On an autumnal day at ‘Fortress Topsham’, the EURFC 1s ran out the bookie’s favourites in a scrappy and set-piece orientated affair against Hartpury College. Led out by captain Sam Skinner, the 1s were backed by a vibrant crowd in a West Country derby against historically strong opponents.
Fly-Half James Doe set the tempo early on with a lovely, measured kick into the corner to put the visitors under pressure from the offset. However, in what was to be a problem for the hosts all afternoon, the set piece was unable to provide a solid foundation from which the backs could work their magic Nonetheless, when given opportunities, the backs were certainly looking the more incisive of the two teams. Inside centre Pete Laverick glided past three would-be Hartpury defenders and provided Doe with the first point scoring opportunity of the match after Hartpury went off their feet at the ensuing ruck. Doe, ever-reliable with the boot, pushed Exeter out to an early 3-0 lead in the sixth minute.
The next 15 minutes saw Hartpury pressure the Exeter half. The hosts were typically ferocious in defence, with hooker Paul Davis and Skinner leading the charge. Despite flanker Harry Ledger putting in a substantial hit on the opposition centre, Hartpury won a penalty from the resulting scrum and tied the game up after 24 minutes. Despite the deadlock, Exeter were looking the more exciting of the two teams and perhaps deserved more from their work in the Hartpury half. Full back Gavin Parker glided effortlessly through the visitors’ defence only for his chip ahead to be slightly too heavy whilst tighthead prop Jack Owlett was in customary form, bouncing off defenders with ease.
Again the hosts pounded away at the Hartpury defensive line after Davis ripped the ball in the tackle. Good handling and threatening running was, unfortunately, to no avail as Hartpury’s openside won a turnover after an Exeter runner went alone into the tackle. With the clock approaching half time, Hartpury struck with their first real foray into Exeter’s 22. Repeated penalties at the scrum saw loosehead prop George Beale sin-binned, much to the disgust of the home support. Off the back of a rolling maul, Hartpury’s outside centre dotted down under the posts, taking a 10-3 lead into half time.
After some early second-half momentum for Hartpury, Captain Skinner swung the momentum back in the hosts’ favour. Following strong phase play from the Exeter backs, the Chiefs starlet broke down the blindside, beating two defenders in the process and powering his way over the Hartpury winger. His offload to scrum half Sam Waltier was perfect and he was sent under the posts. With the game tied at ten-apiece with 30 minutes left to play, Hartpury nudged ahead with a penalty in front of the Exeter posts. Doe responded in admirable fashion, slotting a difficult kick from the right touchline after the 1s won a penalty at a scrum.
With the contest nicely poised for a tense finale, another Doe penalty gave Exeter the lead before an overwhelming maul saw replacement hooker Mike Perks go over. Doe converted and the
hosts were now well in the ascendancy. Realising the need to attack from deep, Hartpury began to fling the ball out wide. However, a loose ball saw wing Alex Brown have an easy run-in under the posts with 30 seconds left on the clock.
The final score was convincing, 30- 13 in favour of the hosts. This game was a fierce contest and will stand Exeter in good stead going forwards. Their backs were utterly dominant against a strong Hartpury defence and it was impressive how many times they got over the gain line. While set-pieces were not up to their usual standard, it was admirable how they weathered the storm. Currently perched atop their BUCS table, the 1s will no doubt be confident that they can go on to win the league.
