Recap: Exeter Chiefs vs Sale Sharks LIVE | Gallagher Premiership
Follow all the action on the RugbyPass live blog from the Gallagher Premiership match between Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks at Sandy Park.
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Rob Baxter has urged his Exeter players to emerge from the Six Nations period with a stranglehold on the Gallagher Premiership.
The Chiefs lose Luke Cowan-Dickie, Harry Williams, Ollie Devoto and Stuart Hogg for at least this clash with Sale at and potentially for the entire Championship. Henry Slade, Jack Nowell and Tomas Francis would also be on international duty but for injury.
For all the absentees, Baxter views the next eight weeks as an opportunity for Exeter to seize control of the Premiership and land some telling blows in the title race. “The Six Nations creates another interesting dynamic, but it’s one you want to have,” Baxter said.
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“You want to be in this scenario where a few players head off because it shows those players are performing to the very top of their game. I have no issues with that. The thing I have issues with is if we drip back into Premiership mode.
“This is where we have to show people – and ourselves – how important the Premiership is. You don’t win the Premiership based on a couple of performances at the end of the year, you have to get through an awful lot of hard work first.
“If we want to keep this season in our hands, we have to collect points regularly, and you have to collect a lot of them regularly.
The four-game quarter-final viewing marathon has just been ruined
https://t.co/r5tePej9lw— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 24, 2020
“If we want to stay in the top four, the top two or whatever our goals are, the work starts here, not in a month’s time or after the Six Nations.
“It starts here and now and I want to see if we can accelerate through the Six Nations period because this is when you can hurt others around you, as well as benefit yourself.”
Exeter have lost Joe Simmonds for three matches after the fly-half was banned for three weeks for a dangerous tackle against La Rochelle last weekend. They face Northampton in the quarter-finals in April.
Managing director Mick Hogan isn’t blaming @Saracens for the trauma @FalconsRugby are enduring in the Championship… but he tells @heagneyl it still leaves a sour taste belatedly finding out a @premrugby rival cheated last seasonhttps://t.co/CfYiZmovYZ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 25, 2020
Sale, meanwhile, have named an experienced side after giving an opportunity to some of their club’s academy prospects in the final round of the Heineken Champions Cup pool stages.
EXETER CHIEFS: 15. Phil Dollman; 14. Tom O’Flaherty, 13. Ian Whitten, 12. Sam Hill, 11. Olly Woodburn; 10. Gareth Steenson, 9. Stuart Townsend; 1. Ben Moon, 2. Elvis Taione, 3. Enrique Pieretto, 4. Dave Dennis (capt), 5. Jonny Hill, 6. Dave Ewers, 7. Jacques Vermeulen, 8. Sam Simmonds. Reps: 16. Jordon Poole, 17. Alec Hepburn, 18. Marcus Street, 19. Sam Skinner, 20. Matt Kvesic, 21. Jack Maunder, 22. Harvey Skinner, 23. Tom Hendrickson
SALE SHARKS: 15. Simon Hammersley; 14. Chris Ashton, 13, Sam James, 12. Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11. Byron McGuigan; 10. Robert du Preez, 9. Will Cliff; 1. Ross Harrison, 2. Rob Webber, 3. Jake Cooper-Woolley, 4. Bryn Evans, 5. Jean-Luc du Preez, 6. Jono Ross (capt) 7. Ben Curry, 8. Daniel du Preez. Reps: 16. Curtis Langdon, 17. Coenie Oosthuizen, 18. Will-Griff John, 19. James Phillips, 20. Matt Postlethwaite, 21. Gus Warr, 22. Luke James, 23. Marland Yarde.
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Comments on RugbyPass
The Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to comments