Exeter Chiefs vs. Perpignan

There were four of us yesterday who travelled to Sandy Park for the Amlin Challange Cup pool decider between Exeter Chiefs and Perpignan.

Their European pedigrees could not have been much different. Exeter in only their second year of European rugby and Perpignan experienced travellers.

An impressive number of Perpignanais had made the trip and they were clearly visible in their red and gold of Catalonia - the gold representing the shield of Wilfred 1 The Hairy on which Charles the Bald, Holy Roman Emperor, drew four lines with his own blood as a sign of gratitude. The Exeter Chiefs' fairly stereotypical view of  native North Americans that forms the basis of their club's branding looks tame in comparison to even a small slice of Catalan history.

Anyway, we four, a rugby player,a  golfer, a long-distance runner and a rower, took our places in a corner stand. And stand we did, for it was terraced. I am from a different generation to those who clamour for a return to terracing. I have grown up with a seat at sporting events, and was itching to sit down by half-time. Enough self-indulgent moaning.

The rugby played was enjoyable. After ten minutes, Perpignan were 14 points up, confirming my expectation that there was too much quality in their team for Exeter. But USAP fell asleep and fell away as Chiefs fly-half Ignacio Mieres orchestrated 31 unanswered points. Exeter lack the pace and penetration of many sides and so rely on a super-structured game plan which batters the opposition and then batters some more. It is not pretty to watch, though to ask Exeter to play like Leinster, Quins, or Edinburgh (woo!) would be downright unreasonable. They are good at what they do and good luck to them.

Sandy Park regulars rivals their Thomond counterparts in the respect they afford goal-kickers. However, for one of Mieres' pots at goal, some jolly old Catalan unleashed an almighty roar of derision. Without so much as looking where their kicker had put the ball, 10,000 of the Devon faithful turned towards the noise, booing and shouting, to which the garrulous and ballsy Catalan, clearly well-oiled, stood up, beamed, and opened his arms wide in gleeful appreciation for whatever abuse his hosts could throw at him.

Perpignan got annoyed, began lashing out, had a player sin-binned and the crowd was lapping it up. A very good day for west country rugby as Exeter continue making history. But for Perpignan, they have until the end of the season to reverse their current Top 14 position of 10th, wallowing in unfamiliar mediocrity. They should be better than this, and they know it.