Premiership: Exeter Chiefs 35-35 Wasps

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Exeter v WaspsImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Olly Woodburn put Exeter ahead late on, but they could not hold on with 14 men

Aviva Premiership

Exeter (21) 35

Tries: Simmonds, Maunder, Penalty, Cowan-Dickie, Woodburn Cons: Steenson 5

Wasps (21) 35

Tries: Wade, Penalty, Rieder, Eastmond, Simpson Cons: Gopperth 5

Wasps moved five points clear at the top after sharing 10 tries with 14-man Exeter to draw a pulsating match.

It was level at half-time, with Christian Wade and Alex Rieder scoring either side of a penalty try for Wasps and Sam Simmonds and Jack Maunder going over to add to an Exeter penalty try.

Luke Cowan-Dickie put the hosts ahead before they had Jonny Hill sent off, and Kyle Eastmond dotted down in reply.

Olly Woodburn scored for Exeter but Joe Simpson went over to earn Wasps a draw.

The result means both teams take three points from the game, with two for drawing and one for a try bonus-point each.

Wasps, who are still yet to win at Sandy Park in 10 attempts, go five points clear while Exeter move up into third place.

Exeter forward Simmonds got their first try on his Premiership debut, just hours after signing a new two-year deal to keep him at Sandy Park.

It looked like the game could change when Hill was red-carded six minutes into the second half for catching Ashley Johnson in the face with his shoulder. But that did not stop Rob Baxter's side from going toe-to-toe with their opponents.

Both teams also had a man sin-binned, with Mitch Lees being penalised for Exeter and Thomas Young yellow carded for bringing down a driving maul, which led to a penalty try.

Neither side ever held more than a seven-point advantage with 100% conversion rates from both kickers Gareth Steenson and Jimmy Gopperth.

Exeter head coach Rob Baxter:

"The team are due huge credit as we went down to 14 men pretty early but we didn't crumble as we worked hard to keep possession.

"We didn't adjust to the red card as quickly as we should have as we conceded a try straight afterwards.

"If you go high into a tackle, it is always possible that there will be accidental contact. It was not deliberate from Jonny Hill and the contact was not deliberate and only minimal but a card was always going to be issued, whether it was yellow or red.

"It's all about maintaining momentum as we've won two and drawn two of our last four Premiership matches and we need to go to Worcester next week absolutely bang on in terms of mental and physical fettle."

Wasps director of rugby Dai Young:

"It was a great game for the neutral and I'd have settled for that before coming down here.

"Maybe we should have won it after they went down to 14 but they had the wind in their favour and kept it a little bit tighter.

"There wasn't much between us but it was frustrating on occasions as we needed to be a little more accurate as there were a number of opportunities we didn't take.

"It's always sad to see a player sent off but I know from playing each other regularly that there are no dirty players in either side and there was no malice or intention."

Exeter: Dollman; Woodburn, Whitten, Devoto, Short; Steenson (capt.), Maunder; Moon, Cowan-Dickie, Holmes, Lees, Hill, Dennis, Armand, Simmonds.

Replacements: Yeandle, Rimmer, Williams, Skinner, Johnson, Townsend, Slade, Turner.

Wasps: Beale; Wade, Gopperth, Eastmond, Bassett; Cipriani, Robson; McIntyre, Festuccia, Moore, Symons, Myall, Johnson (capt.), Young, Rieder.

Replacements: Cruise, Bristow, Cooper-Woolley, Rowlands, Gaskell, Simpson, Leiua, Halai.

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