Aviva Premiership round-up: Brown puts down Exeter uprising as Quins remain unbeaten

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At the Twickenham Stoop yesterday, the full-back Mike Brown scored a second-half try that kept Harlequins unbeaten at the top of the Aviva Premiership, after Exeter had given them a rather nasty shock by coming from 9-0 down at half-time to lead. Quins won the match 19-13.

Brown's try cancelled out a try by Bryan Rennie that had put the Chiefs 13-9 up after 55 minutes. Nick Evans kicked 14 points for Quins and Ignacio Mieres kicked eight for Exeter. Conor O'Shea's Quins have now won all nine matches that they have played this season.

Northampton scored six tries in a 44-15 hammering of the bottom club, Newcastle, at Franklin's Gardens. Two wingers returning from the World Cup, Chris Ashton of England and Vasily Artemyev of Russia, scored two tries each; Tom May, a former Newcastle centre, also scored two. Ryan Lamb kicked 12 points (three conversions and two penalties) and Stephen Myler two (one conversion). Artemyev has scored six tries in three matches for the Saints.

Jimmy Gopperth kicked all the points for the Falcons, with four penalties and a drop-goal. Bristol's presence at the top of the Championship table is rather bad news for Newcastle, given that the West Country club have a home ground that is entirely suitable for Premiership rugby.

In the RaboDirect Pro12, Benetton Treviso beat Newport Gwent Dragons 50-24. The Italian side took a four-try bonus point for the first time since they joined the competition last year, and went on to score seven, through Alessandro Zanni, Brendan Williams (two), Ludovico Nitoglia, Robert Barbieri, Tobias Botes and Paul Derbyshire. Tonderai Chavhanga scored two tries for the Dragons and Steffan Jones scored a third. Treviso have won four matchesin a row and are fourth.

The Scarlets, who had the Wales hooker Matthew Rees on the bench after he missed the World Cup with a neck injury, beat Ulster 24-17. Liam Williams and Adam Warren scored tries for the Welsh region; Andrew Trimble scored one for the Irish province.