Exeter 26 - 30 Sale: Superb Sharks secure playoff spot with classic win over Chiefs

A slow start for Sale saw Chiefs take an early lead through the ever-dynamic Paul Brown-Bampoe just shy of the 20 minute mark. A clever pass from full-back Josh Hodge gave the winger all the space he needed to fly clear and capitalise on his team’s early pressure, however Henry Slade’s missed conversion should have been a sign of things to come for Chiefs.

George Ford scored his second penalty of the game moments later, and things started to open up for the visitors. Former Chief Tom O’Flaherty and Sale number 9 Raffi Quirke stood out as two quick fire tries from Ma’asi-White and Rodd put the Sharks in control, the former scoring from a darting run through the heart of the Chiefs defense. Things threatened to get out of hand as Sale continued to pile on the pressure, but the home side held on to reach half-time 5-20 down.

Chiefs came out with a point to prove after the break, and started on the front foot immediately. Well worked tries from Hodge and replacement Will Haydon-Wood put the home team right back in the game, and they thought they had their fourth of the game before Dan Frost was judged to have knocked the ball on after a review. The fight back left the score at 19-23 going into the final 20 minutes of the season.

Sale put the game to bed in the latter minutes of the game, when another former Chiefs man Luke Cowan-Dickie forced a try over the line. Chiefs defended valiantly, but with the visitors edging ever closer to the try line, Chiefs resurgence was abruptly ended. A glimmer of hope emerged when Jimmy Roots thought he had scored for Chiefs, only for the referee to judge the ball never made it to the floor, and by the time Tamati Tua released Capstick to score Chief’s fourth, it was too late. The score was 26-30 at the final whistle, leaving Chiefs 9th in the final standings, and Sale in 3rd, with play-off preparations ahead.

TRIES: 4 (Brown-Bampoe 19’, Hodge 48’, Haydon-Wood 56’, Capstick 76’)
CONVERSIONS: 3 (Hodge 48', 56’, 77’)
PENALTIES: 0
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Roots 38’)
RED CARDS: 0

STARTING XV: 15. Josh Hodge 14. Paul Brown-Bampoe 13. Henry Slade 12. Tamati Tua 11. Tommy Wyatt 10. Harvey Skinner 9. Stu Townsend 1. Kwenzo Blose 2. Jack Yeandle 3. Josh Iosefa-Scott 4. Rusi
Tuima 5. Franco Molina 6. Jacques Vermeulen 7. Richard Capstick 8. Ethan Roots
Replacements:

REPLACEMENTS: 16. Dan Frost 17. Scott Sio 18. Jimmy Roots 19. Christ Tshiunza 20. Martin Moloney 21. Tom Cairns 22. Will Haydon-Wood 23. Ross Vintcent

TRIES: 3 (Ma’asi-White 24’, Rodd 33’, Cowan-Dickie 67’)
CONVERSIONS: 3 (Ford 25’, 33’, 68’)
PENALTIES: 3 (FORD 1’, 21’, 52’)
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 2 (Ma’asi-White 47’, Warr 74’)
RED CARDS: 0

STARTING XV: 15. Joe Carpenter 14. Tom O’Flaherty 13. Robert Du Preez 12. Reketi Ma’asi-White 11. Aaron Reed 10. George Ford 9. Raffi Quirke 1. Bevan Rodd 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie 3. Asher
Opoku-Fordjour 4. Ernst Van Rhyn 5. Jonny Hill 6. Jean-Luc Du Preez 7. Ben Curry 8. Dan Du
Preez

REPLACEMENTS: 16. Tadgh McElroy 17. Si McIntyre 18. Willgriff John 19. Ben Bamber 20. Sam Dugdale 21. Gus Warr 22. Luke James 23. Alex Wills

15. Josh Hodge - 8
Heavily involved in all that went well for his team. Linked up well with Brown-Bampoe and
Haydon-Wood for their tries, and crept out unnoticed to the right wing to score his own. Kicked
well from tricky positions after taking over duties from Slade.

14. Paul Brown-Bampoe - 8
Worried fans after a couple of early stoppages for treatment, but took his try well just minutes
later, showing great pace as always to escape down the right wing. Was forced off for Ross
Vintcent at half time with injuries seemingly catching up with him. Awarded the supporters player
of the season award after the game.

13. Henry Slade - 6
Poorly missed his first conversion, but competed well in the second half particularly, helping his
team get themselves back within touching distance of their opponents.

12. Tamati Tua - 6
Relatively quiet game for Tua until he released Capstick late on with a smart pass to give Chiefs
a small fighting chance going into the final minutes.

11. Tommy Wyatt - 5
Frustratingly forced off after just 20 minutes due to injury before having any real opportunity to
impact the game.

10. Harvey Skinner - 6
After a great reception on his 100th Chiefs appearance, and a solid performance. Despite the
result, Saturday afternoon will have been a proud moment for him and his family.

9. Stu Townsend - 7
Started the game well in his final match for Chiefs, and was heavily involved in his side’s early
pressure. Looked hungry to make an impact and put his side on the front foot shortly after
half-time with a couple of piercing runs.

1 Kwenzo Blose - 6
Competed valiantly but a poor knock-on gave away a cheap scrum to his opposition just before
half-time.

2. Jack Yeandle - 6
A competitive performance from the captain, but lacked much of a cutting edge. Defended
brilliantly in important moments, but was caught out a couple of times by the pace of the Sale
attack.

3. Josh Iosefa-Scott - 6
Similarly to his fellow front rows, fought well but failed to compete in a couple of important
occasions.

4. Rusi Tuima - 5
Like many of his teammates, was overran in the middle of the park at times, but not for lack of trying.

5. Franco Molina - 6
Carried the ball well in moments to relieve the pressure on his team, but struggled to capitalise
on those moments.

6. Jacques Vermeulen - 7
Gained crucial ground in the first half with some powerful runs, notably one before
Brown-Bampoe’s opening try.

7. Richard Capstick - 6
Battled hard but struggled to make many real breakthroughs on the Exeter left until his try,
where he showed great pace to escape the Sale defense and support Tua’s run.

8. Ethan Roots - 6
A yellow card was his most notable contribution before half time. Got stuck in enough to lose his
shirt in the second half, and defended relentlessly to no avail before Cowan-Dickie’s try.

Replacements - 5
Struggled to get up to speed quick enough and some changes killed the momentum that Chiefs
had built up after half time.

Generally outshone by his opposite number, but looked sharp in the pass much like his
teammates.

14. Tom O’Flaherty - 7
Some quick offloads caused lots of problems for his former side, and was a part of most of
Sale’s best moves going forwards.

13. Rob Du Preez - 6
Relieved early pressure for his side with some smart box kicks. Competed well and always
looked to get on the ball.

12. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White - 7
Quiet until a quick Sale passing move opened the space for a darting run, where he skipped
past two Chiefs players to score a lovely try. Sin binned frustratingly before Josh Hodge’s try.

11. Arron Reed - 6
Struggled to influence the game too much, with most Sale play coming through the centre of the
park rather than the left wing. Had his try chalked off for a Warr yellow card.

10. George Ford - 8
Opened the scoring with an early penalty, and followed it up with a second 20 minutes later.
Duly converted once the tries started flowing for his team. Kicked well all afternoon.

9. Raffi Quirke - 8
Heavily involved in Sale’s attacking play, and started a number of promising moves with swift
pick ups and hand-offs. Really lively performance.

1. Bevan Rodd - 7
Was in the right place at the right time to put his try away, after some smart passing by his
teammates. Stood up well to the physical challenge.

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie - 7
Scored on his return to Sandy Park, which received an interesting reaction from the locals.
Battled hard to force the ball over the line in a scrappy but important moment for his team.

3. Asher Opoku-Fordjour - 6
Was an impressive physical presence throughout and combined well with his teammates for
some nice passing moves.

4. Ernst Van Rhyn - 6
Steady showing with some strong tackling and was involved in many of Sale’s better attacking
moves.

5. Jonny Hill - 6
Much like Van Rhyn, gave Chiefs a tough afternoon in the tackle, and linked up well with those around him.

6. Jean-Luc Du Preez - 7
Showed some lovely touches in the Sale attack, and it was his silky pick up to open Chiefs up
for Rodd’s try in the first half.

7. Ben Curry - 6
It was a game which passed the England man by at times. Like many of his teammates though,
had a couple of slick hand-offs to test the shape of the Chiefs defense.

8. Dan Du Preez - 6
Was involved but not particularly effective before being replaced by Dugdale after 50 minutes.

Replacements - 6
Competed well in a testing moment for their side, and all of them helped get their team over the line after a moment of Chiefs pressure towards the end of the game.