Exeter may still sit comfortably atop the Premiership table but lofty reputations are not enough on freezing January days in the north-east. Newcastle, though, defended well, slowed the game down when it suited them and hung in stoutly in the final quarter despite significant disruption to their battered starting pack. This was the first time in 33 regular season matches that Exeter have failed to pick up even a losing bonus point. I thought they adapted really well.”It further underlined how competitive the Premiership remains from week to week, despite Exeter’s runaway lead at the top. “You’ve got to be at your best every week if you want to keep collecting points,” said Richards’s opposite number, Rob Baxter.

Source: The Guardian January 07, 2018 18:13 UTC