Tag: Rugby

Former Springboks boss Jake White has revealed that he would consider taking over the Wallabies coaching reins if the chance arose.

White is viewed in some circles as a possible replacement for current Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika, who has guided the two-time world champions to five losses in seven Tests in 2018.

Despite being contracted until the end of the 2019 World Cup, Cheika is under pressure to retain his job after the Wallabies’ poor results has seen them drop to seventh on the World Rugby rankings.

White, who was the Springboks’ coach when they won the 2007 World Cup in France and guided the Brumbies to a runners-up spot in Super Rugby in 2013, said he still has a desire to coach at Test level and would consider the Wallabies job if it became available.

“Obviously, I think that I’ve always said that coaching one of the top teams in the world is where you get judged,” White told ESPN.

“Australia is consistently always in the top teams in the world. I must say that obviously the reason I left [in 2013] was it was very, very well documented that the South African way, or style of play, wasn’t the way Australia wanted to go. I’m sure things have changed, but that was the reason.”

White, who is currently coaching Toyota Verblitz in Japan’s Top League, feels it is “highly unlikely” he would be offered the Wallabies coaching position but he also said “one never knows. Stranger things have happened in rugby”.

The 54-year-old was shortlisted to coach Australia when Robbie Deans was fired after the Wallabies suffered a 2-1 series defeat to the British and Irish Lions in Australia in 2013 but Ewen McKenzie was preferred as the New Zealander’s successor instead.

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Glasgow Warriors have announced that full-back Stuart Hogg underwent ankle surgery on Thursday and is expected to be out of action for 10 to 12 weeks.

Hogg sustained the injury in the win over Munster earlier this month.

He said: “I’m gutted to be missing some important games for Glasgow Warriors and Scotland over the next few months.

“My focus just now is working hard and getting fit, so I can play my part in what is a long season.

“I’d like to thank the medical staff at Glasgow Warriors and BMI Ross Hall Hospital for all their care and support.”

Glasgow Warriors coach Dave Rennie said: “Hoggy injured his ankle in the game against Munster and then flew to South Africa with the squad for our PRO14 matches against the Cheetahs and the Kings.

“He didn’t train over here as it often takes a few days for the swelling to go down and he returned home when we realised it was more serious than we thought.

“It’s frustrating for him. He got himself in extremely good nick for the start of the season and was arguably one of the best players on the park in the opening two games. But it’s a long old season, he’s a resilient man and we’re looking forward to seeing him back out there soon.”

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The Pumas secured their second victory of the 2018 Currie Cup following a dominant 42-14 triumph over an abject Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

Jimmy Stonehouse’s charges set the tone early on by crossing the whitewash three times through Ryan Nell’s brace and one from Morne Joubert.

Rudy Paige hit back for the home team before Neil Maritz restored the visitors’ 21-point buffer just shy of the interval.

It proved to be a quieter second period as the Pumas eased off the gas and that allowed Jannes Snyman to score, but the visitors had the final word via Marnus Schoeman and Simon Westraadt.

With the Bloemfontein-based outfit juggling the PRO14 alongside the Currie Cup, they have endured a torrid campaign in their domestic competition.

Following this loss, the Cheetahs have gone through the tournament winless. Once again, Daan Human’s men were completely outplayed as the Pumas dominated, and in Stefan Ungerer, the away side had the game’s outstanding player.

The scrum-half was particularly prominent in the opening quarter, creating the first two tries, as a grubber through allowed Nell to touch down before his break and pass saw Joubert cross the whitewash.

It was proving to be a comfortable evening for the visitors and another fine move down the right gave their inside centre a simple run for his second try.

To the hosts’ credit, they fought back and reduced the arrears when captain Paige sniped over from close range, but the Pumas responded immediately as Maritz strolled in at the corner for a 28-7 advantage at the break.

With Stonehouse’s men in control, their intensity dropped in the second period, but they were not unduly troubled by the Cheetahs.

Human’s outfit had more of the ball and created a couple of opportunities but, in truth, they lacked ideas and their opponents were reasonably comfortable in defence.

Although the Bloemfontein side did eventually score through Snyman, Schoeman and Westraadt tries completed an easy win for the Pumas.

The scorers:

For Free State Cheetahs:
Tries: Paige, Snyman
Cons: Stapelberg, Carelse

For Pumas:
Tries: Nell 2, Joubert, Maritz, Schoeman, Westraadt
Cons: Smith 5, Marais

Free State Cheetahs: 15 Adriaan Carelse, 14 Ali Mgijima, 13 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 12 Tertius Kruger, 11 Vuyani Maqina, 10 Ernst Stapelberg, 9 Rudy Paige (c), 8 Daniel Maartens, 7 Abongile Nonkontwana 6 Jannes Snyman, 5 Louis Conradie, 4 Dennis Visser, 3 Reinach Venter, 2 Elandre Huggett, 1 Johan Kotze
Replacements: 16 Hanno Snyman, 17 Stephan van Schalkwyk, 18 Nardus Erasmus, 19 Luigy van Jaarsveld, 20 Dian Badenhorst, 21 Reinhardt Erwee, 22 Maputa Dolo

Pumas: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Morné Joubert, 13 Neil Maritz, 12 Ryan Nell, 11 Ruwellyn Isbel, 10 Christopher Smith, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Hugo Kloppers (c), 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Andrew Beerwinkel, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 1 Morgan Naudé
Replacements: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 De-Jay Terblanche, 18 Cameron Lindsay, 19 Francois Kleinhans, 20 Abrie Griesel, 21 Kobus Marais, 22 Henko Marais

Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Jaco Kotze
TMO: Lourens van der Merwe

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The Cheetahs and Ulster played out a thrilling 39-39 draw while Cardiff Blues beat Munster 37-13 to claim a bonus-point success in the PRO14.

Cheetahs 39-39 Ulster

It was honours even at Free State Stadium as the Cheetahs and Ulster could not be separated in a 78-point thriller to start the PRO14 round.

The Cheetahs came out of the blocks firing when flanker Gerhard Olivier crossed on two minutes, with Tian Schoeman adding the conversion.

However, Ulster hit back three minutes later as scrum-half Dave Shanahan collected an offload from centre Darren Cave for the levelling try.

Schoeman nudged the hosts into a 10-7 lead on the 20-minute mark off the tee but it was then deja vu for the visitors when Cave set up Shanahan on 22 minutes. That converted score moved Ulster into a 14-10 lead, but William Small-Smith responded for 17-14 at the break.

Ulster levelled matters six minutes into the second-half thanks to pivot Billy Burns’ successful penalty, but they were behind again on 53 minutes when hooker Joseph Dweba crossed shortly after Ulster lock Alan O’Connor was sin-binned. Burns did slot three points in response.

The next score was going to be key and it went the way of Cheetahs replacement hooker Jacques du Toit, whose converted try made it 29-20.

But the cushion was short-lived when Ulster hit back as a slick move between Angus Kernohan and Stuart McCloskey sent over Jonny Stewart.

It was now 29-25 to the hosts with nine minutes to play with the drama continuing when an Ulster penalty try put them in front before the Cheetahs hit back through wing Rabz Maxwane, with Louis Fouche’s conversion and penalty thereafter pushing them into a 39-32 buffer.

But there was still late drama to come when Henry Speight went over in the dying embers, with Burns’ extras tying things up in Bloemfontein.

The scorers:

For Cheetahs:
Tries: Olivier, Small-Smith, Dweba, Du Toit, Maxwane
Cons: Schoeman 3, Fouche
Pens: Schoeman, Fouche

For Ulster:
Tries: Shanahan 2, Stewart, Penalty try, Speight
Cons: Burns 3
Pens: Burns 2
Yellow Card: O’Connor

Cheetahs: 15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Nico Lee, 11 Rabz Maxwane, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Tian Meyer (c), 8 Niell Jordaan, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Gerhard Olivier, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Günther Janse van Vuuren, 19 Justin Basson, 20 Stephan Malan, 21 Shaun Venter, 22 Louis Fouche, 23 Ryno Eksteen

Ulster: 15 Will Addison, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Angus Kernohan, 10 Billy Burns, 9 Dave Shanahan, 8 Marcell Coetzee, 7 Sean Reidy, 6 Matt Rea, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 Alan O’Connor, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Rob Herring (c), 1 Eric O’Sullivan
Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Andrew Warwick, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Nick Timoney, 21 Jonny Stewart, 22 Angus Curtis, 23 Peter Nelson

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Lloyd Linton (Scotland), Ben Crouse (South Africa)
Television match official: Johan Greeff (South Africa)

Cardiff Blues 37-13 Munster

Cardiff Blues claimed their first win of the PRO14 campaign after they picked up a bonus-point 37-13 victory over Munster at the Arms Park.

It was a positive half from the Blues as they went into the interval leading 14-13 thanks to tries from Nick Williams and Tomos Williams.

Number eight Williams opened the scoring on seven minutes after he finished off a solid carry from centre Willis Halaholo to make it 7-0.

But within eight minutes of that score Munster were 10-7 in front at Cardiff Arms Park thanks to two Andrew Conway crossings, the second coming after good work from Joey Carbery, who was impressing at fly-half for the visitors. It seems he will flourish at his new province.

If Carbery was starring for Munster, it was outside centre Halaholo who was in great form for Cardiff as his line bust led to scrum-half Williams making it 14-10 with a converted try. Carbery did land a penalty on 24 minutes to make it 14-13 which was how it remained until the break.

The Blues crucially scored first after the turnaround through the in-form Halaholo and with Gareth Anscombe’s extras they were 21-13 ahead. That became 24-13 seven minutes later as the full-back slotted a penalty which meant Munster were needing a strong final quarter in Wales.

They did push hard for the next score but solid defence resulted in a reprieve for the Blues, who made it 27-13 thanks to Anscombe’s boot.

Wales international Anscombe further extended the lead to 17 points with his third penalty of the night, which all but sealed the four points.

With that healthy cushion, the Blues were now pushing for a try bonus-point and it arrived two minutes from time via scrum-half Williams.

The scorers:

For Cardiff Blues:
Tries: N Williams, T Williams 2, Halaholo
Cons: Anscombe 4
Pens: Anscombe 3

For Munster:
Tries: Conway 2
Pen: Carbery

Cardiff Blues: 15 Gareth Anscombe, 14 Blaine Scully, 13 Willis Halaholo, 12 Rey Lee-Lo, 11 Jason Harries, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Ellis Jenkins (c), 6 Josh Navidi, 5 Josh Turnbull, 4 George Earle, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Rhys Gill
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Macauley Cook, 20 Olly Robinson, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Garyn Smith, 23 Matthew Morgan

Munster: 15 JJ Hanrahan, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Darren Sweetnam, 10 Joey Carbery, 9 Duncan Williams, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Chris Cloete, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Mike Sherry, 1 James Cronin
Replacements: 16 Diarmuid Barron, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Brian Scott, 19 Darren O’Shea, 20 Tommy O’Donnell, 21 Jack Stafford, 22 Bill Johnston, 23 Shane Daly

Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Rhys Thomas (Wales), Gareth John (Wales)
Television match official: Ian Davies (Wales)

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Saturday’s late game in the Top 14 sees Racing 92 host defending champions Castres in what should be a thriller at the Paris La Defense Arena.

Elsewhere, Lyon head to La Rochelle looking for their third victory of the campaign while Stade Francais will attempt to continue their fine form when visiting Pau.

At the other end of the table, the newly-promoted sides go head-to-head as Grenoble face Perpignan. Neither have won a game since regaining their places in France’s top-tier but, unless it’s a draw, one of them will break their duck.

Saturday
Bordeaux-Bègles vs Clermont Auvergne
Grenoble vs Perpignan
La Rochelle vs Lyon
Toulon vs Agen
Racing 92 vs Castres

Sunday
Pau vs Stade Francais
Montpellier vs Toulouse

Bordeaux-Bègles vs Clermont Auvergne
Stade Chaban-Delmas

Two teams who are enduring contrasting starts to the season, despite only being separated by once place in the 2017/18 standings, meet in the early game.

UBB have ambitions to break into the top-six and become one of the bigger powers in Europe, but they have struggled so far in 2018/19. Rory Teague’s men started well enough, thrashing Pau 41-19, but they have not tasted success since and were embarrassed 22-17 by Agen in Round Four.

Their opponents on Saturday, however, have been outstanding, winning all of their games. Clermont were dominant victors in the opening three weeks and, although they were tested by Pau, Les Jaunards edged the contest 27-23.

You would think that Auvergne are due a loss at some point but confidence is high, while Bordeaux have been lacklustre recently.

Last season’s result: Bordeaux won 32-25
Kick-off: 14:45 local (13:45 BST, 12:45 GMT)
Referee: Pascal Gauzere
Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset, Frederic Chazal
TMO: Bruno Bessot

Grenoble vs Perpignan
Stade des Alpes

It may only be five weeks into the season but this could already be one of the biggest games of the campaign if either of these sides are to stave off relegation.

After both were promoted from Pro D2, neither have yet won a game in France’s top-tier. In particular, Grenoble have come close and, as a result, should be favourites going into this encounter, but their record was poor against Perpignan last season.

The Catalans emerged triumphant in all three matches between the teams, including the play-off final where they were comfortable 38-13 victors, and they will be hoping for a similar outcome at the Stade des Alpes.

Last season’s result: Perpignan won 24-17
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Jerome Garces
Assistant referees: Adrien Descottes, Thierry Guilloton
TMO: Eric Gonthier

La Rochelle vs Lyon
Stade Marcel-Deflandre

Despite an ultimately comfortable victory over Perpignan last week, La Rochelle have yet to find the form which made them such a formidable proposition under Patrice Collazo.

In contrast, Pierre Mignoni has done a fine job in turning Lyon into one of the most feared teams in France and their remarkable victory over Montpellier demonstrated the work he has done.

They thrashed the 2018 Top 14 runners up 55-13, which secured their second victory of the campaign and moved them up to fifth, just two points behind second placed Stade Francais.

Irrespective of the hosts’ current frustrations, it should be a tight game, but you suspect that Mignoni’s charges will be the more confident outfit heading into the contest.

Last season’s result: La Rochelle won 19-15
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Jerome Garces
Assistant referees: Luc Ramos, Bruno Gabaldon
TMO: Eric Gauzins

Toulon vs Agen
Stade Mayol

It has been a pretty dreadful opening to the season for Toulon but they should have far too much quality for Agen at the Stade Mayol.

The focus for Philippe Sella’s men has very much been on their home form and it has paid off so far after securing victories over Perpignan and Bordeaux, but they have been dreadful on the road.

Expect the same here. Although Patrice Collazo has endured an inauspicious start in the head coach’s role, this may be the ideal tonic. If they don’t get a comfortable win against a team that is expected to struggle then the pressure will ramp up from owner Mourad Boudjellal.

Last season’s result: Toulon won 54-5
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Vincent Blasco-Baque
Assistant referees: Julien Castaignede, Jacques De Lemos
TMO: Cedric Marchat

Racing 92 vs Castres
Paris La Defense Arena

On paper, it has been a difficult start to the campaign for Castres, but they have handled it superbly and another victory here would set them up nicely.

After overturning Montpellier and Lyon, Christophe Urios’ men then visited Toulon, only to succumb by one point. A comfortable victory over strugglers Grenoble got them back on track and they head to Paris in confident mood.

Saturday’s hosts, Racing, have shown glimpses of their capabilities in 2018/19, winning in the Stade Mayol and thrashing Agen, but their heavy home defeat to Clermont Auvergne would have concerned the supporters.

It should be a thriller and a close contest between two sides who have realistic title ambitions, but Castres do rather enjoy upsetting the apple cart.

Last season’s result: Racing won 25-21
Kick-off: 20:45 local (19:45 BST, 18:45 GMT)
Referee: Maxime Chalon
Assistant referees: Jonathan Dufort, Jean-Claude Labarbe
TMO: Akim Hadj-Bachir

Pau vs Stade Francais
Stade du Hameau

Stade Francais head to Pau in Sunday’s early game buoyed by a fine start to the season following three victories in the opening four matches.

Included in those wins was an excellent triumph over Toulon, while their only defeat came at pacesetters Clermont Auvergne.

Simon Mannix’s men have also faced Les Jaunards and they provided the leaders’ sternest test by coming within four minutes of overturning Clermont, but the 2017 Top 14 champions edged them out.

Pau’s performance last weekend showed that they should be battling for the top-six once again this season and they will fancy their chances of overturning the Parisians.

Last season’s result: Stade won 25-23
Kick-off: 12:30 local (11:30 BST, 10:30 GMT)
Referee: Ludovic Cayre
Assistant referees: Laurent Cardona, Jean-Luc Rebollal
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure

Montpellier vs Toulouse
GGL Stadium

The final match of Round Five sees two of last season’s top-four go head-to-head. After a difficult start for Montpellier, where they lost at home to Castres and were thrashed by Lyon, the 2018 runners up will be looking to kick-start their campaign.

Despite beating La Rochelle and gaining a creditable draw at Bordeaux, Vern Cotter’s men have struggled for form and their match with Toulouse will be another difficult test.

It will also be Les Rouge et Noir’s toughest game so far, with them currently unbeaten after three victories and a draw. Ugo Mola’s charges have generally battled for their results rather than swept all before them, but edging out victories is a crucial skill to have.

Montpellier should ultimately have too much for the visitors at home, although the absence of Aaron Cruden will hamper them.

Last season’s result: Montpellier won 32-22
Kick-off: 16:50 local (15:50 BST, 14:50 GMT)
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz
Assistant referees: Cyril Lafon, Richard Duhau
TMO: Mourad Zitouni

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After playing a leading role in Cardiff Blues‘ home PRO14 victory over Munster, Willis Halaholo has called on his side to build on their success.

Following three narrow defeats in the final five minutes of their first three games, Cardiff Blues knew nothing less than a win would suffice upon their return to the Arms Park on Friday and they did just that with a convincing 37-13 win over the Irish province.

Cardiff could not have asked for a tougher test than Munster but were more than up for the challenge as they blew the visitors away.

Halaholo was at the heart of everything Wales’ Capital Region did well. In the first-half he made the vital yards to lay the platform for Nick Williams’ close-range drive and set up Tomos Williams with a devastating break.

Then in the second-half he eased outside the Munster defence for a vital score of his own.

The centre was thrilled to kick-start the Blues season, and he now wants more, remaining typically humble when questioned on his try.

“It’s good for us, especially when we were up against a good team like Munster,” he said.

“It will really pick the boys up leading into the rest of the season.

“We’ve had a few tough losses, especially losing in the last few minutes of each game, so it was good to come out with the bonus-point win.

“We’ll take it week by week. We will rest up now, come in and review the game because there’s still things we need to work on but we’re definitely looking forward to the Cheetahs.

“The boys were up and once the momentum was there we didn’t want to change it. We kept playing, we spoke about not just defending a lead, we wanted to keep playing and score more points so we were happy to come away with the bonus-point.”

Reflecting on his personal contributions, he continued: “I don’t know… we ran the same line earlier and I stepped in and got a bit of gain from that. So the next one where we ran the same move I went for the outside. It’s just a case of trying to play some mind games and using my feet the best I can.

“For the try it was good build-up from the forwards in the 22 and like I said, again we ran the same move three times in the first half so I decided to change it and got on the outside but it was all credit to the boys up front.”

A crowd of more than 7,000 descended to the Arms Park in miserable conditions and Halaholo was thrilled with the atmosphere.

Following three near misses, he knew Cardiff Blues owed the crowd and he hopes they will be back in force for next Friday’s home clash against the Cheetahs.

“We were a bit surprised that a lot of supporters came out tonight and we are really grateful for that, especially after three losses,” added Halaholo.

“We really owed them and we’re happy that they are sticking by us because it really helps us out on the field.”

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There’s PRO14 action on Saturday and Premiership and Top 14 rugby playing out throughout the weekend. Here’s our game-by-game predictions.

With Exeter continuing to set the pace in England after Friday’s win at Newcastle, the chasing pack will be playing catch-up this weekend.

Meanwhile in the PRO14 Glasgow have the opportunity to stretch their lead at the Conference A summit after Munster’s loss at Cardiff Blues.

Elsewhere, Top 14 champions, Castres, travel to Racing 92 in the big game in France, with struggling Grenoble and Perpignan also clashing.

PREMIERSHIP

Saturday and Sunday: There’s three Premiership games on Saturday before two take place on Sunday, with Saracens versus Gloucester the round’s standout match.

Bath vs Northampton: Bath by 5
Bristol vs Harlequins: Harlequins by 3
Sale vs Wasps: Sale by 8
Leicester vs Worcester: Leicester by 10
Saracens vs Gloucester: Saracens by 15

PRO14

Saturday: There are five games scheduled to take place on Saturday in the PRO14 with Connacht versus Scarlets and Leinster versus Edinburgh the pick of them.

Kings vs Glasgow Warriors: Glasgow by 18
Connacht vs Scarlets: Connacht by 3
Dragons vs Zebre: Zebre by 2
Leinster vs Edinburgh: Leinster by 12
Ospreys vs Benetton: Ospreys by 5

TOP 14

Saturday and Sunday: Saturday’s late game in the Top 14 sees Racing 92 host defending champions Castres in what should be a thriller at the Paris La Defense Arena.

Bordeaux-Bègles vs Clermont: Clermont by 7
Grenoble vs Perpignan: Grenoble by 5
La Rochelle vs Lyon: La Rochelle by 3
Toulon vs Agen: Toulon by 35
Racing 92 vs Castres: Racing 92 by 8
Pau vs Stade Français: Pau by 2
Montpellier vs Toulouse: Montpellier by 3

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Exeter boss Rob Baxter hailed what he described as a “precious victory” over Newcastle which maintained their unbeaten start to the Premiership season.

Sam Simmonds scored two of the Chiefs’ tries, while back-row colleague Matt Kvesic also found his way over the whitewash as Exeter claimed a 24-17 win at Kingston Park on Friday which helped them consolidate pole position in the table with a fourth successive win.

The Falcons played their part in a physical and dogged display, scoring tries of their own through Zach Kibirige and Johnny Williams, but it could not prevent the Chiefs from flying home with the all-important four points in the bag.

Post-match, a pleased Baxter assessed his side’s showing, saying: “We’ve come to a team who were top four last year and we’ve won away from home. In the dying minutes there was still a bonus point there for us to try and get, but overall I am a big believer that away wins in the Premiership are precious things and you should cherish them when they come along.

“As we know, you have to work hard for those win, but personally I don’t mind that. Newcastle have a good home record and they are an ambitious side who are trying to knock over big teams. That said, when you wrap it all up, I think it’s been a very successful day for us.”

Having trailed to Kibirige’s early try, the Chiefs hit back strongly with Simmonds crossing twice before the break from two well-drilled Exeter line-out moves.

Toby Flood and Joe Simmonds exchanged penalties, before the Falcons gave themselves a sniff back into the contest when Williams snuck over in the corner for a converted score just past the hour mark.

Level at 17-17, it was the Chiefs who rallied in the final quarter, creating a third try through flanker Kvesic, which replacement fly-half Gareth Steenson was able to convert.

“They disrupted us pretty well and at times tonight we lacked the little bit of clinical edge that we’ve shown in previous games,” said Baxter.

“Was tonight perfect? No.

“Were we as clinical as we would have liked? No.

“However, you have to give credit to Newcastle and their tenacity to stand up and fight in those situations. There were numerous situations where a more passive side could have let us squeeze in, but they didn’t allow that and they kept fighting up until the final whistle.

“We know nothing is always going to go your own way, but this group understand that the most important thing is how many try-scoring opportunities you can create.
“It’s having a mindset that if one gets away from you, then the next opportunity will come. At the end I was screaming to get the ball off the pitch and escape with an away win but they were hunting a bonus-point try!

“Overall, it’s an important win us for and you’ve got to be pleased with that. It’s our longest trip we do, we’ve knocked it off now, we’ve got the points, and for me I’ll take that any time of the year.”

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Exeter Chiefs battled to their fourth successive Premiership victory of the campaign after overcoming a gallant Newcastle Falcons 24-17 at Kingston Park.

The Falcons had an outstanding start when Zach Kibirige, who was a late change for the injured Alex Tait, touched down, but Rob Baxter’s men soon took command.

Sam Simmonds went over twice for a 14-7 lead before Toby Flood’s penalty kept Dean Richards’ team in the contest at the interval.

Joe Simmonds and Flood traded penalties in the final 40 minutes, but the scores were level going into the last quarter after Johnny Williams’ try.

In typical fashion from the 2017 champions, they lifted the intensity and won the game through Matt Kvesic, who burrowed across the line and maintained their perfect opening to the campaign.

Exeter have started the season in fine form but they were made to work by the hosts, who stunned the Chiefs by opening the scoring after two minutes.

It came from slack defence by the visitors, when Williams pierced the rearguard far too easily, but the centre then produced a brilliant offload to send Kibirige scampering clear. The wing duly stepped the final defender and crossed the whitewash unopposed for a 7-0 buffer.

The Falcons secured an excellent victory in the corresponding fixture last season, primarily due to a blistering first-half performance, but this time the visitors managed to halt the Tynesiders’ momentum.

They won the restart and went on the attack. As is their wont, Baxter’s charges went through the phases and Simmonds was on hand to cross the whitewash from close range.

Ollie Atkins was then denied a try by the TMO before Exeter’s number eight added to his remarkable try-scoring record as the home side failed to stop the West Countrymen’s impressive maul.

Although Flood reduced the arrears at the end of the half, the Chiefs opened the second period on the front foot and Joe Simmonds rewarded their endeavour with a penalty.

However, they failed to truly benefit from their possession and territory when Newcastle clinically took their first opportunity after the break. The hosts showed patience with the ball and their fly-half’s excellent pass opened the space for Tom Arscott before the wing fed Williams to score.

The Falcons were in the ascendency but the 2017 champions regained their composure and got to within inches of the opposition line. Under pressure, Flood infringed – receiving a yellow card for his indiscretion – and the visitors benefited with Kvesic going over, sealing the win.

The scorers:

For Newcastle:
Tries: Kibirige, Williams
Cons: Flood 2
Pen: Flood
Yellow Card: Flood

For Exeter:
Tries: S Simmonds 2, Kvesic
Cons: J Simmonds 2, Steenson
Pen: J Simmonds

Newcastle: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Zach Kibirige, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Tom Arscott, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Mark Wilson, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Gary Graham, 5 Will Witty, 4 Calum Green, 3 Logovi’i Mulipola, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Adam Brocklebank
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Sami Mavinga, 18 Jack Payne, 19 Tevita Cavubati, 20 Callum Chick, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Tom Penny

Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Alex Cuthbert, 10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Jack Maunder, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Don Armand (c), 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Ollie Atkins, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Dave Dennis, 20 Dave Ewers, 21 Sam Maunder, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Sam Hill

Referee: Andrew Jackson
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, John Meredith
TMO: Graham Hughes

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Western Province continued with their superb form in the Currie Cup when they claimed a 38-12 win over Griquas at Newlands on Saturday.

The home side were full value for their win as they were the dominant side for most of this match, outscoring the men from Kimberley by six tries to two with Sergeal Petersen leading the way with a brace.

Western Province made a terrific start and two minutes into the match Josh Stander scored the opening try when he gathered a pass from Herschel Jantjies close to Griquas’ tryline after Petersen and Damian Willemse did well in the build up.

Stander added the extras but Griquas were soon on the attack inside WP’s 22 although the home side did well to keep them at bay with a solid defensive effort. WP soon regained the initiative and in the 15th minute Petersen crossed the whitewash in spectacular fashion after trading passes with Jantjies.

The home side continued to dominate and tries from Jantjies and Juarno Augustus followed with Stander maintaining his perfect record off the kicking tee which meant Province held a 28-0 lead after 25 minutes.

Seven mintues later, Petersen pounced on a defensive error from Enver Brandt before gathering the ball inside Griquas’ 22. He still had work to do but did well to stab a grubber kick through before diving on the ball behind the visitors’ tryline.

Three minutes later, Andre Swarts intercepted a wayward pass from Stander inside Griquas’ 22 and when the cover defence closed in he got a pass out to Kyle Steyn, who crossed for the visitors’ first try.

George Whitehead slotted the conversion which meant the teams changed sides with the home side holding a comfortable 33-7 lead at half-time.

Griquas were more competitive during the second-half although they were dealt a blow in the 44th minute when Conway Pretorius was sent to the sin-bin for a late and dangerous hit on Willemse.

Despite their numerical advantage, Western Province could not extend their lead during Pretorius’ stint on the sidelines and it was the visitors who scored the opening points of the half when AJ Coertzen touched down in the right-hand corner in the 58th minute.

Three minutes later, the home side struck back when Willemse delivered a beautiful long pass to JJ Engelbrecht, who beat a couple of defenders before crossing for WP’s sixth try.

With the game in the bag, WP took their foot off the pedal and although Griquas spent most of the game’s closing stages on the attack, they could not breach the home side’s defence again.

The scorers:

For Western Province:
Tries: Stander, Petersen 2, Jantjies, Augustus, Engelbrecht
Cons: Stander 4

For Griquas:
Tries: Steyn, Coertzen
Con: Whitehead
Yellow Card: Pretorius

Western Province: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan Kriel, 11 JJ Engelbrecht, 10 Josh Stander, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 Chris van Zyl (c), 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ali Vermaak
Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Michael Kumbirai, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Justin Phillips, 21 Dan du Plessis, 22 Dillyn Leyds

Griquas: 15 AJ Coertzen, 14 Ederies Arendse, 13 Kyle Steyn (c), 12 Andre Swarts, 11 Enver Brandt, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Conway Pretorius, 7 Sias Koen, 6 Eital Bredenkamp, 5 Pieter Jansen van Vuren, 4 FP Pelser, 3 Nicolaas Oosthuizen, 2 Khwezi Mkhafu, 1 Devon Martinus
Replacements: 16 AJ le Roux, 17 Liam Hendricks, 18 Ewald van der Westhuizen, 19 Sintu Manjezi, 20 Stephan Janse van Rensburg, 21 Wendal Wehr, 22 Christopher Bosch

Referee: AJ Jacobs
Assistant referees: Jaco Pretorius, Ruhan Meiring
Television match official: Joey Klaaste-Salmans

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