Exeter took a major step towards securing a home Premiership semi-final with a commanding second-half surge that cemented them as firm favourites to lift this season’s title. A golden spell of 22 successive points in 14 minutes from 17-10 down allowed Exeter to reinforce their lead at the top of the table, with four tries against the Premiership’s meanest defence.
It will be the manner of this victory, as much as the five points, that will delight the Chiefs management. There were periods in the first half when the stricter officiating of the breakdown appeared to be threatening the effectiveness of their multi-phase recycling game and Sale’s physicality and defensive line speed were also a persistent first-half headache.
Instead of wilting, however, Chiefs redoubled their efforts and showed the kind of character that distinguishes champions. Despite the presence of heavy-duty international opponents such as Tom Curry and Lood de Jager, there was no holding the revitalised visitors in the second half as their set-piece took an expert grip on the contest and Sale disappeared beneath a welter of penalties, eventually conceding 23 to Exeter’s 14. “We got executed,” said Steve Diamond, the Sharks’ director of rugby. “We couldn’t hold their scrum and their power five metres out.”
Even Diamond, however, hailed the Chiefs as currently the dominant force in the land. Luke Cowan-Dickie and Sam Simmonds were again outstanding and the Scotland captain Stuart Hogg added another flying try to his collection. The visitors were sharp with ball in hand from the outset, slicing open the home defence with a magnificent try inside the opening two minutes when Henry Slade’s deft inside pass released a charging Olly Woodburn and the winger put the supporting Sam Simmonds over
Sale, though, were far from the sluggish bunch beaten at Harlequins last week. Their urgency without the ball was particularly impressive and initially made the Chiefs look slightly hesitant. First a strong-running Manu Tuilagi was allowed to set up a score for the alert Tom Curry before Slade allowed the determined Rob Du Preez to escape his clutches and battle his way over for a second home try.
The fly-half converted both and, despite the early loss of the limping ex-Chief Byron McGuigan, Sale were still ahead at the interval. Exeter were faring slightly better on the penalty count but were having less joy in their opponents’ 22. One promising close-range forward drive culminated in a Sale penalty at the crucial moment and Slade was then adjudged to have kicked a penalty to the corner dead with his pack itching for another opportunity to apply their thumbscrew.
Fresh energy and more control were required and the Chiefs were back level at 17-17 within eight minutes of the restart. From a tap penalty close to the line the dynamic Cowan-Dickie sucked in the majority of the Sale forwards and the relentlessly committed Jacques Vermeulen showed his South African compatriots the way to the try-line.
Even better was to follow with another scything score off first-phase ball, with Joe Simmonds this time the provider to the surging Woodburn who set Hogg free for another confident sprint to the line. A booming penalty from halfway by Joe Simmonds compounded the agony for the Sharks, whose discipline was now starting to fray. Tom Curry was sin-binned for a dangerous hit on Hogg and, with Sale still down to 14 men, Cowan-Dickie smashed over from another close-range tap to secure the bonus point.
An airborne Denny Solomona did register a consolation try two minutes from the end but by then the outcome was long since settled on a mild, dry north-west evening. If Exeter can now beat second-placed Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate on Tuesday night they will effectively have a home semi-final sewn up with six games left, allowing them to conserve a fair amount of energy for the run-in. On this evidence, with Johnny Gray settling in seamlessly in the second row and Jack Nowell due back from a hamstring strain for the Bristol encounter, they are regaining ominous momentum.
