RugbyRebels

That's it then. Money talks in the end

George under the sticks - con. Faz
27 - 37 after 78 mins.

LCD is a huge lineout liability.

Feel for Chiefs..that Williams try from nothing was a sucker-punch they couldn't respond too it seems.

Maro named MOTM

Pretty gutted about that to be honest. You can never question sarries though can you. Well done to them.

Try Hill from lineout., con over.
Exe 34 - 37 Sar

FT Exe 34 - 37 Sar
Saracens double winners again.
Bravo les Rouges.

twitchy wrote:Pretty gutted about that to be honest. You can never question sarries though can you. Well done to them.

You can question them on the salary cap. Question, but not actually do anything.

Galfon wrote:Maro named MOTM

That is such a joke. Penalty machine. Nowell was MOTM

Really? Itoje really turned it on in an insane way towards the end of that game. When Farrell missed that penalty you could feel Exeter lift but Itoje stamped it right out.

Insane game. Gutted for Exeter.

That was a cracking game.
Saracens deserve enormous credit for digging deep and coming back to win. I thought at 27-16 it was all over, but Exe lost some shape (and crucially White's kicking game) and Sarries rallied impressively.
All the England players put in strong performances. Hopefully Nowell's injury isnt too serious. He was excellent.

Mikey Brown wrote:Really? Itoje really turned it on in an insane way towards the end of that game. When Farrell missed that penalty you could feel Exeter lift but Itoje stamped it right out.

Insane game. Gutted for Exeter.

You can’t give a MoM award based upon 20mins. Itoje was a liability for the first hour of the game.

That’s fair. I criticise him as much as anyone for it, but I just meant I think his good stuff was so good that it outweighed the dumb penalties. That isn’t always the case with him. Hard to think who I’d pick for man of the match.

It was great to see Ewers looking like his old self. Was paying a bit more attention to Jonny Hill after the chat on here too and he got through a serious amount of work.

Still really gutted for Exeter. Devotion was class in that first half but not sure where he went in the second.

I thought Itoje was superb late in the game but a fussier ref might have carded him again for persistent offending. That would have been a shame seeing as his first yellow was a cumulative team offence. It's only a matter of time till Itoje gets on the wrong side of thaf sort of thing. Can you ask him to hold back, though? Difficult.

Slade's try was a stunning effort. His long pass was special but his determination to get on the end of the subsequent offload, together with his tactical brain and raw pace (which enabled him to get there), were splendid.

A fabulous game. I hate saying so because I hate the concept of the play-offs.

Mikey Brown wrote:Hard to think who I’d pick for man of the match.

Jack Nowell?

Timbo wrote:

Mikey Brown wrote:Hard to think who I’d pick for man of the match.

Jack Nowell?

I think Nic White did well.

Great match and a great atmosphere. I thought it looked like a game too far for Sarries but they were clearly the best team in the second half. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them miss so many tackles as they did in the first half. Exe had a lot of joy with passing one out from the initial ball carrier but that was sorted in the second half.
Motm for me was Nowell. He was practically unstoppable in the first half. Any news on the telly box as to the severity of his injury? He could make a late run for the World Cup 15 short.

Timbo wrote:

Mikey Brown wrote:Hard to think who I’d pick for man of the match.

Jack Nowell?

He certainly seemed to get on the ball a lot and beat a lot of defenders. I like him at 15, though I guess he won’t realistically play that much there, it’s good that he’s shown that flexibility.

I didn’t actually see what the injury was.

Jack has always been a good player. EJ has always rated him. He lacks pace which means he doesn't have the best youtube high light reel. He is very effective though he always beats players and is a real nuisance.

A classic openside performance from Nowell

Cracking game. Really felt for Exeter at the end, they just didn't quite have enough grit to roll their sleeves up and tough it out when the tide turned. Sarries are still the masters of that in spite of being under the cosh for large parts of the game. Credit to both teams, enthralling spectacle, I'm glad Ex closed the gap right at the death to make score uber close again for posterity.

Fascinating to see the team that loves to be in possession going toe to toe with the team that loves not having possession.

I have to say I don't feel bad for Exeter, if they wanted to win they shouldn't have switched off after the Slide try, and they certainly shouldn't have gone with defensive alignment as coached by Mr Magoo to close out the game

Stephen Jones’s ratings:

EXETER CHIEFS

Jack Nowell
10/10
Out of this world. Threaded through tiny gaps, took on huge men. The heart bled for the man when he had to limp off. Brilliant afternoon

Alex Cuthbert
7/10
It was so predictable that he would be revitalised by the Exeter environment. Switched on by the occasion and very influential

Henry Slade
9/10
Has ended the season in superb style. He and his centre partner took it to Saracens and produced some beautiful shafts of real quality football

Ollie Devoto
8/10
Perhaps the most underrated member of the whole Chiefs team, he took part in a remarkable battle in midfield. Unwavering in his commitment


Tom O’Flaherty
7/10
His stunning try last weekend put Sarries on alert, although he was clever and resourceful enough to escape into the open field on occasions

Joe Simmonds
7/10
This young man is growing into his work, and was very accomplished in traffic despite the magnitude of the occasion. Future-proofed

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Nic White
9/10
Do the Wallabies really have a better man? Made a big impact in the first hour of the match and his injury cost his team a significant influence

Ben Moon
7/10
Very busy, contributing for his side in many areas of the pitch. Proved remarkably durable after such a tough but momentous season for him

Jack Yeandle
9/10
No question he had a brilliant game here: as hooker, leader, carrier, you name it. Without question one of the unsung heroes of the season

Harry Williams
7/10
He won his place on merit after a strong end to the league season. Was as solid and involved as ever, and came close to claiming a try

Dave Dennis
8/10
May not be the biggest of locks but makes up for it in all kinds of ways. Grafts to great effect and contribution is invaluable to his teammates

Jonny Hill
8/10
Took his try well, ending the season back on form after a long injury absence. Still the rising lock, he was solid in many aspects of the role

Dave Ewers
9/10
His power on the carry was phenomenal — so much better, indeed, than a good few flankers who have accumulated many England caps

Don Armand
9/10
A core player at Exeter for so long. It would need a hard heart to suggest that he did not deserve a winner’s medal for his efforts yesterday

Matt Kvesic
7/10
Has had a brilliant season and although he was up against the back row of his nightmares on this occasion, was still driving himself in closing stages

Total
121/150

Replacements: Exeter’s incomers possibly did not change the game as much as those brought on by Saracens, although Sam Simmonds was outstanding

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SARACENS

Alex Goode
8/10
The master had to hurry himself on many occasions to hold Exeter out, but he is not one to allow his game to suffer under pressure

Liam Williams
7/10
You recall one handling error, but all was forgiven when he produced his party piece, the high catch and score from the inch-perfect kick by Farrell

Alex Lozowski
8/10
He had to battle like mad against two opposing centres who gave it the kitchen sink, but he still managed to look international class

Brad Barritt
7/10
He lasted until half-time, probably because Saracens could not even think of starting this match without their inspirational leader

Sean Maitland
9/10
He was absolutely outstanding all afternoon, always dangerous and always on alert. His levels so rarely waver. Made a huge contribution

Owen Farrell
9/10
Another man under pressure, and another man with the ability to absorb it. He missed some kicks early on, but when it really mattered, he was back on form

Ben Spencer
7/10
He was under pressure around the fringes, probably could not stamp his authority as he usually does, but has had an excellent season

Richard Barrington
7/10
He looked every inch the starter, even though he was replacing the injured Mako Vunipola. All action and fully justified his selection

Jamie George
10/10
Two more tries, and eventually he was an authority in the scrum. He played the whole game, and throughout it his standards never seemed to drop

Vincent Koch
8/10
The South African was called upon to play well into the final quarter, and it may be adjudged later that this was one of his finest games in the red jersey

Will Skelton
8/10
The giant was performing under the eyes of Michael Cheika, the Australia coach. As usual he contributed a furious hour, in a furious battle

George Kruis
9/10
No doubt he wishes that he could catch the kick-off, but Kruis stayed until the end in a career run of form. Another wonderul performance

Maro Itoje
7/10
He gave away too many penalties early on, but he rose to the demands of the final quarter in his usual style and emerged with credit

Jackson Wray
8/10
Absolutely outstanding performer, in the good times and the bad times. Wray is just a super Saracen. Exactly what the doctor ordered

Billy Vunipola
8/10
The battle between the two back rows ended in an honourable draw, with big Billy carrying into the teeth of the defence and enjoying his role to the full

Total
120/150

Replacements: Adams-Hale and Judge made their mark in the closing stages, and Tompkins and Wigglesworth played an enormous part in turning the Devon tide.


Farrell’s score seems a tad generous (can you imagine if Ford or Cipriani has missed those kicks) as does Skelton’s. George also missed too man tackles to warranted that high a rating.

He does have a point that of the non-EPS, Devoto and Yeandle were superb. They also play two positions where England’s depth isn’t too, erm, deep.