Exeter Chiefs v Sale Sharks
An astonishing result in astonishing conditions.
This was Chiefs’ chance to catch up on their rivals at the top of the league. Bears’ loss yesterday to Trailfinders calmed their nerves a touch; could they profit?
It was a heaven-sent opportunity for Susie Appleby to give her leading players a bit of a rest. Her assistant, Steve Salvin, tried to forestall criticism of the twelve changes by claiming: “This is a very, very good team we are putting out this weekend.”
And indeed it was, showing the incredible player-depth some clubs enjoy.
The Game
The distance Claudia Macdonald ran with the ball on receipt was all the info we needed. She bullocked a long way The weather was foul, the usual Atlantic wind adding to handling problems. That meant a succession of knock-ons and scrums. Play focused between the Sharks’ 22 and halfway, but Chiefs found it hard exploiting their wind advantage. Sharks were working overtime on defence; surely they must yield at some point.
On 20 minutes the weather grew worse.
Sharks were playing with huge resolve and creativity. But one effect of the conditions was to expose players to knocks. Taylor Perry withdrew from action after 25 minutes. Still the game was confined mainly to that one limited area of the Sandy Park estate.
The game woke up when an Exeter scrum ball finished at Morwenna Talling’s feet. Chiefs offended and Olivia Ortiz made a telling break. Alex Tessier fielded Lizzie Duffy’s angled kick and cleared, but straight to Nikita Prothero who sustained the attack. Sharks went through a host of phases, Duffy adding a second grubber, which brought a verdict against Chiefs for offside. That allowed a first visit to the hosts’ 5-metre line.
The line-out and drive worked perfectly for Molly Wright to complete the job she’d started. Duffy’s kick started on course, then its sails were caught by the gale. 0-5
Worryingly, as Duffy took possession of Tessier’s drop-out she sustained an injury in an accidental clash of heads. Fortunately the referee’s wise precaution proved less than urgent. It was more a leg problem; Duffy was cleared to play on after a 4-minute pause. Soon enough though, the Sale staff changed their minds; Duffy was off; she had played thoroughly well. On the unofficial clock Chiefs had 12 seconds to secure their first score from nine metres out.
Loads of possession, but no gain. The challenges were most obvious as Ortiz hoisted a big clearance kick, only to see it swing back on to the ends of Georgina Tasker’s fingers. She couldn’t cling on as the line gaped.
One of the more remarkable halves of the season ended with Chiefs still unable to make an impression on the only side to have failed to score a single point. Sale had been very impressive.
Half-time: 0-5
I may be repeating myself, but the weather grew worse. Sale now had the Atlantic storm aiding them, and soon enough Chiefs had to rely on another ‘held-up’ decision to prevent a second score. Tessier became the seond clearance-kicker to fail to reach the 22 with a drop-out. The consequences were drastic. Sale created a move which completely belied the conditions: deft hands, quick support, and Rigoni swept over the line. 0-12 Vicky Irwin made sure of the two, Rigoni holding the ball as if it were priceless crystal. What a turn-up!
It took Chiefs all of 55 minutes to get over the line, Emily Robinson claiming the last touch. Gabby Cantorna added two more. 7-12
On 71 minutes Dan Jones signalled he’d had enough – for the time being. Officials hustled players off the field for their own safety.
The Agony of Waiting
For Sharks, this was a period of absolute anguish. Enough time had been played for the current score to stand, should the game be called off. In the event it did restart around half-an-hour later.
Play did not all take place on the Sharks’ goal-line; they were up for this one. Tessier, today’s captain, showed Chiefs’ frustration as she collected a long relieving kick to touch. She flung the ball against the nearest Sale player she could find, hoping to gain some sort of benefit. But since her opponent was retreating, there was no question of obstruction – a rare sign of weakness.Two minutes on the clock.
The weather decided to play its last hand – the sun came out, low and straight into Chiefs’ faces. DaLeaka Menin made a dangerous thrust into Sharks’ 22; Dorothy Wall drove on further, but fatefully she lost control. Jones looked at his watch, and Sale had four golden points to carry home.
Result: Chiefs 7 Sharks 12
Teams
Exeter Chiefs
15 Alex Tessier (captain), 14 Claudia MacDonald, 13 Merryn Doidge, 12 Gabby Cantorna,
11 Georgina Tasker, 10 Taylor Perry, 9 Lucy Nye, 1 Demi Swann, 2 Clara Nielson, 3 Charli Jacoby, 4 Dorothy Wall, 5 Niamh Orchard, 6 Ebony Jefferies, 7 Edel McMahon, 8 Rachel Johnson
16 Emily Tuttosi, 17 Flo Long, 18 DaLeaka Menin, 19 Poppy Leitch, 20 Emily Robinson, 21 Flo Robinson, 22 Nancy McGillivray, 23 Eilidh Sinclair
Sale Sharks
15 Nikita Prothero, 14 Eva Wood, 13 Vicky Irwin, 12 Beatrice Rigoni, 11 Holly Thorpe, 10 Lizzie Duffy, 9 Olivia Ortiz, 1 Catie Benson, 2 Molly Wright, 3 Detysha Harper, 4 Iona Antwis, 5 Erica Jarrell, 6 Jo Brown, 7 Niamh Swailes, 8 Morwenna Talling (captain)
16 Scarlett Fielding, 17 Sophie Lewis, 18 Nick James, 19 Molly Morrissey, 20 Sara Cline, 21 Sofia Stefan, 22 Katana Howard 23 Rachel Phillips
Table Top Five
Table P W Pts
Glos-Pury 13 10 53
Quins 13 10 50
Saracens 12 9 48
Exeter Chiefs 12 8 43
Bristol Bears 13 8 42
Afterthoughts
I’m absolutely delighted to be able to record this first triumph for Sale in the 24-25 season. It was thoroughly deserved, and achieved away from home against one of the leading contenders for the title.
Who knows, they may have beaten the future champions!
Weather is said to be a great leveller. Senior voices at Exeter were expressing concern about the pressure of all the games they had to make up. So it proved in the wet and cold of Devon.
Many thanks to Chiefs for laying on a YouTube transmission, and especially to Maisie Allen and Cli Moloney for their clear and even-handed presentation.
