Exeter Chiefs extended their unbeaten run to stay top of the Premiership with a hard-fought 24-17 win at Kingston Park.
“We came up here last season and lost but we came here this time and go away with a win and a win away from home in this league is something to cherish,” said Exeter’s director of rugby, Rob Baxter.
“It should be hard work and it was. You have to credit Newcastle’s tenacity. They kept on fighting when many other sides would have given way and I felt we dealt very well with some of the mental shifts in the game.”
The Chiefs led 14-10 at half-time thanks to a Simmonds brothers double act with the back-row, Sam, driven over twice from close range and Joe converting both. Despite Newcastlehitting back to level the scores at 17-17 in the second half, a try from the flanker Matt Kvesic when Newcastle were down to 14 men with Toby Flood in the sin-bin sealed Exeter’s victory.
It had been Newcastle who scored first with a try after two minutes, Tom Arscott and Jonny Williams opening the Chiefs defence with embarrassing ease and when the wing Zach Kibirige scorched in from 30 metres and Flood’s conversion made it 7-0.
However, even more embarrassing was the Falcons comprehensively failing to deal with the restart and handing the ball to Exeter. There was going to be only one outcome with Sam Simmonds driven over for the equalising try, converted by Joe in the fifth minute, the TMO ruling the touchdown was good. Newcastle survived another trial by TM0 six minutes later with a drive over the line by the Chiefs pack chalked off and then defended superbly, forcing a break out which led to spell of pressure for the home side.
A weaving Simon Hammersley run should have yielded a score and a penalty to the corner was wasted by a poor throw and it came as no surprise when a penalty to the corner saw Simmonds driven over for his second try six minutes from half-time and his brother converted before Flood added a penalty just before the break. Simmonds knocked over a penalty three minutes into the second half following a tip tackle for 17-10.
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Newcastle got themselves back in the match with a 53rd-minute try, from Jonny Williams as the Falcons strung together their first real period of pressure after another Hammersley foray and Flood floated the ball out to Tom Arscott and his inside pass put Williams over, Flood converting from wide out to make it 17-17.
Arscott was wide and short with a long range penalty in the 59th minute and when Flood was sin-binned for preventing release, Exeter immediately went to the corner with the penalty and Kvesic was driven over for a crucial try converted by Gareth Steenson in the 64th minutfor 24-17.
With 10 minutes left Newcastle twice went to the corner with penalties but the throw was poor and the chance wasted. There was a frantic end when Newcastle scrambled a losing bonus point after Exeter failed to score a fourth try with a driving lineout with seconds on the clock. Newcastle forced a turnover scrum but then, incredibly, Hodgson missed touch and Exeter ran it back but the Falcons won a penalty which finally made sure of that losing bonus point.