Travelling sides are rarely successful at Sandy Park, so it was always going to be a tough trip for the Sale Sharks. However, off the back of a strong performance against Worcester Steve Diamond’s men were in good spirits. Exeter Chiefs made seven changes to their starting line up but due to their incredible squad depth looked almost no weaker. Exeter were also forced into two further changes when Sam Simmonds and Matt Kvesic both pulled out ill the night before. This may have unsettled many sides but Exeter looked calm and composed in the face of this disruption.
An evenly matched opening
Sale struck the first blow through an AJ MacGinty penalty and made much of the early running. However, the Chiefs hit back following a blistering outside break from Joe Simmonds who passed to Santiago Cordero who ran in unopposed for the games first try. Simmonds showing his potential and why many are tipping him for an England call-up sooner rather than later.
Sale were undeterred by this and answered with a score of their own. Off turnover ball inside Exeter’s twenty-two MacGinty saw space and executed an inch perfect chip for Marlon Yarde. The winger gathered well and finished expertly to put his side in front.
The opening twenty minutes had seen an uncharacteristically sloppy Exeter performance, but they settled into their patterns soon after. In the twenty-fifth minute Exeter mounted one of their trademark driving mauls which Sale pulled down just metres short. They followed this up with wave after wave of attack on the Sale try line. Eventually Steve Diamond’s men gave way and Jonny Hill emerged from a mass of bodies as the try scorer. This put the Chiefs just one point ahead going in to the half time break.
Sale hang in there after the break
Things looked to be slipping away from the Sharks when Henry Slade handed off Jennings then found Jack Maunder who scampered in for his first try of the season. Slade made this try with his pace and power. This performance put a marker down and if he continues to perform like this Eddie Jones will be hard pressed to overlook him.
The game then boiled over when a scrap ensued following Jono Ross playing Maunder after the whistle had gone. Hill reacted with a swinging arm which, after both teams had calmed down, saw both Ross and Hill spend ten minutes in the sin bin.
However, Sale were not going away and another excellent kick from MacGinty this time collected by Idogwu saw the flying winger break up the field. He was eventually dragged down just metres short. However, Bryn Evans was in support showing staggering pace to keep up with play. Idgowu popped the ball up to Evans who crashed over to bring Sale to within one point of the Chiefs.
Exeter show their class
At the point the game was on a knife edge and looked as if it could go either way. However, this is where Exeter’s squad depth showed its worth. Just five minutes after coming on substitute Alex Cuthbert was the grateful recipient of pinpoint pass from Phil Dolman. The Wales international still needed to finish it off and he did with ease.
From here there was only one winner and Chiefs had all the momentum with them. The pressure soon told, and Tom Lawday bundled his way over in the seventy-fourth minute to seal the match for the chiefs. There was no way back for Sale meaning they succumbed to a 35-18 defeat.
Players of the day
For Sale there is nowhere else to look other than at AJ MacGinty. He steered the ship expertly and came up with two moments of magic for their tries. Other notable mentions in their back are Bryn Evans and Jono Ross who were industrious despite the latter’s yellow card.
Henry Slade was most impressive and deservedly picked up the man of the match award. His strong carrying coupled with his distribution skills made him a nightmare for the Sale defence. Another pleasing sign was the return of Jack Nowell who was a live wire all day and did his England ambitions no harm
Concluding thoughts
Sale impressed for sixty minutes but ultimately ran out of steam in the final quarter. Steve Diamond will be pleased by this but equally concerned at how his team fell off so dramatically at the end. Conversely Exeter will be excited by the impact of their bench. The Chiefs made a few uncharacteristic errors in the first half but they soon found their groove and look to be a big force once again this season.
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