It came down to the last kick. A penalty gave away around the 10m line and Cardiff had a shot for victory. Cam Scott nailed the kick and claim the all-important win for the Welsh side.

2 months after our last defeat in the Welsh capital, the boys in green and white are out for revenge, as we battle for a place in the final in just 2 weeks. To get there not only has it been a long, hard season but also a tough Quarter-Final.

With a second-place finish secured, a first-round knockout match at home against a Cardiff Met side who have struggled away from Cyncoed much of the season. If it was a bit of complacency on our part, or a high skill level on there the match did not go as many had scripted.

The visitors shot out of the gates, with 2 quick fire tries and an Exeter yellow card after just a quarter of an hour, putting Met in the hot seat. Harvey Dunn got a score back for EURFC but a 7-point deficit at the break was not what was predicted.

Another yellow card for Exeter and another try for the visitors added further worry and tension to those watching at the crumb. However, this was eased slightly by tires from Max Courtis and Luke Bralsford, With Exeter now ahead thanks to a Barton conversion, the nerves had begun to subside.

But with just 5 minutes to go, Met had a penalty in a very kickable range. Steff Crimp nailed the 3 points, and once again Exeter was headed for a potential upset. Cue Josh Barton. The fly-half received the kick around halfway, stepping away from a couple of tackles. Delivering the pass to Archie Hill, who quickly returned the favour putting the number 10 over in the corner. A special try, for a special player, in the most high-pressure of situations.

In reaction to that, back-rower Will de Boemhler commented on the boys having to “put some grit in” to get that hard-fought win but to come away victorious was a “great feeling”.

A week on from that incredible match-up, we face the other side from the Welsh capital, Cardiff University. After finishing 6th in the regular season, they faced a tough test in Durham. A hard place to win, but they fought their way to a narrow 2-point victory, advancing to within one game of the StoneX.

To avoid a similar fate to last week’s fast-starting Met, de Boehmler has said the team are “managing expectations” this time around with the boys “having a good look at Cardiff” through this last week.

This cautious approach from EURFC maybe is warranted, as despite going in a slight favourite are yet to beat Cardiff this season. With a defeat at Sandy Park, and then the last-minute defeat hurting the boys: “Those two defeats still sting, especially the home one with it being at Sandy Park”.

In response to this, the boys are using these losses as motivation, by “making it personal, making it physical” and “blasting into Wednesday”.

TEAM NEWS

With a good shift put in by all the boys last week, Rich Hodges has made only one change to his starting lineup from that encounter. The pack remains entirely unchanged with the return of Butterworth and Higginson both still only enough for the bench.

In the backs, there is a return for Ben Hammersley after missing out with illness last week. He comes in for Max Bliss, with Dan John moving to fullback in his place.

Not too many changes on the bench either, but there is a return for Ronan Kelly, his first inclusion since the late call-up against Bath.

For live updates throughout the match follow EURFC on Twitter