Premiership: Newcastle Falcons 24-18 Exeter Chiefs – Jamie Blamire double seals win

Something had to give between two struggling sides, with Exeter coming into the game on the back of their worst Premiership start and the Falcons winless for 581 days, a run stretching back to March 2023.

Initially it looked like it was the hosts who would wilt with the Chiefs making a flying start, Feyi-Waboso finishing off a sweeping left to right move in the corner after just four minutes.

Far from letting their shoulders slump, Newcastle dug in and after Josh Hodge had missed a difficult conversion from the right touchline, they soon got their noses in front.

Exeter, forced backwards not by fast line breaks but by their own mistakes, ended up defending desperately as the Falcons probed close to the line.

Van der Walt finally found a way through on 18 minutes, with Grayson adding the extras to give them the lead.

Chiefs briefly regained the initiative with two penalties from Hodge to make it 11-7 in their favour but indiscipline saw them give up 13 penalties in the first hour of the game.

On the half-hour mark Blamire’s first try, a tap-and-drive with the hooker breaking through two tacklers five metres out, saw Falcons edge in front.

Exeter were their own worst enemies throughout.

Richard Capstick saw yellow for entering the maul from an offside position just before half-time and although Exeter managed to shut out Newcastle while he was off, the effort seemed to tell as the Falcons came on strong in the second period.

Blamire bullied his way over for a second and when Grayson added a drop goal from 30 metres to make it 24-11, the home fans started to believe.

Exeter made them sweat right to the end though, with Hodge finishing off a pitch-length move and slotting a brilliant conversion tight against the left touchline.

But with six points the difference, a knock-on as Exeter tried to start one final push from their own 22 brought the final whistle.