Exeter 22-17 Newcastle, Aviva Premiership, September 18
Chiefs teach Falcons a harsh lesson
September 18, 2010
Date/Time: Sep 18, 2010, 15:00 local, 14:00 GMT
Venue: Sandy Park
Exeter Chiefs 22 - 17 Newcastle Falcons
Attendance: 7326  Half-time: 10 - 10
Tries: Johnson
Cons: Steenson
Pens: Steenson 5
Tries: Amesbury, Vickerman
Cons: Gopperth 2
Pens: Gopperth
Tom Johnson celebrates smashing Newcastle's defence and scoring in the process, Exeter v Newcastle, Aviva Premiership, Sandy Park Stadium, Exeter, England, September 18, 2010
Tom Johnson scored a try for Exeter
© Getty Images
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Exeter secured their second win of the Aviva Premiership season at Sandy Park on Saturday, defeating Newcastle 22-17.

The Falcons scored two tries to the Chiefs' one and it was Gareth Steenson's five penalties - along with one conversion - which made the difference a week after they ran reigning champions Leicester close at Welford Road.

The result will be a bitter pill to swallow for Falcons boss Alan Tait after they opened their account for the season with a rousing home win over Wasps last weekend.

Steenson fired the Chiefs ahead on four minutes with a penalty from the left touchline and the Falcons were reduced to 14 men when flanker Redford Pennycock was sin-binned by referee Greg Garner for a late tackle on the fly-half.

The home side could not capitalise and when the Falcons were back to full strength quick ball from a scrum enabled Charlie Amesbury to score under the posts with fly-half Jimmy Gopperth adding the extras. But the Chiefs regained the lead on the half hour as scrum-half Haydn Thomas released impressive flanker Tom Johnson at pace and his try was converted by Steenson.

Gopperth landed a long-range penalty to level the scores at 10-10 but the visitors lost skipper James Hudson to a leg injury minutes before the break. Chiefs started the second half full of determination and secured two penalties, which Steenson landed for a 16-10 lead.

The Falcons nudged ahead when Luke Eves gave the scoring pass for fellow centre Rob Vickerman to power over the line. Gopperth converted to make it 17-16 but the Chiefs hit back immediately as Steenson landed his fourth penalty. The pivot's next attempt, a couple of minutes later from the other side of the pitch, fell short.

But with five minutes remaining on the clock his fifth penalty, making it 22-17, took the Chiefs within sight of another home victory to follow the scalp of Gloucester. The Falcons mounted a late assault but could not find a way through a determined home defence.

© Scrum.com

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