Barkley puts the boot in

Precision with the boot was ultimately the difference between Exeter and Bath in a close contest at Sandy Park.

Four Olly Barkley penalties secured the points for the visitors in the 9-12 result that leap frogs them above Northampton into the play-off places.

A tight opening half saw Barkley and Chiefs fly-half Gareth Steenson trade penalties, the home side leading 9-6 at the interval.

It was Exeter who dominated the opening period in front a capacity crowd in the South West, the Chiefs playing with confidence having won their previous two Premiership games.

The Sandy Park wind almost played into the Chiefs hands in the first five minutes, a high ball misjudged, their attacking endeavour rewarded only by a penalty from the boot of Ulsterman Steenson.

England International Barkley then answered with a 40m penalty, tying the scores. Steenson added a further two penalties, only for the Chiefs forwards to infringe at a ruck allowing Bath to cut the deficit to three.

Bath however enjoyed much more possession come the start of the second stanza, and it was here that they gathered a foot hold in the game. Here Bath came closest to scoring a try, only for Ben Williams to knock on with the try line begging. A touch of white-line fever perhaps.

Bath did however use this period of pressure in order to tie the score once more, Barkley levelling the scores with 50 minutes gone.

The strong running of centre Sereli Naqelevuki allowed the Chiefs to form a repost following goal line pressure from Bath, the Fijian punching holes in the visitors defence.

As the game entered its closing 10 minutes a penalty for offside gifted Steenson the opportunity to restore the home sides lead, he was however unable to take advantage, pushing the kick wide.

A further chance to take the lead arose for the Northern-Irishman; the Exeter Chief’s forwards dominating the Bath scrum resulting in a penalty, Steenson again missing.

With two minutes to play Bath once again ventured into the hosts territory, pressure once again telling and a penalty the result. From the tee Olly Barkley displayed the kicking pedigree that sees him third in the top points kickers this season to break Exeter hearts.

The Count's time to shine

The UFC takes its brand of hard-hitting action to Australia with the ACER Arena playing host to UFC 127. The event sold out in minutes after going on public sale, making it the fastest selling UFC event in history.

The card is headlined by a welterweight showdown between Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn in what could be a changing of the guard when it comes to challengers to Georges St-Pierre's welterweight crown.

Significantly however for British Mixed Martial Arts it signals the opportunity for Clitheroe fighter Michael Bisping to stake his claim for a fight with middleweight supremo Anderson Silva. Standing in his way, UFC veteran Jorge Rivera.

At 38 Rivera may not be considered by non-UFC officianados as the most spritely of the organisations roster, we are however seeing a rejuvenated 'El Conquistador'.

Rivera disposed of middleweight contender Nate Quarry at UFC Fight Night 21 by TKO, landing 75% of his punches in what was dubbed by commentator Joe Rogan "the best performance of his career". It must be added that this victory came 11 months ago, are we to see elements of ring-rust from the veteran?

Bisping on the other hand finds himself far from exhibiting ring rust, his consistent activity has put him well and truly in the frame for a title tilt come the end of the year, should he make it three UFC wins in a row. 'The Count' comes off the back of Fight of the Night honours from UFC 120, an event that he himself headlined in a fight with Japan's Yoshihiro Akiyama.

In this fight a much improved Bisping was on display, the contest however not without a scare. The Brit rocked in the first round only to roar back after gaining his composure as he unleashed a flurry of combos to dominate his opponent. His notably improved boxing, added to his black belt Vale Tudo, allowed him to secure a unanimous decision from the judges, prompting murmurs of the possibility of a Silva showdown in the near future.

The build up to the fight at the 127 event has been just as compelling as the fight in the octagon is hoped to be with a bitter war of worlds developing.

Rivera has gone far enough as to post fake videos on YouTube of Bisping in which the American mocks the Clitheroe fighters accent and attitude towards mixed martial arts. This, prompting the Brit to brand his opponent 'a moron'. El Conquistador's tactics are ever more surprising given his unwillingness to do so in the past.

Regardless of what comes as a result of the fight for either party, Bisping in particular as he looks to mount a title challenge, there is no doubting that Rivera's actions have made the fight a matter of pride and respect.

In an interview with MMA Live 'The Count' stated that this was an oppurtunity to teach the American a lesson, claiming that: "he's underestimated me, as usual, people seem to do that".

He went on to say: "He's been very insulting to me as a fighter, and I take that seriously. I dedicate a lot of time and effort just like you do as a journalist [to interviewer]. . . . . . . . . I dedicate my life to this."

"Him and other people around him their making slanderous remarks and this and that, but you know I want to teach him a lesson, I want to win the fight, I want to get paid and get closer to a title shot but also I want to put him in his place and make an example of him."

It is fair to say that the pre-fight spat between the two fighters has made for a far more appealing fight than might otherwise have been the case when the card was published. One thing is for certain though, their is more than just money and the possibility of a title shot somewhere done the line at stake. This fight has been made personal.

UFC 127 Press Conference - Bisping Rivera Confrontation

UFC 127 is available on ESPN with coverage of the main card starting at 3am on the morning of Sunday the 27th GMT.