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Exeter Chiefs made one change from the side which secured the away win at Doncaster last week, with Hoani Tui starting in the front row. Doncaster, who suffered a higher injury count than Chiefs from the first of two very physical encounters within eight days, had several enforced changes.

Conditions were perfect for open rugby and Chiefs could have picked up a bonus point by the interval had the final linking been as incisive as the build-up work. In an almost flawless first half performance, Exeter dominated the contact area and were accurate and clinical, creating space outside and pace in support to blow away the opposition with eight tries.

The game started with a 30-metre drive from the kick-off by Chiefs, the culmination of which was a penalty converted by Danny Gray from 33 metres to give Exeter the lead in the third minute.

A minute later, Tom Johnson charged down a loose Doncaster kick and cantered in to score, only to have the play called back for an offside infringement.

However, Exeter did not have to wait long to commence the try feast; a glorious left-footed step by Bryan Rennie left his opposite number grasping at thin air. Rennie found Richie Baxter on his left shoulder to touch down to the left of the uprights in the ninth minute; Gray converted to extend the lead to 10 points.

Alistair Warnock got the Knights on the board in the 14th minute with a penalty following good defensive work from the Chiefs to prevent further damage from a catch and drive.

An excellent break by Mark Foster could have lead to the Chiefs’ second try, but his floated pass was intercepted deep in the Doncaster 22.

The second try came in the 16th minute, when quick ball was produced from a ruck for Haydn Thomas to show and go into a gap close to the breakdown. Thomas found skipper Tom Hayes in support, and despite being tackled short of the line, Hayes found the strength to stretch and ground the ball to referee David Rose’s satisfaction. Thomas converted to stretch the lead to 17-3.

Eight minutes later, Chiefs were awarded a penalty when Doncaster failed to release the tackled player. Gray turned down a kickable shot at goal, and stroked the ball into the left corner. From the lineout, the forwards showed great body angles, and after a brief but unstoppable drive, hooker Neil Clark grounded the ball in the corner.

One curious statistic to report was that the first scrum was not awarded until the 29th minute, leaving the props with very little to do other than to run around the field with ball in hands. And when the scrums did start, Doncaster elected to replace loosehead Toma Toke three minutes later. Winger Matt Jess made a powerful run moments later which just needed a final pass to gain a first half bonus point.

However, it was Doncaster who were next on the scoreboard when Mr Rose adjudged Knights’ scrum-half Nicholas Griffiths to have been obstructed after a kick ahead and awarded the visitors a penalty which they kicked to the corner. Although the Chiefs efficiently repelled the first two drives, hooker Steven Lawrie found a gap on the right which he burrowed through to ground the ball close to the corner. Warnock missed with the conversion, and the score remained 22-8 at the interval.

This late first half score gave the Knights just a flicker of hope, but this was pretty well extinguished three minutes after the break when the prolific Rennie again broke weak-shouldered tackling and spun through a gap to find full-back Phil Dollman on hand to cross in the left corner.

Two minutes later, the Chiefs put the contest to bed when James Scaysbrook robbed the Knights in the loose close to half way to allow Thomas to dart through a gap. When the scrum-half was hauled down just short of the line, the ball was re-cycled quickly and accurately moved left where replacement Steve Jones found room to cross in the corner for an unconverted try.

Another interesting statistic was that Doncaster replacement Adam Kettle’s game only lasted three minutes before being shown a red card for leaving Gray supine on the floor. Thankfully Gray recovered and was on hand to add the extras following a penalty try in the 58th minute when Doncaster illegally prevented the dominant Exeter pack from driving them over their line. Exeter’s sixth try and Gray’s conversion took the score to 39-8.

However, a lapse of concentration by the home side following the re-start allowed Doncaster what was to be, in reality, a consolation try, when Griffiths was allowed to waltz over unchecked; Warnock converted.

A 14-man Doncaster on the wrong end of a hefty scoreline were always going to find the last 20 minutes a challenge. It was no surprise when Exeter followed up an accurate line kick by Gray from a Doncaster infringement with a catch and drive which powered replacement Simon Alcott over in the corner.

In the last minute of normal time, Jones completed the scoring when Gray supplied the sweetest on inside balls to Foster who managed to get the ball wide for Jones to cross. To the crowd’s delight, Gray added the extras to take the score past the 50-point mark.

This was an outstanding performance which now puts the Chiefs in pole position in their play-off group, and they should take confidence for this when they travel to play London Welsh at Esher RFC’s ground next Saturday.

Teams:

Exeter Chiefs – Dollman; Jess, Sestaret (Jones 40mins), Rennie (Cornwell 64mins), Foster; Gray, Thomas (Stuart-Smith 47mins); Sturgess, Clark (Alcott 60mins), Tui Budgen 60mins), Hayes (capt), Hanks, Johnson, Scaysbrook (Andy Miller 54mins), Baxter (Gannon 60 mins).

Doncaster Knights – McColl (Carter 47mins); Wright, Briers, Bevon, Goss; Warnock (Brooks 62mins), Griffiths; Toke (Thiede 32mins), Lawrie (Boden 42mins), Ta’u (Toke 53mins), D Griffiths (Smith 66mins), Townson, Cochrane, Grainger, Boyde (Kettle 48mins).

Scorers:

Exeter Chiefs – Tries: Baxter, Hanks, Clark, Dollman, Jones (2), penaly, Alcott; Cons: Gray (4); Pen: Gray.

Doncaster Knights – Tries: Lawrie, N Griffiths; Con: Warnock; Pen: Warnock.

Officials:

Ref – David Rose; TJs – Paul Burton & Gareth Copsey

Attendance:

4,181

By Richard Grainger