CHAMPIONSHIP: Bedford battered as Chiefs reach play-off final
Powerful Exeter charge past Blues with five-try haul
Championship play-off semi-final
Exeter Chiefs 37 (25) Bedford Blues 8 (3)
Machine-like Chiefs were simply too powerful for the Blues as they overwhelmed them at Sandy Park today.
Exeter ran in five tries as they bossed the encounter, and all Bedford had to show for their efforts was a try from substitute winger Ian Davey and a penalty from fly-half Myles Dorrian.
Physical Exeter richly deserved their win and they will be hoping to win a place in the Guinness Premiership when they face Bristol over two legs in the play-off final.
Bedford suffered another blow late in the second half when full-back Luke Fielden was stretchered off the pitch with a head injury before being taken to hospital for precautionary checks.
Exeter named an unchanged team from the side that thrashed Nottingham 53-10 in their last play-off group game last week.
Bedford, however, made one alteration to the starting XV that laboured to victory against Plymouth Albion the same day. John Harlock dropped to the bench with Chris Goodman came in at eight and the Blues changed their back-row and second row accordingly.
Captain Dan Richmond urged Bedford's supporters, gathered behind one set of posts, to raise the noise before Exeter kicked-off in front of the healthily populated Sandy Park crowd.
But it took the Chiefs just one minute and 12 seconds to break the deadlock. Gareth Steenson's crossfield kick caught Bedford napping and Mark Foster took full advantage of the favourable bounce to dive over at the corner. Steenson then showed his quality to convert from the touchline.
Undeterred the Blues came storming back and only a lack of pace prevented Ian Vass from crossing the whitewash. The experienced centre did superbly to intercept Steenson's loose pass as he careered towards the whitewash. But he didn't have the legs to get home and Phil Dollman got back in the nick of time to save a certain try.
Struggling Chiefs conceded a penalty, but Myles Dorrian could only drag a kick he should have nailed wide.
And things got even worse for Bedford when Exeter scored their second try on nine minutes. A driving maul ate up the ground and some good hands eventually allowed Brett Sturgess to force his way over in at the corner, although this time the wind saw Steenson's kick fade past the near post.
Playing into a strong wind sweeping down the pitch, Bedford were finding it difficult to make yards with the boot and had to rely on their swashbuckling style to make an impact.
And they finally got on the board on 14 minutes when Dorrian's clever inside pass found Sacha Harding hairing through. The marauding back-rower was brought down just short of the line, but this time Dorrian made no mistake with the simplest of kicks from in front of the posts.
Another catch-and-drive Chiefs move was felled just short of the line on 20 minutes, but constant pressure on the Blues line finally told on 23 minutes. Chiefs' pack proved just too powerful as Hoani Tui was eventually driven over the line and Steenson converted to make it 19-3.
And Steenson rammed the Chiefs' advantage home with a penalty from close to the halfway line on 27 minutes.
Exeter were denied a fourth try four minutes before the break by the narrowest of margins. Steenson's kick caught Duncan Taylor creeping forward and, although Nic Sestaret was first to the ball, he couldn't quite ground it before it had crept into touch.
The visitors had one last hurrah before the break, Dorrian, Fielden and Harding cutting a swathe through the Exeter defence. Dorrian then charged down a kick, but a forward pass eventually let the Blues down.
Steenson's winding run then took him deep into Bedford territory in stoppage time and when the visitors gave away a penalty, the Chiefs fly-half made no mistake with his kick to make it 25-3 at the break.
Tormentor in chief Steenson was back at it early in the second half. His darting run created the chance for Exeter and the impressive Bryan Rennie crossed after just three minutes,with Steenson unable to convert into the stiff wind.
Struggling to cope with the Exeter machine, Sam Walsh was sin-binned on 48 minutes and only some desperate defending continued to keep Exeter out.
Both sides began to bring the changes, but it was the home side who remained on the front foot.
Finally restored to full strength when Walsh returned to the fray, Bedford started to press again. Mike Howard, Davey and Dorrian made yards, but the Blues lacked that cutting edge to break through.
With 12 minutes left Bedford should have finally crossed the whitewash. Dorrian's dart created the chance but Davey could only spill the pass with the line begging.
With all the changes the game lost its shape and intensity as Bedford searched for a consolation try.
A lengthy delay followed in the last 10 minutes as Fielden was treated for a nasty head injury on the pitch. Concerned director of rugby Mike Rayer looked on helplessly from the touchline while the players tried to stay warm on the field. Medics gathered round the stricken back as a drip was set up before Fielden was stretchered from the field to standing ovation.
James Scaysbrook lost the ball forward in stoppage time with the line begging, while Chris Brightwell fine run was taken on by Duncan Taylor at the other end, only for the Blues' counter to run out of numbers.
Clive Stuart-Smith was sin-binned for the hosts and Bedford finally got their reward in the 10th-minute of stoppage time. Davey caught a kick out of defence and, when Matt Jess missed his tackle, the winger was allowed to run home unopposed, although the conversion was missed.
There was still time for one last Exeter score though, as replacement Paul McKenzie tore through the Blues defence and touched down under the posts for Danny Gray to easily convert.
Chiefs: Brett Sturgess, Neil Clark (Simon Alcott 61), Hoani Tui (Chris Budgem 53), Tom Hayes (C), James Hanks (David Gannon 65), Chad Slade, James Scaysbrook, Tom Johnson (Richard Baxter 53), Haydn Thomas (Clive Stuart-Smith 20-26, 65), Gareth Steenson (Danny Gray 73), Mark Foster, Bryan Rennie (Paul McKenzie 59), Nic Sestaret, Matt Jess, Phil Dollman. T: Foster, Sturgess, Tui, Rennie, McKenzie. C: Steenson 2, Gray. P: Steenson 2.
Blues: Sam Walsh, Dan Richmond (C, Chris Locke 68), Dan Seal, Mike Howard, Alex Rae (John Harlock 57), Gregor Gillanders, Sacha Harding (Chris Brightwell 57), Chris Goodman, Will Chudley (Nick Walshe 57), Myles Dorrian, Duncan Taylor, Ian Vass (Brad Davies 68), Brendan Burke, Ollie Dodge (Ian Davey 45-62, Phil Boulton 48), Luke Fielden (Ian Vass 84). T: Davey. P: Dorrian.
Sin Binned: Sam Walsh 48; Clive Stuart-Smith 80+8.
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth.
Touch Judges: Gareth Copsey and Nigel Carrick.
Attendance: 4,549.
Star Blue: Myles Dorrian. The Blues' most creative force.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bedford
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
