Newcastle 14-38 Exeter: Rampant Chiefs race away to bonus-point Gallagher Prem victory
Friday 27 March 2026 22:42, UK
Exeter Chiefs scored five first-half tries to claim a 38-14 Gallagher Prem win over Newcastle Red Bulls at Kingston Park.
A rampant start from the visitors saw Paul Brown-Bampoe score twice either side of Campbell Ridl's effort, while Olly Woodburn bagged the bonus point in the 25th minute before Christian Wade replied for Newcastle.
Ridl scored his second for Exeter to take a 31-7 lead at the break and Stephen Varney struck immediately after the restart for the Chiefs in a quieter second-half showing, which saw Connor Hancock cross in the final moments for the Red Bulls.
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Victory sees Exeter earn back-to-back Prem wins and rise to third in the table, while strugglers Newcastle stay bottom of the standings.
The visitors started brightly and although the hosts stopped their quick move from a line-out, the Chiefs then swiftly moved the ball into Brown-Bampoe, who crossed in the right corner, but Harvey Skinner was unable to convert.
Nick Lilley was stopped on the tryline as Exeter looked to extend their advantage and they soon had a second try when Ridl received the ball in space on the left flank before cutting in to ground, with Skinner adding the extras.
The Chiefs showed their strength with a rolling maul from the line-out and after being unable to squeeze over the line, the ball was released quickly to Brown-Bampoe on the right for the winger to bag his second, with Skinner's conversion attempt falling short.
Newcastle's limited attempts to cause problems near their opponents' tryline were comfortably defended by Exeter, who scored their fourth try following a patient build-up of phases which led to Skinner off-loading in for Woodburn to ground before the fly-half converted.
The hosts pulled one back after breaking quickly from the scrum and the ball reached Wade, who charged down the right wing to cross and Brett Connon converted.
However, Exeter extended their advantage on the stroke of half-time when Ridl weaved in and stumbled over the line to touch down, with Skinner's kick successful.
The Chiefs picked up where they left off two minutes into the second half when Varney found a gap to run in and Skinner converted once more.
Newcastle enjoyed a period of possession shortly afterwards but struggled to make the most of line-out and scrum opportunities near the Exeter line.
A quieter second half was predominantly played in the middle of the park before the hosts had a sudden surge and Ben Healy's intended grubber for Wade just bounced out of play.
A scrappy final 15 minutes saw Newcastle score their second try when Hancock forced his way over and Healy converted, but the hosts slipped to an 11th Prem defeat this season.
