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Saracens avoid third straight defeat with convincing win over Exeter

By PA
PA

Saracens avoided falling to their worst run in the Gallagher Premiership for three years by dispatching Exeter 40-17 in a mismatch lacking the fireworks of recent collisions.

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Any meaning to the Premiership’s fiercest rivalry vanished when two under-strength teams were announced for a fixture that in other circumstances would have produced high drama and a host of intriguing sub-plots.

But with both clubs in Champions Cup quarter-final action next weekend, Exeter 12 points clear at the league’s summit and Saracens long-since relegated for repeated salary cap breaches, it was robbed of its box office appeal.

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Instead they battled for squad bragging rights that came out emphatically in the double winners’ favour as Rotimi Segun, Dom Morris, Elliott Obatoyinbo, Janco Venter and Cameron Boon crossed for tries.

It prevented Saracens from slipping to a third consecutive top-flight defeat – a sequence they last experienced in 2017 – and crashing twice to the Chiefs this season after going down 14-7 in a stormy showdown at Sandy Park in December.

Exeter’s fringe players have been outstanding since lockdown but with two rounds of the regular Premiership campaign to play, they were well beaten to bring their own seven-game winning streak to a halt.

Segun will score few easier tries than the simple fifth-minute stroll across the whitewash made possible by a determined series of forward drives that eventually stretched Exeter to breaking point.

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Saracens then invited pressure by conceding successive penalties in front of the posts after the Chiefs had staged a successful line-out drive, but the real damage was eventually done out wide when juggling hands sent Facundo Cordero over.

For the third time a shot at goal struck a post as Manu Vunipola found the upright with a penalty to follow the same path as both conversion attempts.

The England Under-20 fly-half was more successful with an easier attempt as Saracens regained the lead and a minute before half-time daylight opened up through a magnificent off-load by Juan Pablo Socino.

Socino ran straight at a half-gap in Exeter’s midfield and although the former Argentina centre was stopped dead, he expertly slipped the ball out of the tackle for Morris to cross.

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When Vunipola landed his second penalty, it was beginning to look bleak for the Chiefs until Will Witty barged over after a series of pick and goes.

But the door slammed shut on the title favourites in the 54th minute when a Vunipola penalty was followed by the fly-half launching a high ball to the touchline for Obatoyinbo to demonstrate his finishing skills with an assured touch down.

It looked ominous for Exeter when they were shoved off their own ball at the scrum for Venter to score and although the flow of points was temporarily stemmed, Boon added a fifth try with three minutes left before Dave Dennis grabbed a stoppage-time consolation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saracens v Exeter Chiefs - Gallagher Premiership - Allianz Park

 

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AM 8 minutes ago
'Freelancer' Izaia Perese shows the need for true inclusivity in Australian rugby

That's Cron's job though. Australia has had one of the most penalised scrums in international rugby for a long time. Just look at the scrum win loss percentage and scrum penalties. That is your evidence. AA has been the starter during that period. Pretty simple analysis. That Australia has had a poor scrum for a long time is hardly news. If bell and thor are not on the field they are woeful. So you are just plain wrong. They have very little time for the lions so doing the same old things that dont work is not going to get them there.


Ainsley is better than our next best tighthead options and has been playing well at scrum time for Lyon in the most competitive comp in the world. Superstar player? No. But better than the next best options. So that is a good enough guide. The scrummaging in the Prem is pretty good too so there is Sio's proof. Same analysis for him. Certainly better in both cases than Super, where the brumbies had the worst win loss and scrum pen in Super. Who plays there? Ohh yes... And the level of scrummaging in Super is well below the URC, prem and France with the SA teams out.


Nongorr is truly woeful. He's 130kg and gets shoved about. That just should not be happening at that weight for a specialist prop who has always played rugby cf pone with leauge. He has had enough time to develop at 23. You'd be better off with Pone who is at least good around the field for the moment and sending Nongorr on exchange to France or England to see if they can improve him with better coaching as happened with Skelton and Meafou. He isn't going to develop in time in super if he has it at all.


Latu is a better scrummaging hooker than BPA and Nasser. and he's the best aussie player over the ball at ruck time. McReight's super jackling percentage hasnt converted to international level but latu consistently does it at heniken level, which is similar to test level in the big games. With good coaching at La Rochelle he's much improved though still has the odd shocker. He should start the November games.

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