Joe Simmonds kicks Exeter to dramatic late win over battling 14-man Newcastle

Dean Richards, the Newcastle director of rugby, could not hide his frustration after Callum Chick was sent off during the first half before Exeter pilfered the points late on to move ominously towards the play-off places. Chick, the Falcons captain and No 8, was shown a red card by the referee Christophe Ridley in the 25th minute for a high shot on Josh Hodge, Exeter’s erstwhile Newcastle full-back.

Richards queried the haste with which the officials decided that Chick’s shoulder had made contact with Hodge’s head, arguing that the offence warranted no more than a yellow card. Newcastle fought valiantly with 14 men and were on course for a famous victory until the closing stages when the Exeter captain, Joe Simmonds, kicked a penalty to win it.

Richards, the former England captain said: “Josh Hodge clearly dropped his height. “One of the issues we’re having at the moment is they’re trying to get to a really quick decision, rather than the correct decision.

“I would have accepted a yellow card, but you can’t make such a critical decision in such a big game as this, as quickly as they did. I thought it was really poor from them. You need to take the time to make the decision correctly, but they don’t want to spend time on TMO decisions. When you’re playing with people’s livelihoods and careers, you can’t do that.”

Rob Baxter, the Exeter director of rugby, said: “It’s not about whether it’s an accident or not. It’s a matter of contact to the head and it gets dealt with that way.”

Defeat felt cruel on Newcastle on an emotionally fraught afternoon at a bitterly cold, windswept Kingston Park. Before kick-off, the retiring club legend Mark Wilson was introduced to the crowd and was given a rapturous reception as he walked