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Semi Radradra strikes with the telling blow as champions Exeter lose again
Bristol underlined their Gallagher Premiership title credentials by beating reigning champions Exeter 20-7 at Sandy Park. While the top-of-the-table clash never lived up to its billing in terms of being a memorable spectacle, Bristol will not care less.
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They moved to the Premiership summit above Exeter with a fifth win from six starts after centre Semi Radradra’s 69th-minute try gave Bristol breathing space in a tight, tense encounter. Scrum-half Harry Randall crossed for Bristol’s opener early on, while Callum Sheedy kicked two conversions and two penalties.
Lock Jonny Hill cancelled out Randall’s effort when he crossed for Exeter, with Joe Simmonds converting his try, yet Bristol shaded the key contests and thoroughly deserved a statement victory.
It was Exeter’s second successive Premiership defeat and they might have a while to stew on it given the uncertainty surrounding next week’s Heineken Champions Cup fixtures because of an anticipated travel ban for French clubs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Exeter boss Rob Baxter made a number of changes from the side comprehensively beaten by Wasps last weekend, including recalls for England quartet Hill, Henry Slade, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Harry Williams, while full-back Jack Walsh made his first Premiership start.
'We all heard that Kyle Sinckler' ?#BRIvsEXEhttps://t.co/dyvVBD9vHi
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 9, 2021
Bristol showed six switches following a victory over Newcastle last time out, with Randall, wing Luke Morahan and flanker Ben Earl among those returning. Bristol created the first chance after Randall sprinted clear from just inside Exeter’s half, and his clever kick was almost grounded for a try by Earl, but Exeter No9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne got there just before him.
The visitors were not to be denied from their next attack, though, and it was Randall who touched down following a relentlessly-driven lineout, with Sheedy’s conversion opening up a 7-0 lead. Bristol continued to win the battle for territory and possession, and even when Exeter had the ball they found it tough-going breaking down their opponents.
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Exeter struggled to find their familiar momentum up-front, and both sides were temporarily reduced to 14 players when referee Karl Dickson sin-binned Exeter tighthead prop Williams and Bristol loosehead Jake Woolmore for scrummaging infringements.
The game was a stop-start affair with little attacking rugby on show, but Exeter drew level six minutes before half-time. They tried to move possession left and right, probing for an opening, and it finally arrived in Bristol’s right-hand corner as Hill touched down.
Simmonds landed the touchline conversion and Exeter began increasing the tempo as half-time approached, but Bristol’s defence held firm and a dour half ended level. Sheedy kicked Bristol back into the lead through a short-range 43rd-minute penalty, and Chiefs boss Baxter soon made a change, sending on Scotland international lock Jonny Gray for Will Witty.
Exeter then suffered an injury scare when skipper Simmonds required treatment to his ankle but he was able to continue, albeit with considerable strapping at the bottom of his left leg. Both packs continued to slug it out, but Bristol still had a sense of adventure about them and substitute Ioan Lloyd’s thrilling break and kick ahead almost led to a second try for Randall, yet brilliant defence by Sam Simmonds prevented a certain score.
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Bristol did not have to wait long, though, and Fijian star Radradra rounded off a lengthy spell of pressure deep inside Exeter’s 22 to claim the game’s decisive score, and the champions were finished.
The England prop was left annoyed by the decision taken by Karl Dickson to try and solve the stuttering set-piece#GallagherPrem #EXEvBRI
https://t.co/NvlneuE9rI— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 9, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
26 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
1 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 Crusades , you can keep going.
1 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!😭😭😭 !!!
26 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
26 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.
26 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 commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
26 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments