Premiership: Exeter Chiefs 18-15 Saracens - Chiefs win tense encounter

Luke Cowan-Dickie celebrated his return from injury with what proved to be the winning try

Exeter Chiefs edged past Saracens in a gritty Premiership encounter.

A tough first half saw Sam Simmonds have a try disallowed after 10 minutes, but Tom O'Flaherty went over just before the break for Exeter.

Sarries led 9-8 in the second half after Alex Lozowski's third penalty before Luke Cowan-Dickie's try from a maul put Exeter in front once again.

Joe Simmonds' penalty increased the lead before two more from Lozowski set up a tense finish.

The victory moves Exeter up to third in the Premiership while Saracens remain second after just a second loss of the season.

The game was Saracens' first visit to Sandy Park since their enforced relegation from the Premiership in the wake of the salary cap scandal.

There was a tense atmosphere for much of the game which Exeter had the better of in terms of territory and possession, but one in which Saracens were always on their rivals' coattails.

Lozowski's early penalty seemed to have been cancelled out by a close-range try from Sam Simmonds after 10 minutes, but replays showed Henry Slade was offside in the build-up.

Joe Simmonds missed a 21st-minute penalty before converting four minutes later after Billy Vunipola was penalised twice for dissent to move the chance into a kickable position.

Lozowski sent over a second penalty before his team-mates - led by Maro Itoje - defended superbly to thwart the Chiefs as Vincent Koch helped force a turnover as his side stopped a dangerous maul from a line-out on their line.

But they could do nothing when the hosts finally found a way through right at the end of the half as the returning Cowan-Dickie blasted through to set up the field position for Simmonds' pinpoint kick to O'Flaherty who out-jumped Aled Davies.

Lozowski kicked a third penalty eight minutes after the break but another line-out maul soon after saw Cowan-Dickie go over and spark wild celebrations both on and off the pitch.

Simmonds' penalty made it 18-9 before two more Lozowski three-pointers got the visitors close.

But it was Exeter who ended the strongest as Jonny Hill was held up over the Saracens line by Max Malins after 26 phases following impressive defending by the visitors.

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Sport:

"We needed to win a game of home Premiership rugby and particularly we needed to win one against one of the top teams who are above us in the league.

"It was a big game for a lot of reasons and that's what was important, it was important for us to win a big pressure game of rugby against a good side.

"Has it got any extra meaning other than we've been in and around semi-finals and finals together? I don't know if it has any more than that now.

"The salary cap stuff, that's been an era gone now, we're all kind of moving on and we want to win things in the future, and in future we've got to be capable of beating Saracens because they're going to be one of the teams around the top four this season."

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall:

"We were let down today by inaccuracy and ill-discipline. We were marched back three times, which is not good enough.

"It's not just frustrating, it's highly costly.

"It cost us points and it cost us decisions later because you are on the wrong side of the referee and things you deserve you don't get.

"Maro (Itoje) was over the ball a couple of times on the halfway line and we got nothing, which is probably because of how we had behaved earlier.

"One or two of the players, which I won't name, have already apologised to their team-mates afterwards because they recognise that it's not what we need."

Exeter: Hogg; Nowell, Slade, Whitten, O'Flaherty; J Simmonds, J Maunder; Hepburn, Cowan-Dickie (capt), Iosefa-Scott, Gray, Hill, Ewers, Armand, S Simmonds.

Replacements: Yeandle, Kenny, Nixon, Capstick, Kirsten, S Maunder, H Skinner, Hendrickson.

Saracens: Malins; Lewington, Lozowski, Tompkins, Daly; Goode (co-capt), Davies; M Vunipola, Lewis, Koch, Itoje, Isiekwe, Wray (co-capt), Earl, B Vunipola .

Replacements: Pifeleti, Mawi, Clarey, Swinson, McFarland, Christie, Van Zyl, Morris.

Referee: Luke Pearce.

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