Chiefs march past Exiles
Exeter maintained their push for a top four finish in the Aviva Premiership as they triumphed 18-11 over London Irish at Sandy Park.
Last Updated: 31/03/12 5:34pm
Exeter maintained their push for a top four finish in the Aviva Premiership as they triumphed 18-11 over London Irish at Sandy Park.
The Chiefs registered their first ever victory in any competition over the Exiles, who have now lost six on the spin in league action.
Tom Homer provided all the points for the visitors, including a try in the second-half that gave his team hope of a comeback.
However Exeter - who touched down through James Hanks and Gonzalo Camacho - held firm through to the final whistle to make it six wins from seven.
Unchanged
The Chiefs named an unchanged side from the one that beat Gloucester 28-27 last time out and were led onto the pitch by number eight Richard Baxter, who was making his 400th league and cup appearance for the club.
They applied the early pressure too, fly-half Ignacio Mieres putting the first points on the board with a 40-metre penalty after eight minutes.
London Irish levelled through a Homer penalty and after Mieres had missed one kick at goal, the fly-half succeeded with his next attempt to make it 6-3.
Baxter almost marked his landmark game with a try, his excellent break down the left touchline being halted by flanker Matt Garvey, while centre Bryan Rennie just failed to squeeze in at the left corner soon after.
Referee Dave Pearson had already blown his whistle for a penalty on the opposite side of the pitch, but Mieres saw his attempt hit the far upright.
Still, the Chiefs maintained the pressure with Rennie putting a neat grubber kick through that led to Homer having to give away a lineout deep in his own team's territory.
Replacement hooker Neil Clark found Baxter from the throw to set up the catch-and-drive and Hanks went over for his first try of the season. Mieres added the conversion to give the Chiefs a 13-3 lead at the break.
Mieres, now kicking into the wind, missed an early opportunity to stretch the Chiefs lead, meaning it was the visitors who got the first points of the half.
Neat chip
A neat chip through from Adrian Jarvis and another awkward bounce caught two Chiefs defenders napping, allowing Homer to squeeze in at the corner.
Although he was unable to add the conversion from out wide, his second penalty of the afternoon cut the gap between the sides down to two points. Had he landed a further attempt at the posts soon after, the Exiles would have been ahead for the first time.
The miss was the let-off that Exeter needed to move through the gears again and take control of proceedings.
Winger Camacho crossed having been initially tackled just short of the line, though Mieres missed the conversion and a 45-metre penalty.
London Irish did have a late chance to snatch a draw when they won a penalty 15 metres from the Chiefs line. They kicked to touch to set up a drive for a tense finish, but the hosts stood firm to keep their good run going.
