RugbyRebels

Minute 44

Kruis gets up early to rather easily steal Exeter's lineout. Wriggle on for Spencer immediately tries to exit with a box kick which Exeter run back, after one phase Nowell is stood at 10 and seemingly with no idea what he's doing there, one rabbit in the headlight moment later he's almost turned the ball over in held up tackle but escapes this with Wray simply stripping the ball from him. Exeter then give away a penalty playing the ball on the floor.

Sarries started the half making mistakes, and backing them up with more. Exeter quickly follow suit

Minute 45

It's an excellent kick out for a lineout from Farrell, and then weirdly George seems to throw down the middle, but Sarries overcome any surprise and win the ball anyway. Exeter sack any attempt at the maul, and then slow any play of the ball with an Exeter player on the floor just daring the ref to award another penalty.

Sarries bring the ball out on the open side where it's lost in the tackle, either spilled or perhaps it's Kvesic accidentally sliding into the ball from the wrong side.

Minute 46

Nowell shanks a kick upfield, I assume it's a shank at any rate. Whatever it's bad, and now his last two involvements on the ball have been weak.

Exeter have a 4 man chase closing on Goode who's back to collect the kick. One of them runs out of the line to miss Goode allowing him a few moments to gain a few metres. Not good work to have 4 men make an effort to chase and then allow the ball carrier off like that, worse it's wasted energy in game being played in hot conditions.

Farrell makes a kick down the Exeter shortside which Exeter gather in their 22 and White box kicks it into touch. There really should be a bit more distance on that kick from White, that there's not makes the outcome of Farrell's decision to kick the ball away a positive result for Sarries.

Minute 47

Sarries win the lineout with Itoje, George is seemingly over the throwing straight nonsense.

Quick hands in the Sarries midfield seems them pass to nobody and get dragged back towards the halfway, but at least they are trying to play, and they are trying to play very quickly. Sensibly Wriggle doesn't force anything but prods the ball down into the Sarries 22, where Simmonds gathers and like White before him can't get any serious distance on the ball, so it's a Sarries lineout a little ways out from the Exeter 22.

Basically 3 minutes of pressure on Exeter now by dint of their earlier mistakes, lack of discipline and failure to find a decent clearing kick.

Minute 48

Sarries win the lineout and drive the maul 15m downfield, eventually it's halted and they end up working the shortside. Smart from Sarries after several minutes of pressure and then a good maul, White has to make a tackle on Skelton and gets it done with some help, but Exeter might be tiring from the pressure as you wouldn't want White making a tackle on Skelton.

Minute 49

Sarries come to the openside where Farrell passes wide and gets Sarries on the outside of the Exeter press. Tompkins can only offload into touch though leaving Williams to ponder such handling skills is no degradation to normal standard of service had it been Barritt instead.

LCD now on makes his first lineout throw, and like George he's happy to throw it down his own side. Again Exeter are starting to show they're tiring as there's no protection for White who evades Itoje but is scragged anyway.

Exeter run a phase just to allow White to get back into the game.

Minute 50

White makes the exit with a box kick, again it's not a good one barely making it toward the 22. But White is showing signs of cramping, if only Exeter had some talented young 9s they weren't too scared to play

Sarries win the lineout, Farrell drops of a ball to Tompkins on the crash, no gain there. Sarries have a few more phases all roughly on the 22, okay not advancing but the ball is coming back into play quickly.

Minute 51

Sarries cough up the ball in midfield with another handling error, very possible the players are struggling with sweaty hands. I thought for a moment Exeter were suddenly going to start playing from their 22, but normality and indeed sanity prevailed and White has another go at an exit kick. Again it's not a good kick, up to halfway, but far too far infield and with no pressure on the catch. Wriggle passes back to Billy, whether they both tried very different things I don't know or perhaps Billy just lost his footing, whatever Billy tries to catch the ball mid superman dive and it's a knock on. And the first chance for Exeter to do something positive in a while now

Minute 52

Sarries put big pressure on the Exeter scrum and then on Kvesic who gathers at the base. This actually allows Exeter to make some ground with one very good clearout and then a couple of one out driving runs. Looked a blatant neck roll on Kvesic from Wriggle, but Exeter got away with one earlier so whatever.

Exeter pass from the base right into a Sarries player who should have stayed flat, now playing with the advantage Exeter make a line break with nothing more complex than a pass being made. Slade then tries to kick past Goode but with the wrong foot only kicks into Goode, the ball is hacked on again and Lozowski just beats Cuthbert to dot the ball down for a drop out.

I'll be honest and say I was expecting to return for the advantage, but Barnes is happy to rule advantage was over, and I guess there was a line break.

Minute 53

Farrell restart long from the drop out and both Nowell and O'Flaherty have to run back sharpish as the ball goes clear over them. This would annoy me hugely were I Baxter, Nowell is not on it in this half.

O'Flaherty clears up to halfway (ish) but the ball is still in play.

Sarries work the shortside again, a good carry from George, then back to the openside where there's a loose ball at the ruck which Francis could pick up for the turnover but Billy has a hold on him despite being in no way bound. Play on. Doesn't matter much as Exeter make another handling error in midfield.