in the league this weekend.

Full-time: Saracens 24 – 30 Chiefs

Saracens: E Daly; N Caluori (Segun 55’), L Cinti, N Tompkins, M Malins; O Farrell, I van Zyl (c); R Carre (Mawi 46’), T Dan (George 46’), M Street (Riccioni 46’), N Isiekwe, H Tizard, JM Gonzalez (Onyeama-Christie 55’), B Earl, T Willis (Wilson 65’).

Unused replacements: Bracken, Burke

Tries: Caluori 2, Malins, Penalty try Conversions: Farrell

Chiefs: O Woodburn; I Feyi-Waboso, H Slade, L Ikitau, C Ridl; H Skinner, S Varney; W Goodrick-Clarke (Sio 56’), J Yeandle (Heaven 56’), B Tchumbadze (J Roots 56’), D Jenkins (c), A Zambonin, T Hooper (James 65’), E Roots, G Fisilau.

Unused replacements: Pearson, Chapman, Haydon-Wood, Rigg

Tries: Varney, Fisilau 2, Slade Conversions: Slade 2 Penalties: Slade 2

Yellow card: Tom Hooper, Campbell Ridl

Referee: Luke Pearce