Christian Wade's hat-trick made him only the second man to 100 top-flight tries, yet Exeter survived a wild contest to finally bag their first win of the season.
Christian Wade just etched his name deeper into rugby history. The Newcastle winger blasted through three more tries to become only the second player ever to reach 100 in English top-flight rugby, and at 35 he is still finishing like a man with something to prove.
It was not enough for the Red Bulls, though. Exeter edged a see-saw 34-28 contest to claim their first victory of the campaign, and the relief at Sandy Park was obvious. Newcastle came close to ending a near four-year wait for an away league win, but they fell just short.
The Chiefs found their own heroes. Italy back-rower Ross Vintcent grabbed two first-quarter tries to steal some of Wade's spotlight, and Georgian prop Bachuki Tchumbadze crashed over late to settle the nerves and make the result safe.
The milestone puts Wade right behind Chris Ashton's all-time Premiership record of 101 tries. With his poacher's instinct intact, the record is now firmly in his sights, and the chase for it is one to watch this season.
