Exeter United 21 Westcountry Warriors 39 report

By Darren Hands
February 10 2006

The Warriors came back from the dead to defeat a strong Exeter team on Friday night at the County Ground. Whereas Albion tend to fall asleep at the start of the second half, the Warriors came out much the same albeit in the first half.

 

Exeter United 21  Westcountry Warriors 39

An exchange of loose kicks up and down the field with both teams failing to
find touch resulted in Exeter making some dangerous breaks.  The refereeing
in these early stages by one of Devon's youth development officials did not
help matters and a spot of hand bags at dawn in the Warriors 22 resulted in
Warriors' Gareth Evans being given 10 minutes off the park.  To be fair he
possibly deserved it but how none of the Exeter players did not join him
only the referee must know.

Exeter made the Warriors suffer for this and the Warriors trailed 28-3 at
one stage.  A Mike Lewis try (converted by Nick Defty) made it 28-11 at half
time.

The second half saw the Warriors come out a different side.  Matias Albina
stepped up a gear and a converted Jon Fabien try followed by an unconverted
Albina try gave the Warriors a glimmer of hope.  Staniforth scored a penalty
to give Exeter some relief from the early Warriors onslaught but this was to
be Exeter's only points in the second half.  With Oz coming onto the park to
face his old club, Albion seemed more settled in the second half and more in
control.  A penalty try followed by 3 Defty penalties saw the Warriors home
to a 39-31 win (although the scoreboard did read 40-31) in what was truly a
game of two halves.

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Headshot photos by kind permission of BBC/Devon