Coventry 27-22 Exeter Chiefs

By Pete Walford
April 10 2005

Coventry withstood a second-half onslaught from Exeter to pick up a 4-try bonus point win inevitably made by their emphatic first half display.

 

Turning around at half time Cov had demolished Exeter in an opening 40-minute burst of rugby – not quite on top form but good enough.  Keeping ball in hand and spreading it wide Cov were looking dangerous and even taking on the Exeter forwards up front with rolling mauls and quick pick and drives around ruck fringes.

 

Cov had opened up a 12 – 0 lead by 20 minutes, Pila Fifita on the end of a 6^th minute pass from Nik Witkowski following a set back-row move with full-back Richard Davies converting the head on kick.  Minutes later Hendry Rheeders lost control of the ball as he went over the try line.  Still Coventry pressed forward, rewarded with a try for Davies in the right hand corner.  Dave Campton using second phase ball for a burst through the centre of the Exeter defence before quick hands out to Davies.  The conversion was missed though within two-minutes Fifita had been sent to the sin-bin for what initially looked like a solid tackle but deemed too high.

 

Down to 14 men, Coventry were sent back with a series of penalties against them – all kicked to touch by Exeter – though stout defence kept the try line intact.  With Exeter penalised for holding on in the tackle, Jon Higgins gave Cov a 25m lineout enabling a catch and drive with Davies collecting his 2^nd try, this time in the left hand corner.  Davies’ second conversion stretching the lead to 19-0 against a distinctly shell-shocked Exeter.

 

The last ten-minutes of the half were fairly even, though two offences within 3 minutes left referee Mark Wilson no choice but to send Keith Brooking, Exeter tight-head prop, to the sin-bin as he tripped Rheeders following a quick tap penalty.  Davies comfortably slotting over the resulting penalty kick to allow Coventry the half time score of 22 – 0 against the divisions second-placed side.

 

Exeter came out after the break looking to reduce the deficit as quickly as possible and within 5 minutes the first try for Exeter had been scored – Murdoch crossing with Yapp converting.  Almost immediately Coventry responded  - Hendry Rheeders fending off a tackle to dive over in the left corner after Kurt Johnson broke through down the left touchline fending tacklers but still slipping the ball to Rheeders.  No conversion this time but the onus was back on Exeter to chase the game being 7-27 down.

 

The remainder of the game was end to end with both teams wringing the changes with replacements but Exeter clawed their way further back in the game as they brought the score back to 27 – 22 with little time left.  Kingdom converting one of their to tries but missing a penalty to bring them within 2 points of Coventry.  In injury time, Witkowski was sin-binned for failing to roll away after tackling.  Coventry stole the penalty lineout and forced a knock-on in the Exeter 22m with a huge clearance from Higgins – Perry booting the ball into touch at the subsequent scrum to allow Cov to claim their biggest scalp this season.