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Late Keast try snatches thrilling victory for Exeter over Bristol

By PA
(Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

Exeter moved eleven points clear at the Gallagher Premiership summit after beating title rivals Bristol 25-22 in thrilling fashion at a windswept Ashton Gate. Bristol stay second and firmly on course for the play-offs, but they were edged out by the favourites for this season’s Premiership silverware after Chiefs prop Billy Keast touched down three minutes from time and Gareth Steenson converted.

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Despite Chiefs boss Rob Baxter making 14 changes to his line-up, Exeter displayed enviable squad depth as tries by centre Phil Dollman and scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne helped them surge 15 points clear.

Bristol then wiped out that deficit through quickfire second-half tries from centre Piers O’Conor and wing Luke Morahan, with Callum Sheedy converting both scores and kicking a penalty. Sheedy’s opposite number Steenson, who finished with 10 points, edged Exeter back in front, only for replacement Ioan Lloyd to claim Bristol’s third try.

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An eighth successive Premiership win for Bristol looked likely, yet they were snuffed out by a resilient Exeter side with experienced Steenson controlling tactics superbly. There is every chance the teams will meet again in the Premiership final at Twickenham on October 24, and another classic beckons if that materialises.

Bristol showed nine changes from the side that beat Gloucester last time out, including a return after injury for O’Conor, while only wing Olly Woodburn remained in Exeter’s line-up following the victory over Sale Sharks four days ago.

Bristol, unbeaten in the league since early January, came under early pressure as Exeter dominated in terms of territory even if they did not create any clear-cut chances. With the wind whipping around Ashton Gate, it tested kickers on both sides, and keeping ball in hand appeared a better option.

Exeter showed exactly why in the 14th minute, moving ahead following a brilliant solo effort by 35-year-old Dollman. The Welshman, who has played the overwhelming majority of his Chiefs career at full-back, revelled in a rare midfield outing as he beat four defenders to claim an outstanding try that Steenson converted.

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Bristol struggled to break out of their own half, and they fell further behind following a sharp Chiefs try that was created by Woodburn’s pace and finished by Scotland international Hidalgo-Clyne on his first Exeter start.

The precision of Exeter’s play in testing conditions was remarkable at times, and Steenson extended their lead by kicking a short-range penalty five minutes before the break. Bristol were desperate to open their account, and a rare excursion into Exeter’s 22 ended with them gaining a penalty that Sheedy kicked to make it 15-3 at half-time.

Bristol had shown signs of a revival approaching the interval, and although Sheedy hit the post with a 42nd-minute penalty attempt, they forged ahead through a spectacular scoring burst. O’Conor was the first to touchdown, breaching Exeter’s defence from close range, then Morahan added a second try just three minutes later, with Sheedy converting both to edge Bristol ahead.

It was thrilling rugby as the top-of-the-table clash lived up to its billing despite it being played behind closed doors. Steenson’s 65th-minute penalty put Exeter back in front before Lloyd struck for Bristol, yet the Chiefs and Keast won it at the death, ending an absorbing contest.

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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