The Prem

Exeter (19) 34

Tries: Vintcent 2, Slade, Harris, Tchumbadze Cons: Slade 3 Pens: Slade

Newcastle (21) 28

Tries: Wade 3 Hicks Cons: Henry 4

Christian Wade became just the second player to score 100 Prem Rugby tries after getting a hat-trick in Newcastle Red Bulls’ 34-28 loss at Exeter.

Wade, 35, went over twice in the first half – his second giving the Red Bulls a two-point half-time lead – before pouncing on a Henry Slade error to race in for a third early in the second half.

Newcastle’s former England winger is now just one try off the all-time Prem try record of 101 set by Chris Ashton at Exeter in April 2023.

Wade, who spent four years trying to break into the NFL from 2018, returned to the Prem in 2024 with Gloucester after two years at French side Racing 92, last year moving to Newcastle after a brief spell at rugby league’s Wigan Warriors.

Exeter’s Ross Vintcent marked his return from injury with a try after just 38 seconds as the two sides shared five tries in the opening quarter that left the hosts 19-14 up.

While the game did not go on to match Saturday’s 18-try, 119-point thriller between Northampton and Bath, it did see eight tries as Slade’s 64th-minute penalty and a late Bachuki Tchumbadze try ensured a first win of the season for Exeter.

The bonus-point win keeps Exeter in eighth place in the Prem but closes the gap with leaders Gloucester to four points while winless Newcastle remain bottom despite getting two losing bonus points.

A sparse crowd of 7,071 – which led to the closure of 15,600-capacity Sandy Park’s North Terrace for the first time for a Prem game – watched Exeter make a superb start as Vintcent charged down Zack Henry’s kick to go in under the posts.

And those who did attend saw the try-scoring start continue as Wade levelled the score three minutes later – the Red Bulls’ winger went in for his 98th Prem try after some excellent Newcastle passing.

Slade was at the centre of Exeter’s next two tries, setting up Vincent for the Italy forward’s second in the 11th minute before selling a superb dummy to coast in from 40 metres nine minutes later – but only after Wade had put in Max Hicks to briefly give Newcastle the lead.

Exeter had Ethan Roots sin-binned for a no-arms tackle on Red Bulls full-back Harrison Obatoyinbo 14 minutes from the break and, moments before his return, Wade went in for his second after Sammy Arnold had broken through the Exeter line.

Summer-signing Sam Harris – making his Exeter league debut at full-back – dived in four minutes after the restart to restore Exeter’s lead but it lasted just four minutes before Wade raced over from 40 metres for his third score after Slade’s wayward pass, reaching his century of league tries.

The hosts thought they had scored a fifth try soon after when Stephen Varney dotted down from close range but replays showed a forward pass from Slade to Harris in the build-up.

Exeter took the lead with 16 minutes left when Slade kicked a 40-metre penalty and the result was secured in the dying moments when Georgian forward Tchumbadze got on the end of a maul from a close-range line-out.

Newcastle head coach Dan McFarland told BBC Sport:

“Every time you lose, you’re disappointed.

“Both weeks I’ve been proud of a lot of what we’ve done, very proud of the effort that we put in there, very proud that we went out and played the brand of rugby that we want to play going forward.

“The fact that we’ve come to last season’s finalists and lost narrowly at this stage is at the same time disappointing and positive in knowing that what we’re trying to do we’re, putting in place.”

Exeter: Harris; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Butt, Wyatt; Skinner, Varney; Burger, Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, Wilson, Jenkins (capt), Roots, Vintcent, Fisilau

Replacements: Gulley, Goodrick-Clarke, Tchumbadze, Hooper, James, Wolstenholme, Haydon-Wood, Wimbush

Yellow card: Ethan Roots (26)

Newcastle: Obatoyinbo; Wade, Hearle, Arnold, Kok; Henry, Benitez Cruz; Rakete-Stones, Togiatama, Millar Mills, Usher, Jordan, Hicks, Christie (capt), Sotutu

Replacements: Adejimi, Brocklebank, Harper, Molina, Leatherbarrow, Graham, Elliott, Connon

Yellow card: Adam Brocklebank (76)

Referee: George Selwood