The Reds gave as good as they got against top-flight opposition for more than half of this fast-paced Premiership Rugby Cup tie but were eventually overpowered by a focused Exeter Chiefs outfit.
Trailing by just two points after 43 minutes, the home side were hit with a quick-fire wave of four tries and 26 unanswered points that settled the tie and meant that the Chiefs, holders of the Prem Cup.
In front of more than 1,800 supporters on a dry, calm day, the Jersey XV launched into the game from the start, forcing Exeter to concede a stream of penalties that eventually prompted thoughts of whether the referee might produce a yellow card.
The very first penalty within half a minute of the start led to an attacking lineout and then a try for Scott Van Breda as the Jersey full-back glided through a yawning midfield gap.
A fine solo effort down the right-hand flank by Manny Feyi-Waboso helped the Chiefs hit back before Russell Bennett stroked over a penalty for Jersey and then Jacques Vermeulen tied the scores with a try from close range.
The two teams looked set to remain locked at 10-all at the break, but in the final play a speculative cross-kick by Harvey Skinner bounced perfectly for Tom Wyatt, who scored in the corner. Chiefs captain Henry Slade, who played the full 80 minutes on a day when he would originally have hoping to be on Rugby World Cup duty with England, stroked over the first of an eventual tally of four successful conversions from seven attempts.
The Reds took first blood after the resumption when Ben Woollett and Van Breda set up Pete Sullivan for a try in the corner, but then the Chiefs went up a gear and pulled well clear on the scoreboard by the early stages of the final quarter.
A loose clearance kick was punished by Wyatt, who soared to catch the high ball and then eluded several defenders on a pacy run to the posts, then Greg Fisilau crossed from the base of a scrum. The penultimate try was for Relton in the left hand corner after a flowing passing move, and back row man Aidon Davis crashed over within two minutes of his introduction from the bench.
To their credit, the Reds were able to stem the flow after the Davis try on 62 minutes, and remained combative until the final whistle. This effort was rewarded when Sullivan and Van Breda set up a consolation try for Alex McHenry for the hosts. The closing stages saw two yellow cards for Chiefs players: Feyi-Waboso was sent to the sidelines for taking out an opponent in the air, while Relton was punished for a deliberate knock-on.
Jersey director of rugby Harvey Biljon said: Exeter showed us a lot of respect by selecting the side they did.
They were gifted a couple of scores early on by our mistakes or the bounce of the ball, and then there were three or four moments in the second half that didn t go our way, and they took advantage.
Picture by Sue Armes
JERSEY REDS (15-9, 1-8): Van Breda; Woollett, McHenry, Barnes, Sullivan; Bennett (Barton 63), Mitchell (Venner 51); McGrath (H Owen 63), Hadfield (Hughes 48), Nicol (Longwell 55), Hawkins, Scott (Chapman h-t), Smith, Wynne (c) (Booth 58), Grey (Argyle 48).
EXETER CHIEFS: Wyatt (Haydon-Wood 66); Feyi-Waboso (YC 67), Slade (c), Hawkins (Hendrickson 60), Relton (YC 77); Skinner, Cairns (Becconsall 60, Burrows 69); Sio (Keast 52), Norey, Painter (Iosefa-Scott 52), Tuima (Dunne 63), Pearson, Roots (Davis 60), Vermeulen, Fisilau.
Referee: Dan Jones. Assistants: Veryan Boscawen, Gareth Holsgrove
Half Time: 10-17
Attendance: 1,826
Scorers
Jersey Reds
Tries: Van Breda 2, Sullivan 41, McHenry 73
Conversions: Bennett 2, Barton 73
Penalty: Bennett 12
Exeter Chiefs
Tries: Feyi-Waboso 7, Vermeulen 22, Wyatt 39, 44, Fisilau 48, Relton 57, Davis 62
Conversions: Slade 40, 44, 57, 62
