Exeter know that counts for little at this stage, but to leapfrog one of the early pace-setters with this bonus-point win means their defence remains coherent, notwithstanding two defeats already. “We’ve had a difficult opening six matches, as most sides have, but we’ve got a bonus point in each. In another high-scoring affair, Newcastle maintained their developing reputation for dynamic rugby by registering a bonus point of their own. A driven lineout coaxed DTH van der Merwe into a try-preventing offence, for which he received Newcastle’s second yellow, and Exeter’s 17-point lead was restored. That was the game, but Newcastle kept playing, with Goneva worked into the corner directly from a scrum for their bonus-point fourth.

Source: The Guardian October 07, 2017 16:20 UTC