Exmouth 0 - 14 Exeter Chiefs

The Exmouth Colts set up has undergone a major change this year with Shaun Parkin and Mark Worth taking charge. The support and enthusiasm form the players has been tremendous and have been looking good on the training field.

On paper their first match looked to be a formidable challenge against the Exeter Chiefs. Without the benefit of any warm up games Exmouth would have their work cut-out putting what they had learnt into practice against one of the most fancied teams in the league – first time out.

As we now know from the French Argentina game it is ill-advised to assume that any team is beaten before the final whistle.

It is fair to say that Exeter edged the greater share of the possession helped by having a much bigger team. Most of the Exmouth squad are first year Colts and, as the score line shows, they were not over awed in a fiercely contested match.

The forwards on both sides made this a thrilling game to watch with honours fairly even. The ball handling and carrying skills from both sides help make this exciting to watch with Exmouth making several penetrating drives down field.

It may seem obtuse but the most enthralling aspect of this match was the defensive play. The game could quite easily have finished 0-0 as each defensive absorbed the pressure equally well before clearing their lines.

It was going to take something special to break through these strong defensive lines and Exeter Chiefs took their opportunities well with a converted try in each half.

From a line-out deep in Chiefs territory the ball was passed out to Dean Churchfield, in his own half, and a great solo effort saw him score under the posts. The try was converted by Liam Walker and the score was 0-7 at half time.

Following the half-time break Exmouth looked more threatening and again only staunch defence by the Chiefs prevented Exmouth from crossing their line.

The line-outs were well marshalled by the referee with several infringements that prevented clean ball for either side. That said there were some well executed lines and Exmouth appeared to have a wider range of options.

For both coaches the most disappointing part of this game was the number of penalties offences from both sides – but perhaps it is fair to put this done to early season jitters.

From a line-out infringement by Exmouth, and following two missed penalty kicks the Chiefs opted to kick for touch. From the 5 meter line-out the Chiefs extra weight paid-off with a catch a drive that saw Ross Fletcher score in the corner. A superb kick by Liam Walker added the extra two points.


The final quarter saw Exmouth lift their game and came close to breaking the Chiefs line only to be thwarted by their solid defence. Strong runs by Terry Mears saw him nominated as the Exmouth man of the match, with many others in contention.

This was a tough opener for Exmouth but one in which they showed the great potential that can be developed to create a formidable side. Both sides played hard and fair and this was a great advertisement for Colts rugby being played in this area.

The final score was 0-14 to the Chiefs with both sides knowing they had been part of a tough encounter and with good control from the referee.