thanks to Daniel Davis

By The Saracens
January 1 2023

I so nearly didn’t go. The weather forecast was awful and our (gold) seats are right at the front of the East Stand beyond the reach of the roof so when it rains we get wet. The prospect of watching another performance like last week’s and getting a drenching as well did not appeal. But Little DG can be persuasive and a bag of chocolate buttons was all it took. We battled our way to Barnet through flooded roads but as we walked through the gates of the StoneX the rain stopped.

The Sarries line-up looked strong, buoyed by Earl being free to play and the return to fitness of Maro Itoje and Jamie George. Exeter are in some sort of transition compounded by sickness and injury,  but the team still featured the likes of Henry Slade, Harry Williams, Joe Simmonds, Ollie Woodburn and the unusual sight (on an artificial pitch at least) of Jack Nowell.

As the teams came out in front of a full house, the rain still held off but there was a very strong gusting wind which was, for the most part, behind Sarries in the 1^st half. An early Exeter box kick seemed to change direction in mid air and head back towards the Exeter 22 just to underline the role the wind was likely to play.

Faz landed an early 50:22 although Sarries wasted the opportunity with a loose pass to allow Exeter to clear. Both sides were profligate with possession – presumably the wind and the wet ball playing their part. The wind was causing Exeter a lot of problems – partly of their own making in that they insisted on putting up high balls whose trajectory became a lottery. Faz notably was keeping his kicks below roof height and therefore more controlled. One of these led to Sarries’ first real attack and a very long advantage whereby Malins and Maitland looked certain to conjure up the 1^st try only for the final pass to go into touch. Mr Maxwell-Keys, rather generously I felt, went back for the penalty which Sarries uncharacteristically decided to tap from the 5m line. It was a good decision – a quick interchange by the Brothers Vunipola found Christie who was over for the try and a neat conversion by Faz. Promising 1^st 10 minutes – no try conceded and 1 scored! Elliot Daly picked up a bang to the head and ran off looking quite sprightly for an HIA assessment so it was something of a surprise when he didn’t return. The rapid departure caught Loz by surprise as he entered the fray trailing top and trackies behind him. Not a bad replacement! The lineout was also functioning well, largely down to the presence of Maro Itoje who was the main target.

A high tackle from Jamie George on Fisilau gave Exeter a rare attacking chance for the classic Exeter move – the 5m lineout, however the throw wasn’t straight and Sarries won a penalty from the scrum and cleared their lines. (Little DG was uncharitable enough to suggest that Exeter aren’t used to scrumming on a solid surface!) Maro was punished for going off his feet and Joe Simmons landed Exeter’s first (and as it turned out only) points for 7-3. The Billy and Mako show continued with Billy catching a box kick and Mako making the break for Faz to thread the ball into the corner where Maitland just beat Maunder and touched down. The try survived the TMO review although Faz, despite Van Zyl holding the ball, couldn’t land the extras.

Sarries kept applying the pressure but the Chiefs’ defence held however their gameplan, which seemed to be based largely around kicking the ball into the wind, produced very little in the way of attacking opportunities. Sarries, on the other hand, were playing intelligent rugby with a good mix of ball in hand and a bit of judicious kicking giving them plenty of good field position. Sarries were also gaining ascendancy at the scrum and Maro was a menace at the line-out to turn the screw even tighter. Sarries wasted another opportunity, losing a lineout deep in the Exeter 22. As we approached half time, Sarries won another penalty which Faz plonked in the corner. George to Maro again, out to the forwards and Riccioni drove the ball over for a 3^rd try which Faz converted with the last kick of the half.

19-3 at half time and hopefully a big enough cushion with the wind against them in part 2. A much better performance so far by the team with Faz controlling things like clockwork, Maro putting his hands everywhere (legally and illegally) Christie looking very dangerous and the midfield partnership of Tompkins and Lozowski (have to say my favoured central pairing) looking very solid. For Exeter, only Nowell seemed to be providing any threat. Meanwhile the stadium announcer gamely sang Auld Lang Syne with pretty limited audience participation!

The rain started again as Chiefs kicked off with the wind in their favour. Faz and Van Zyl showed Exeter how to kick into the wind and Faz judged it perfectly for a penalty to extend the lead to 22-3. Even with ball in hand, Exeter were struggling to make ground and Sarries were growing from strength to strength. Another penalty from a dominant scrum stretched the lead to 25-3. Ben Earl took the field in place of Jackson Wray for his 100^th cap. Instantly he created a turnover which so nearly led to a 2^nd try for Maitland when Isiekwe set him free and he almost collected his own kick in the corner with only a superb covering tackle from Hodge pushing him into touch.

Exeter changed their front row but not their fortunes. Davies replaced Van Zyl (and also took over the ball-holding duties: who’d be a scrum half!). Exeter were conceding penalty on penalty – Faz decided not to kick the 3^rd scoring opportunity but went for the corner looking for the bonus point try. Not to be though when Faz of all people dropped the pass from Davies. Faz made his feelings explicitly clear he wasn’t expecting the ball!! Jonny Gray departed as Exeter seemed to be throwing in the towel followed by Maunder, Nowell and Tshiunza.Tizard replaced Isiekwe and with 15 minutes left Sarries also replaced their front row along with Lewington for Maitland.

The inevitable Bonus Point try finally came from yet another penalty to the corner. The drive was just short but Chiefs conceded their 15^th penalty. This time Pifileti went for the tap and go. It didn’t work but now Sarries had a 5m scrum for a knock-on. Finally, with a bit of pure Farrell magic, Lewington went over. Pifileti flipped the ball to Faz who flicked it up, no look, out of the back of his hand, behind him where Lewington gathered perfectly and scored in the corner. Just out of this world. He missed the conversion. He is human sometimes.

With 10 to go, Exeter just wanted to get back on their bus and head down the M4. It wasn’t just the gap in the scoreline, it was the gulf in class. The Exeter supporters around us departed for their long trip home. Most of them were lovely and we wished them Happy New Year although not the ones who commented that Sarries should all have “cheats” on the back of their shirts. Some people will never let it go. For the on-field Exeter men the agony was not over. Worrying, hustling Sarries forced the errors from Exeter. With a minute left Exeter conceded a penalty in their own 22 on their own scrum (a total of 16 in the games v’s 5 for Sarries). It went to the corner. Itoje caught the ball as the gong sounded. There was only ever going to be one outcome as the backs joined the forwards and forced the ball over the line, Tompkins claiming the score. Farrell missed the kick but it didn’t matter, this was a comprehensive win, 35-3  over an out of sorts Exeter Chiefs.

All credit to the referee, Craig Maxwell-Keys. He kept the game flowing and got the big calls right. There wasn’t a single card issued either which to me at least suggested a positive rapport with both teams. He was always in control but unlike Mr Carley last week, he wasn’t the centre of attention.

No one had a bad game but Farrell was imperious – a Ringmaster with total control over his circus. Maybe that loss last week was the best thing that could have happened because there was something different about this team today, something they had a couple of months ago with that win over Leicester but had been hidden away since. The boys have got their mojo back, 2023 is their oyster!

Happy New Year everyone. 2023 holds a lot of promise for our Men in Black.

SARACENS: Goode, Malins, Daly (Lozowski), Tompkins, Maitland (Lewington); M Vunipola (Mawi), George (Pifilati) Riccioni (Bello), Itoje, Isiekwe (Tizard), Christie, Wray (Earl), B Vunipola

EXETER: Hodge, Nowell (O’Loughlin), Slade, Kata (Hendrickson), Woodburn, Simmonds, Maunder (Cairns); Sio (Iosefa-Scott), Yeandle (Frost), Williams (Schickerling), Van Heerden, Gray (Dunne), Grondana, Tshiunza (Pearson), Fisilau

SCORERS:

Saracens (35)       Tries: Christie, Maitland, Riccioni, Lewington, Tompkins; Conv: Farrell (2); Pen: Farrell (2)

Exeter Rugby (3)   Pen: Simmonds

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys