Newcastle Falcons suffered late agony in Saturday’s battle of the Gallagher Premiership’s bottom two as Exeter Chiefs snatched a last-minute victory at Sandy Park.

The home side trailed by three at the break but grabbed the first try seven minutes in with a sequence of three line-outs in the left corner – Newcastle successfully thwarting the maul threat but Exeter moving the ball along the line for Will Rigg to score down the right.

England’s Henry Slade judged the cross-wind perfectly to curl in his touchline conversion, but the Falcons were level on 13 minutes when scrum-half Joe Davis marked his first Falcons start with an interception try down the right from 30 metres out.

Brett Connon added the simple conversion from in front, but his side’s scramble defence was called upon on the quarter mark when Paul Brown-Bampoe broke down the right-hand side, only for the Falcons to win a penalty from a ruck in the subsequent period of phase play.

Newcastle led for the first time on 27 minutes when they turned down a kickable penalty for a line-out in the left corner, and while their attempt at a driving maul was thwarted, they worked the ball through the hands to the right, where centre Max Clark powered through a tackle to dot down.

The Falcons were reduced to 14 men when Richard Palframan was sin-binned for an early drive at a defensive line-out, and the Devonians made them pay two minutes later when they kicked a penalty to the right corner for flanker Martin Moloney to drive over the try-line.

Slade’s missed conversion left the teams level, but the Falcons gave themselves a 15-12 interval lead with the very last kick of the half when Connon smashed over a 47-metre penalty from right of centre.

A scrappy start to the second half saw little in the way of scoring opportunity for either side – Exeter going closest when Paul Brown-Bampoe broke down the right but was turned over in contact ten metres out.

Joe Davis’s box-kicking into the wind caused continual problems for the home side as they repeatedly knocked on under the high bomb, and they almost had a third try when Connon’s cross-field kick to Alex Hearle got the winger to within five metres of the line.

Newcastle were let off the hook on the hour when Exeter won a penalty but kicked the ball dead in goal, and the Falcons’ scrum was proving a ready source of penalties as they enjoyed the nudge in the set-piece.

Neat inter-play from back-row partners Chick and Neild got the latter to within a whisker of the try-line only for another Exeter penalty to be awarded, with both sides heading into a nervy final ten minutes.

It was the Chiefs who prevailed, though, with Greg Fisilau racing in for a late winner.

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Alex Hearle, 13 Connor Doherty, 12 Max Clark (Oli Spencer, 56), 11 Ben Stevenson, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Joe Davis (Sam Stuart, 60); 1 Adam Brocklebank (Micky Rewcastle, 73), 2 Jamie Blamire, 3 Richard Palframan (Murray McCallum, 57), 4 John Hawkins, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 6 Freddie Lockwood, 7 Cameron Neild (Ollie Leatherbarrow, 73), 8 Callum Chick (captain).

Scorers – Tries: Joe Davis, Max Clark. Conversions: Brett Connon. Penalties: Brett Connon.

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Harvey Skinner, 14 Paul Brown-Bampoe, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Will Rigg (Tamati Tua, 46), 11 Josh Hodge, 10 Ben Coen, 9 Stu Townsend (Tom Cairns, 42); 1 Scott Sio (Kwenzo Blose, 52), 2 Jack Yeandle (Max Norey, 52), 3 Josh Iosefa-Scott (Jimmy Roots, 52), 4 Dafydd Jenkins (captain), 5 Franco Molina (Rusi Tuima, 43), 6 Martin Moloney (Kane James,67), 7 Richard Capstick, 8 Greg Fisilau.

Scorers – Tries: Will Rigg, Martin Moloney, Greg Fisilau. Conversions: Henry Slade.

Referee: Adam Leal.