It may be too early to crack open the scrumpy, such is the queue of clubs in the hunt, but Exeter are doing all they can to secure their first appearance in the play-offs. And Henry Slade could not be doing much more to add his name to the list of those in the hunt for England’s No10 jersey. Six penalties, a gliding run for his try and two conversions netted him a 27-point haul in a win that moves Exeter back into the top four.
For Quins, though, the prospects are bleak. They are now 10 points adrift of Exeter with seven games to play. The concern for them is how little Exeter had to do for their win – and that makes the Chiefs only the latest of an ever-growing band of clubs who have come here this season and found winning all too easy. Quins will do nothing if not make you tackle – but too many sides have found the home team only too happy to help them along.
The breathless, all-action style that Quins made their own has earned them a title and a place in the play-offs every season since 2011, not to mention the affection of all but the most curmudgeonly. But it is inherently unstable, and this season we have seen it unravel. This defeat was as disjointed an implosion as The Stoop has witnessed, despite the usual 100mph opening that had threatened to run Exeter off their feet.
Quins knew even before this defeat that their margin for error was fast diminishing. With that in mind, and the sun still out, they burst into the game and by the 14th minute had coaxed Exeter into two yellow-card offences. Ian Whitten deliberately knocked-on with Charlie Walker clear outside for the first, then Marland Yarde went for the corner on the other side and was stopped by Phil Dollman’s armless tackle, which yielded the second.
Quins continued the side-to-side theme – certainly more effective against 13 than it is against 15 – and Nick Evans was worked over on the left, after Yarde had gone through his England rival, Jack Nowell, on the right. Evans missed the conversion, but the 8-0 lead was no more than they deserved at that point. Exeter knew better than to panic, though. Sure enough, Quins offered them a way back in.
Straight from the restart, Exeter won a penalty, which Slade knocked over. Four minutes later, Ben White charged down Danny Care’s laboured clearance, and before we knew it Exeter had the lead when the flanker beat the scrum-half to the bobbling ball and Slade converted. So began Quins’ deterioration.
Exeter had two tries ruled out either side of half-time, both for forward passes, the first particularly harsh, the second a fair cop. Quins’ fingers-and-thumbs act continued as Care, whose form has deteriorated with his club’s, was sacked at the base of the scrum from the first disallowed try, and Slade was able to kick Exeter into a 16-11 half-time lead that had seemed unlikely after the first quarter-of-an-hour.
Ten minutes into the second half, Slade was over for his try. Charlie Matthews became the latest Quin to spill, Nowell made a dent down the right and offloaded to Slade who ghosted past the last man to put Exeter 12 points clear.
Any normal side would up the tempo at that point, but when your tempo is at full throttle from the start, there is nowhere to go. Matt Hopper scored an athletic try in the corner with 10 minutes to go, but every time Quins scored they soon conceded again. In the end, Exeter were comfortable, and their position in the table reflects that.
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