Henry Slade inspires dominant Exeter to thrashing of Harlequins
The stage play recounting Exeter’s glorious rise to becoming Prem and Champions Cup winners just finished down the road, and here was a dominant Chiefs performance to evoke those halcyon days.If Rob Baxter’s team continue to improve on this dismantling of Harlequins the show’s script may even require an update.The hosts welcomed two Australia internationals, Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper, into the fold for their debuts while the familiar face of Henry Slade contributed 23 points – two tries, five conversions and a penalty – in a consummate individual performance.The thick cloud and driving rain that settled over Devon in the morning made the sun a distant memory: perhaps not what those two Wallabies hoped for on debut.The forecast, at least, was for improvement as the afternoon wore on.
Marcus Smith’s boot had engineered a much-needed first Prem win of the season for Quins against Saracens last weekend, but his opening contributions were to kick a restart out on the full after Slade’s opening penalty for Exeter, then to slip on the sodden turf when attempting to kick a penalty from hand.Home fans were suitably amused at the flashy fly-half’s lack of accuracy.“He was a little bit off today, wasn’t he?” the Harlequins senior coach Jason Gilmore said of Smith, who had appeared to reignite his battle for England’s No 10 jersey with Fin Smith by toying with Saracens.“From the first kick-off, he didn’t strike that ball great.And how he played last week to this week – it’s opposite ends of the spectrum that he’ll be disappointed with.
”Ikitau – nickname “Flickitau” – was just one of the talented backs eager to get hands on the ball: how he combined on debut with a creative force such as Slade promised to be fascinating, but the first quarter descended into an error-strewn, rainswept slugfest,After 27 minutes, though, Slade’s ability to switch the point of attack created the first try,The hosts bashed up the middle for a few phases before the outside-centre spotted Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the right and sent over a fine cross-kick,The England wing sprinted in for his sixth try of the season, drawing level with Noah Caluori of Saracens, whose five tries demolished Sale on Saturday,Exeter: Hodge; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Ikitau (Hammersley 67), Woodburn (Chapman 73); Skinner, Varney; Goodrick-Clarke (Burger 23), Dweba (Yeandle 52), Iosefa-Scott (Tchumbadze 52), Jenkins (capt.
), Tuima (Zambonin 54), Hooper (Iosefa-Scott 67), Roots, Fisilau.Tries: Feyi-Waboso, Slade 2, Skinner, Fisilau Cons: Slade 5 Pen: Slade Yellow card: TchumbadzeHarlequins: Green, Isgró, Northmore (Anderson 60), Benson, Murley (capt.); Smith, Porter (Townsend 55); Baxter (Wenger 61), Walker (Turner 52), Williams (Delgado 52), Petti, Lewies (Treadwell 52), Kenningham (Browne 64), Evans (Petti 76 HIA), Cunningham-South (Carr 35).Yellow Card: MurleyReferee: Karl Dickson Attendance: 9,541That round-three win for Quins may have felt like the start of something but they were swiftly staring down the barrel against an Exeter team who won only four times in the Prem last season.Ikitau passed to his midfield comrade, Slade, who had a clear run under the posts, sending the sizeable crowd barmy.
It was perfectly timed pass by Ikitau and hinted at the understanding he and Slade may build – at least when international duty does not interfere,“Two quality players – world-class,” the Exeter forwards coach, Ross McMillan, said,“Why would they not enjoy playing with each other?”Ikitau celebrated passionately as his teammate swan-dived over, Slade booted another conversion for 17-0: by half-time it was 24-0 after Harvey Skinner’s chip-and-chase score and another metronomic Slade kick,“I didn’t expect this,” one Chiefs supporter said at half-time, and frankly neither did anyone else,If Quins thought it could not get any worse they were wrong.
Greg Fisilau went over in the corner four minutes after the break: bonus point secured.When Smith sent another kick out on the full, the delighted crowd were baying for Harlequins blood, Slade and Feyi-Waboso even seizing the opportunity to whip them up further.Sign up to The BreakdownThe latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewedafter newsletter promotionSmith continued to splutter, going for gaps that weren’t there.Ikitau and Slade, in contrast, were enjoying each other’s company while Ethan Roots, the combative openside flanker, was turning in a player-of-the-match display in the Chiefs’ engine room.Hooper, the Australian blindside flanker, looked sprightly and not a bit jetlagged before being withdrawn to a warm, appreciative ovation from home fans.
After Fisilau’s try early in the second half, though, the rampant hosts were held scoreless until the stroke of full time,Cadan Murley of Quins was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock‑on on 69 minutes, followed a few minutes later by Harry Browne, on as a replacement, for a high shot,Bachuki Tchumbadze had earlier been shown a yellow card for the Chiefs, too, but Slade turned the screw on 13-man opponents with a beautifully timed close-range dive over the line, followed by a sweet conversion to end it,Looking west, after all the grim weather, a hint of blue sky appeared among the clouds,The sun may yet shine again on Sandy Park.
The return of ‘Tescopoly’? How Britain’s biggest retailer dominates everyday life
Supermarket chain has quietly got its groove back to grab even more of shoppers’ spending this yearReach into your pocket and you will probably find evidence of Tesco. Whether it is a Clubcard, mobile phone or just a receipt from one of its 3,000 stores, the UK’s biggest retailer is engrained in everyday British life.As its chief executive, Ken Murphy, proudly proclaimed this month, the supermarket chain has grabbed even more of our spending this year, landing almost a third of all grocery sales and receiving more than £1 in every £10 spent in UK retail. Data released this week showed Tesco’s sales growth outgunning its traditional rivals.The retailer’s resurgence represents a remarkable turnaround for a business whose relentless growth across Britain through the 1990s and early 2000s was abruptly curtailed as management became too focused on overseas expansion and profits over service
Ed Miliband needs a plan now to help industry weather UK transition to net zero | Phillip Inman
Ed Miliband may want his political legacy to be a transition to net zero, but he could find his eventual political epitaph includes words on how he helped bury UK industry under the weight of high electricity charges.Industrial ovens are being switched off and turbines spun for the last time as businesses add up the cost of powering their factories and decide it’s not worth the time and trouble.It would be harsh to blame the energy secretary for a crisis he inherited and a decline in manufacturing that has been going on for four decades. But the way the transition to renewables was managed under the Tories, and now under Miliband can only be described as a disaster that will see much of UK industry depart for an easier life elsewhere.The decline is not new
Inside San Francisco’s new AI school: is this the future of US education?
In the world’s tech innovation epicenter, an “AI-powered” private school has made headlines for unabashedly embracing the technology.Alpha School San Francisco, which opened its doors to K-8 students this fall, is the newest outpost of a network of 14 nationwide private schools. Its learning model entails just two hours of focused academic work per day, during which the school says students can learn twice as fast as their counterparts in traditional schools – with the help of artificial intelligence.AI, Alpha says, is central to the school’s learning philosophy, brand and impact on students.Alpha is not alone in its efforts to incorporate AI into the classroom
The platform exposing exactly how much copyrighted art is used by AI tools
Ask Google’s AI video tool to create a film of a time-travelling doctor who flies around in a blue British phone booth and the result, unsurprisingly, resembles Doctor Who.And if you ask OpenAI’s technology to do the same, a similar thing happens. What’s wrong with that, you may think?The answer could be one of the biggest issues AI chiefs face as their era-defining technology becomes ever more ubiquitous in our lives.Google and OpenAI’s generative artificial intelligence is supposed to be just that – generative, meaning it develops novel answers to our questions. Ask it for a time-travelling doctor, you get one that their systems have created
England invite Noah Caluori to training after sparkling five-try Prem debut
Noah Caluori, the 19-year-old Saracens wing, has been invited to train with England by the head coach, Steve Borthwick, after an incredible five-try barrage against Sale in his first start in the Prem on Saturday.A 36-man training squad has been named to prepare for the upcoming autumn internationals, with Jack Willis the most notable omission by Borthwick after the No 8’s decision to return to play in France.The supremely talented Caluori, however, was the 37th name on Borthwick’s list as his players gathered at Pennyhill Park on Sunday night to prepare for Australia’s visit to Twickenham on 1 November. “As part of a development agreement with Saracens Noah Caluori will join the squad for training,” the RFU said.Forwards Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ollie Chessum (Leicester),Alex Coles (Northampton), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Theo Dan (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens),Ellis Genge (Bristol), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester), Emeka Ilione (Leicester), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale), Guy Pepper (Bath), Henry Pollock (Northampton), Bevan Rodd (Sale), Will Stuart (Bath), Sam Underhill (Bath)
England hold nerve to beat India and seal Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-final spot
England won a last-over thriller against India at Indore on Sunday to seal their place in the World Cup semi-finals, holding two crucial catches at the death to defend 288 and win by just four runs. Earlier Heather Knight’s third ODI century in her 300th international set up the exciting finale.India were left needing 27 off 18 but, defying England’s recent reputation of falling to pieces under pressure, Linsey Smith conceded just four runs from the 48th over and then defended 14 off the last to ensure England came out on top.Smith had earlier taken the crucial wicket of Smriti Mandhana, whose 88 from 94 balls looked to be taking India to a straightforward victory until, hobbling with cramp caused by the sweltering humidity, the Indian vice-captain sent a catch into the hands of long-off with 55 runs still needed.Still, with six wickets in hand, the match was India’s to lose, and their clutch all-rounder Deepti Sharma hit just enough boundaries to keep them in touch, bringing up her half-century in the 46th over
Are we living in a golden age of stupidity?
Parents will be able to block Meta bots from talking to their children under new safeguards
AI chatbots are hurting children, Australian education minister warns as anti-bullying plan announced
UK MPs warn of repeat of 2024 riots unless online misinformation is tackled
The teamwork behind Bletchley Park’s Colossus computer | Letter
Olivia Williams says actors need ‘nudity rider’-type controls for AI body scans