Hepher's frustration over rulings

Ali Hepher knows his side are not a “million miles” away from challenging for top honours in this season’s Aviva Premiership, but he was left frustrated after Exeter Chiefs slipped to their second home defeat of the season against leaders Saracens.

With just minutes remaining at a packed Sandy Park, the Chiefs were denied for a second time in the contest by TV match official David Sainsbury, who claimed there was “inconclusive evidence” to award a late try for Exeter’s England international Tom Johnson.

Although watching countless replays of the flanker hurtling towards the Saracens line, Sainsbury was unconvinced Johnson had done enough to claim the all-important score for the home side.

It was a bitter pill for Hepher and the Chiefs to swallow, particularly as they had suffered a similar fate during the first half when centre Ian Whitten was also denied following another consultation between referee Tim Wigglesworth and Sainsbury.

Post match, a frustrated Hepher said: “From his body language it looked like TJ was sitting on the ball, pretty happy with it. It’s tough, of course it is, and it’s certainly hard when you have momentum that close to the line and you go for a TMO and don’t get it.

“The more worrying thing is that we had the ball in possession but were not allowed an advantage. Had we produced the ball once more we had men over and could have finished it. We can’t just go to the TMO straight away.”

Final score: Exeter Chiefs 9 Saracens 16

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