Ewers gets dogged Exeter over the line

EXETER’S famous determination enabled them to cling on to second place in the Premiership table as they pulled off the great escape after trailing for 75 minutes.

- MIKE SINCLAIR

They finally snatched victory when Dave Ewers, on his 150th top-flight Chiefs appearance, dived over five minutes from time and sure-boot Joe Simmonds landed the crucial conversion.

“That was a big game which could have launched them into second place so it was a super important four points for us,” said Exeter forwards coach Rob Hunter.

Danny Care is surplus to requirements with Eddie Jones but the 84-cap former England scrum-half is still pulling all the strings for resurgent Harlequins and he had put them in pole position to achieve victory over the English and European champions.

But you should never write off Exeter and they overturned a 20-7 deficit to snatch this one-point win.

Early on, Marcus Smith and Care made significant contributions in both defence and attack as Harlequins thwarted two Exeter breakaway attacks before taking the lead.