Exeter Chiefs vs Leicester Tigers: Gareth Steenson points the way to bloody visitors’ noses

Exeter tend to deal in realities. They play a style of rugby that suits them and they don’t deal in peripherals. So victory over Leicester, who started the day immediately above them in second place in the Aviva Premiership, meant a huge amount to a club who can realistically aim for a play-off place at the season’s end.

At times, in a game that featured two disallowed tries – one for each side – Exeter might have believed they were worth a greater margin of victory, especially after their dominance in the first half-hour.

“Some of the kicking and decision-making went awry after the interval,” said head coach Rob Baxter, “but I was pleased we worked our way through the tough times to finish strongly.”

Had Exeter taken the chances created by their strong finish, the Tigers would have been a distant second but Jack Nowell had a try chalked off for a forward pass.

The visitors would argue there was an equally pivotal moment eight minutes before half-time, when Adam Thompstone provided the strongest of finishes to a break by Ben Youngs. The wing beat two defenders but James Short did well to get back and place a leg under the ball as Thompstone went for the touchdown, the subsequent knock-on earning Exeter a scrum.

The scrum was also an area of significant home strength, even though it included at prop another graduate of England’s Under-20 side, Alec Hepburn. On his first league start and up against England tight-head Dan Cole, he held his own remarkably well.

Leicester’s failure was an inability to score points during the periods when they dominated possession, leaving Gareth Steenson to make matters safe for Exeter.

The fly-half scored all his side’s points, his try stemming from a dart by Will Chudley that pulled in the defence and left space on the blind side of the ruck. Only six minutes were on the board at that stage but there was a splutter of points in the last three minutes of the half, when Steenson’s first two penalties sandwiched one by Owen Williams for Leicester.

A second Williams penalty reduced the deficit with 17 minutes remaining but Exeter increased the pressure, led by Dave Ewers. Steenson kicked two penalties and Leicester ended with 14 men after Riccardo Brugnara was sent to the sin-bin for kicking out at Jack Yeandle, effectively ending their chance of protecting their best start to the league in six years.

Exeter P Dollman (M Jess, 45); J Nowell, H Slade, I Whitten, J Short (S Hill, 56); G Steenson (capt), W Chudley; A Hepburn (C Rimmer, 77), L Cowan-Dickie (J Yeandle, 71), T Francis (M Low, 74), M Lees, D Welch, D Ewers (T Waldrom, 36-41), J Salvi (T Waldrom, 62, O Atkins, 77), D Armand.

Leicester T Veainu; A Thompstone (F Balmain, 78), M Smith, S Bai (P Betham, 47), V Goneva (M Tait, 60); O Williams, B Youngs (J Kitto, 62); F Balmain (R Brugnara, 55), T Youngs (capt, H Thacker, 74)), D Cole (T Pasquali, 74), D Barrow, S de Chaves (L Pearce, 55), T Croft (M Fitzgerald, 41), L McCaffrey, J Crane.

Referee G Garner (Warwickshire).

Exeter

Try: Steenson

Con: Steenson

Pens: Steenson 4

Leicester

Pens: Williams 2

Attendance 10,102.