Exeter boost PREM play-off hopes with hard-fought win over Sale

Exeter Chiefs maintained their bid for a Prem play-off place with a hard-fought 26-14 victory over Sale Sharks.

The win saw the Chiefs leap up into third place in the table, ahead of Leicester and Bristol, who play each other on Sunday.

Sale put up a great fight but their day was marred when replacement prop WillGriff John was carried off on a stretcher six minutes from time.

Exeter made a flying start in the Devon sunshine, scoring two tries in the opening 12 minutes.

The first came from a blindside attack off a scrum, with back rower Ross Vintcent putting his fellow Italy international Stephen Varney over in the corner.

England centre Henry Slade uncharacteristically missed the conversion and a 40-metre penalty soon after.

However, he was back on target when he added the extras to a try by winger Campbell Ridl after a slick move off a line-out, making it 12 points to Chiefs in as many minutes.

Sale, who chose this game to give a mandatory rest to England duo Luke Cowan-Dickie and George Ford, showed how dangerous they can be in attack when they hit back with a try by skipper Ernst van Rhyn after a quick tap penalty, with Rob du Preez ensuring it was a full seven-pointer.

Chiefs, though, took a grip on the game again when full-back Olly Woodburn crossed, with television match official Dean Richards spotting that a potential knock-on by Slade in the build-up actually saw the ball come off the hand of Rob du Preez.

Slade converted and Chiefs took a 19-7 lead into the break.

Exeter had a lucky escape early in the second half when Sale tight-head prop James Harper spilt the ball as he crossed the try line after a period of intense Sharks’ pressure.

However, from the subsequent scrum, Chiefs were shoved off the ball by the impressive Sale eight and Dan du Preez easily dotted down, with brother Rob converting to reduce the deficit to five points.

Chiefs butchered a glorious chance to get their bonus-point try when Paul Brown-Bampoe failed to gather a cross-field kick from Harvey Skinner with the line at his mercy.

It took another 15 minutes before the lively winger got a scoring opportunity but when it came he took it, racing over under the posts after a wonderful exchange of passes with scrum-half Varney, with Slade’s boot putting Chiefs 12 points up with 15 minutes remaining.

There was a lengthy delay after 74 minutes when front rower John suffered what appeared to be a bad injury and was carried off the pitch to warm applause from the crowd, and with Sale’s two starting props off injured, the game went to uncontested scrums.

Chiefs had another try-scoring chance late on when Skinner intercepted an Owen Davies pass and ran 40 metres, but he was brilliantly tackled just short of the line.