By David Hibell
April 25 2005

This was the big one, the make or break game that nobody wanted to lose. Everyone knew it was going to be close. Exeter came looking to do the double and ruin Bristols promotion chances. Sky were there to capture it & what a game to capture for posterity!

Exeter had all the possession in the first half, and started brightly with Mark 

Fatialofa making a nice looping break down the left early doors and it didn't 

seem like Bristol touched the ball for the first five minutes.  Eventually as 

Exeter were n the 14th phase of their move Rob Higgitt put in a big tackle 

on one of the Exeter forwards, who incidentally weighed on average a stone 

a man heavier than their Bristol counterparts, stopping them in their tracks, 

Jim Brownrigg ripped the ball away and fed Bernardo Stortoni, he got the ball

to Luke Nabaro who ran through Stephen Ward like he wasn't there before 

being brought down.  The ball was fed right and a long speculative pass by 

Stortoni bounced before being picked up by Manu Contepomi who cleverly 

drew the winger before releasing Saul Nelson on a 30 yard dash to the line 

for the first score. With Jason Strange converting from the right touchline.

 

Ex Kiwi sevens player Sione Kefu claimed the restart and after Exeter again 

looked to play route one rugby Joe El-Abd was penalised at the tackle area 

and Yapp made no mistake with the penalty attempt to make it 7-3, eight 

minutes gone.

 

Exeter knocked on the restart, from the scrum Hentie Martens made a break 

down the right, putting a grubber kick ahead but it bounced back off the 

Exeter centres straight to Berni's hands, Berni was able to stand up in the 

tackle and wait for the forwards but Richard Baxter was able to steal the ball 

back for Exeter and Yapp cleared the ball deep into the Bristol half.

 

Saul other threw the line out which bounced back Exeter's way but the 

advancing defense was able to stifle Exeter and drive them back earning 

Bristol the put in.  After some tactical kicking from both sides Berni fed Alex 

Clarke who found Sean Marsden cutting in and the flying winger was able to 

ghost through several attempted tackles into the heart of the Exeter twenty two, 

Bristol worked the ball left and then right again and Exeter conceded a penalty, 

Strange easily converting to re-establish the seven point lead.  Already Bristol 

were looking by far the most dangerous with the ball in hand whereas Exeter 

seemed to be a bit more one dimensional.

 

Bristol demonstrated this again from the restart with Manu Contepomi claiming 

the ball before feeding Matt Salter who slipped it out to Sean Marsden, Sean 

passed to Bernardo Stortoni, the ball then going through the hands of Rob 

Higgitt, Joe El-Abd, Ed Pearce and Alex Clarke before a Bristol player was 

forced to the ground, it was exhilarating stuff.

 

Each side turned the ball over a few times then before Darren Crompton

picked the ball up from the base of a ruck, fed Jim Brownrigg who slipped it

on to Berni who gave the scoring pass to Sean Marsden,

 

Sean still had lots of work to do before he could equal Paul Hulls record

league total of tries for Bristol, but he stood Stephen Ward up with an inside

and outside run before scorching passed him untouched to leave the people in

the far corner thinking they had the best seats in the house with two tries right in

front of them.

 

Strange again converted but there was a delay in proceedings before the try

was given as Kefu had been involved in an off the ball incident a few phases

before the try scoring move, coming out of his defensive line and walking into

the Bristol back line to discuss something with the Bristol centres, and trying to

trip Sean when he remembered which side he should have been of the offside

line, but the referee decided not to punish him for this.

 

After Exeter suffered a big blow with former Bristol back rower, and regular

spectator at the Memorial ground, Mark Gabey had to be replaced Bristol

suffered two major set backs themselves on twenty six minutes with Rob Higgitt

having to leave the field with a shoulder injury, Sam Cox coming on to replace

him, and inspirational captain Matt Salter having to go off for attention to stop

the bleeding, proud Bristolian Craig Short coming on to cover for him.

 

Exeter spurned a kickable penalty to go for a line out, earning a second attempt

after the jumper was taken out in the air but from the resulting ruck they

conceded a penalty as they turned a ruck into a maul, the scrum half carrying

the ball away then gave Bristol another ten yards.

 

Exeter were able to attack again but the Bristol defence was up to the test and

Joe El-Abd hacked the loose ball upfield, the marauding Bristol players

forcing the Exeter covering player to hang on to the ball conceding a penalty

which Strange converted from half way to make it 20-3 and then again on 35

minutes to make it 23-3.  This second penalty coming from a high tackle on

Sean Marsden from Junior Fatialofa who dove in with a straight arm and he

could count himself lucky to finish the match after the number of offences he

committed.  This one, seconds after he had been talked to for unnecessary use

of the boot well away from the ball, was punished with a spell in the sin bin

which was to prove costly for Exeter with seventeen points conceded whilst he

was off.

 

Matt Salter returned soon after the sin binning and th

 

Luke gets the plaudits after his try

 

Manu gets stuck in at a ruck

 

 

The Mem crowd enjoy another Manu try

 

Jason Strange brings up the fifty points

 

I know Bristol were attacking at pace, but where is the offside line again?

Berni scores

 

Manu in again