Exeter and Sale Keep Play-off Hopes Alive with Victories

Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks kept their Gallagher Premiership play-off hopes alive with impressive victories on Sunday. Exeter earned a crucial 38-17 win over West Country rivals Gloucester, while Sale beat still-winless Newcastle 35-14.

The Chiefs, currently in seventh place, are four points shy of the top four with only two regular season games left to play. Sale, on the other hand, are in sixth place, just two points better off than Exeter.

In their match against Gloucester, Exeter put on a dominant display with Henry Slade leading the charge. Slade’s creative midfield presence caused problems for Gloucester all afternoon, as he kicked a penalty and converted all five of Exeter’s tries. Flanker Jacques Vermeulen scored two tries, while full-back Dan John and wings Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Olly Woodburn also crossed the try line.

Gloucester, who are in ninth place, struggled to keep up with Exeter’s pace despite tries from Jonny May, Jack Clement, and Arthur Clark. Fly-half Charlie Atkinson added one conversion for Gloucester, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Exeter’s strong performance.

Meanwhile, Sale secured a convincing 35-14 victory over Newcastle Falcons. First-half tries from Ben Curry and Joe Carpenter put Sale in control, but Newcastle fought back with tries from Guy Pepper and Tim Cardall. However, Sale quickly regained the lead with Luke Cowan-Dickie’s try and sealed the win with late tries from Tom Roebuck and Rob du Preez.

With these wins, both Exeter and Sale are in contention for a spot in the play-offs, with Sale now just two points away from fourth-placed Bristol Bears. The race for the play-offs is heating up, and fans can expect an exciting finish to the Gallagher Premiership regular season.