Exeter Chiefs
Warriors v Chiefs Review
Black_Otter
By black_otter
October 22 2013
Back to back reports by black_otter re Exeter Chiefs pool 2 match v Glasgow Warriors in the Heini
Glasgow Warriors 20 Exeter Chiefs 16
The clouds were gray, the sky dark and the smir was unrelenting, the kind of rain that no matter what action you take, it still finds its way inside your waterproofs – Dartmoor rain. But the home support were extremely welcoming, with the warmth that you’d associate from Weegies! Banter and ale flowed aplenty in the converted gymnasium pre-game. Cardiff’s magnificent win over Toulon the previous day had thrown this group wide open, and Glasgow were desperate for the win after a lacklustre showing in their first half of their first pool match, while the Chiefs had an opportunity to take this group by the throat.
It was always unlikely that the heights of our first 50mins against the Cardiff Blues could be regained tho, even more so in those playing conditions and in what would undoubtedly be such a fierce contest – no quarter given, none asked, the two sets of defensive line were determined to give absolutely nothing in the opening period. There were mistakes inevitably, and both sides had clearly done their homework on the other – every time livewire scrumhalf, Nico Matawalu, looked to dance away, so Exe’s breakdown trio and halfback pair would redouble efforts to smother the threat before it could really develop. Equally, the Glasgow line speed made it very difficult for the Chiefs to get our phase play going. There’s a reason that Glasgow sit atop the Celtic League table, and it was proving difficult for Exe to break them down. After exchanges of a couple of penalties apiece, a Warriors break away had the Exe backline scrambling in defence, and the tide turned a little as Gareth Steenson was shown yellow and Ian Whitten limped off to the sidelines with what looked to be a ham pull. But spirited Exe defence saw us end the half with a 9-6 lead, despite a muddle right at the end as Monsieur Poite seemed to indicate time up to Dave Lewis, before deciding there was another minute on the clock and that the lineout could be taken.
Glasgow came out the stronger at the start of the second period, the Chiefs lacked that bit of precision which marks out our best play, and some nice inter-linking between forwards and backs eventually saw Tim Swinson cross the white wash for the opening try. Exe looked tired as the conditions continued to take their toll, with the loss of Tom Johnson clearly not helping matters, and again the Warriors found their way over the line in the form of Tommy Seymour, only for the TMO to spot a forward pass in the build up and to cancel it out. The respite was not for long though, with Sean Maitland and DTH van der Merwe coming beautifully from halfway with some neat interchanges, before flanker Tyrone Holmes popped up on the shoulder of the Canadian wing to score Glasgow’s second try. For many teams that would have been the contest over at 20-9 to the home side, the losing bonus point now out of reach, but not for this Exeter side. As the clock ticked down, back they came, Captain Mumm in the fore as the pack drove for the Glasgow try line. Reward came as the forwards shunted the ball over the line, with Dave Ewers emerging with the ball to claim the vital score.
So at the end of round two, top of the table with all to play for – I’d think we’d all have taken that!
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22/10/2013 22:12
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