MATCH REPORT | SHARKS 38 vs 24 EXETER CHIEFS

A young Sharks side featuring five debutants overcame a stubborn Exeter Chiefs team on a cold night at the CorpAcq Stadium to secure five PREM Rugby Cup points and stay top of Group A. Sharks scored five tries – including two for replacement hooker Nathan Jibulu – and were awarded a second-half penalty try to secure a 38-24 win.

It meant a winning start to the Sharks careers of starters Austin Keogh and JJ Scheepers, and Will Bayston, David Opoku-Fordjour and Oli Spencer who appeared from the bench in the second-half. JJ Scheepers ©INPHO/Richard Lee It was the visitors who were on the scoreboard first when winger Charlie Poynton scored in the left corner on 11 minutes.

But within a minute, Sharks hit back. After winning the ball back from the restart, Ollie Davies put up a high ball which Alex Wills claimed and dotted down. Davies slotted the conversion to make it 7-5.

Alex Wills scores ©INPHO/Richard Lee On 15 minutes Chiefs winger Paul Brown-Bampoe was shown a yellow card for taking out Wills in the air, and a minute later Sharks went further ahead. From a lineout on the left, the ball was moved to the right for Rekeiti Ma’asi-White to power over the line on his 50 th Sharks appearance.

Davies converted again to make it 14-5 and it was looking like that would be the score at the break until Chiefs fly-half Ben Coen converted his own try on the stroke of half-time to make it 14-12. Sale Sharks’ Rekeiti Ma’asi-White celebrates scoring a try ©INPHO/Richard Lee Sharks were first out of the blocks in the second half as Alfie Longstaff scored on the back of a massive driving maul.

Davies missed the extras but Sharks led by a score, 19-12. Back came the visitors and they got to within two again when replacement prop Archie McArthur dummied his way to the line and Coen converted. Then the game changed with the introduction of replacement hooker Jibulu.

On 64 minutes he scored his first from the back of a powerful driving maul, and then after Chiefs had hit back through a converted Sam Wolstenholme try, Jibulu scored again from another meaty Sharks set-piece. Davies missed his kick but the lead was seven – 31-24. With the clock ticking towards 80 minutes, Sharks wrapped up the points after another powerful driving maul led to a penalty try.

Minutes later the impressive Davies launched the ball into the crowds to send the 4,795 fans wild and secure another PREM Rugby Cup win.