Northampton Saints U18s finished sixth in the PREM Next Gen Academy league following a 45-28 defeat to Exeter Chiefs on Academy Finals Day.
Despite a brace from Will Hepher and tries from Hardy Linnell and Sonny Goode, Saints were unable to claim a victory in their final fixture of the season.
Reflecting on the result, Head Coach Charlie Reed said, “It wasn’t the result we wanted, but I’ve been really proud of the boys all season.
“We’ve had a young developing squad who have shown real resilience at points, and that’s all we can ask for.”
FIRST HALF:
Chiefs had an early score in the first half after building pressure inside the Saints 22, when scrum half, Alex Evans, sniped from the base and broke through the defenders to get the finish.
Saints managed to repel Exeter’s effort in doubling their lead shortly after holding the ball up over the line in a great defensive set.
Eventually, though, Chiefs would find their way over for a second - this time through a rolling maul after Saints conceded a penalty for not releasing.
Chiefs were sent down to 14 men shortly after, for the first time in the game, for a high tackle. The response came with Northampton’s typical pace of play, pressuring the Exeter defensive line before the ball came out to Linnell to weave his way to the try line.
Chiefs opted to take the kick at goal to extend their lead with five minutes left to play in the half, but they would have one more try before the break, profiting from a bouncing ball that landed in the hands of the second row, Alex Evans, who dove over.
SECOND HALF:
Saints opened the scoring for the second half with a brilliant set play off the scrum that saw a nice ball from Kai Manson to Cal Tarry, who offloaded to Hepher running in a classic try.
Hepher added his second in similar fashion, with another neat move from a scrum allowing the No. 8 turned centre to run in under the posts.
But Saints’ lead disappeared just as quickly as they had earned it, with Chiefs breaking through the defensive line once again, allowing replacement prop Theo McKay to crash over.
The Devonians added their fifth when poor discipline from Saints allowed them entry into the 22, where they remained patient until the No. 8 eventually crashed over.
But the boys in Black, Green and Gold kept in the fight and scored their fourth try in excellent fashion, when Linnell went streaming down the touchline and got the offload away to his captain, Goode.
Chiefs were once again down to 14 in the 59th minute after a tackle off the ball, but it didn’t stop them from launching another play off a lineout that saw winger, Brandon Mua, bounce off the final covering defender and finish in the corner.
Chiefs would add two more tries before the final whistle - first from Mckay once again and then through Oisin Smith - to pull away on the scoreboard.
Chiefs U18s: 15 Will McIntosh, 14 Bailey Stapleton, 13 Jack McIntosh, 12 Charlie Bosanko, 11 Archie Guyver, 10 Will Lane, 9 Alex Evans; 1 Mawgan Talling (c), 2 Diego Lerro, 3 Josh Bratt, 4 Harry Friggens, 5 Jeremy Keys, 6 Oisin Smith, 7 Harry Westlake, 8 Alfie Johns.
Replacements: 17 Theo McKay, 18 Louis Tout, 19 Hudson Edkins, 20 Harrison Riley, 21 Olly Bertie, 22 Brandon Mua
Saints U18s: 15 Will Howes, 14 Elijah Jeyes, 13 Will Hepher, 12 Cal Tarry, 11 Hardy Linnell, 10 Kai Manson, 9 Sonny Goode (c); 1 Lucas Veevers, 2 Ferdi Barnett-Vincent, 3 Aiden Reid, 4 Rafferty Hewitt, 5 George Tonga’uiha, 6 Seb Dare, 7 Ronan Perkins, 8 Charlie Hammick.
Replacements: 16 Charlie Utting, 17 Ben Jones, 19 Alex Mead, 19 Harry Nath, 21 Reuben Williams, 22 Caelin Chin, 23 Ashton Cox.