Premiership: Exeter 24-5 Newcastle Falcons - Chiefs return to play-off places after bonus-point win

Jack Nowell scored his fourth try of the season as Exeter beat Newcastle

Exeter moved back into the play-off places after a bonus-point Premiership win over Newcastle at Sandy Park.

Newcastle dominated the first-half territory, but only had Mateo Carreras' try to show for it as Dan Frost's reply levelled the scores at the break.

A scrappy second half improved when Jack Nowell put Exeter ahead, despite the Chiefs being down to 14 men.

Exeter got a penalty try soon after before Sam Simmonds went over with nine minutes left to seal a bonus point.

The five-point win sends Exeter into fourth place in the Premiership, above Leicester on points difference, while Newcastle remain second-from-bottom.

Newcastle had a strong wind at their backs in the first half and used it to dominate territory, although they struggled to make inroads in a stout Exeter defence who were looking to make amends after a humbling 40-5 loss to Harlequins last week.

Carreras' try after 21 minutes was the only time Falcons did get through as he ended a nice four-pass move, but Exeter were level soon after when Frost was forced over from a maul for his first Chiefs score.

Exeter were dealt a blow shortly before half-time when veteran centre Ian Whitten was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on, but Newcastle failed to capitalise as Jamie Blamire was held up short of the line.

Exeter ended up playing 20 minutes with 14 men as Aidon Davis was sin-binned almost immediately after Whitten had come back on.

But, despite having one fewer man, Exeter prospered. After multiple phases close to the Newcastle line, the Chiefs won a penalty and Nowell had the presence of mind to take a quick tap and go over as the Falcons' defence was caught napping.

Newcastle brought down a rolling Exeter maul from a 10-metre lineout to concede a penalty try after an hour, while 10 minutes later Simmonds went over from close range for the fourth try.

The Montpellier-bound British and Irish Lions back-rower thought he had got a second try soon after, but the ball was dislodged from his grasp as he dived over.

Then Mark Tampin did well to stop him in stoppage time as Exeter tried in vain to break over the Falcons' line for a fifth try.

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon:

"It just shows you how much of sport is such a mental challenge.

"I know full well if we'd have had four or five wins and we were sitting pretty in the league that game would have looked a lot different, and even if it would have become a battle like that we'd have just been pleased that it would have been job done and we move on.

"As it was, every decision that gets made, every penalty, every error that we make, feels like the end of the world almost and that can start to be a very negative process for you.

"If we really want to challenge we've almost got to flip things on the head now and decide we're going to challenge things by upsetting other people, a bit like Newcastle are doing, they relished that first period upsetting us."

Newcastle forwards coach Micky Ward told BBC Radio Newcastle:

"It was disappointing in some respects, but if you look at the attitude that the lads have put in, and the attitude they've had and the intensity they've had in the contact, I think we're pretty pleased.

"We're always disappointed with the result because we should have got more in the first half - we had loads of opportunities where we didn't get any points.

"If we'd have got a few over in the first half I think it would have been a different game because even in the second half they scored from a tap penalty where we switched off, they had that maul where we were docile in what we've done and we lose the lineout and they score in the corner.

"If you look at our defensive hit and our defensive punch we're quite pleased with it, there are a lot of things we can take out of it."

Exeter: Hodge; Nowell (capt), Whitten, Kata, Woodburn; Skinner, S Maunder; Sio, Frost, Street, Kirsten, Dunne, Ewers, Vermeulen, S Simmonds.

Replacements: Yeandle, Southworth, Schickerling, Williams, Davis, J Maunder, J Simmonds, O'Loughlin

Sin-bin: Whitten (37), Davis (47)

Newcastle: Obatoyinbo; Radwan, Moroni, Orlando, Carreras; Connon, Young (capt); Brocklebank, Blamire, Palframan, Rubiolo, De Chaves, Lockwood, Chick, Fearns.

Replacements: Fletcher, Mulipola, Tampin, Dalton, Marshall, Stuart, Lucock, Stephens.

Sin-bin: Chick (61)

Referee: Tom Foley

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