Tigers bite back to give Chiefs a slapping

RELIEF could be detected in the Leicester camp after this victory rewarded a hard summer of work recovering from the disastrous 2018-19 campaign.

Exeter won the two Premiership games between the teams last season by a collective score of 92-26 but a much younger team here failed to apply their usual stranglehold.

“It’s a little bit of a slap in the face,” was how Rob Baxter, Exeter’s director of rugby, described the night for his young charges. He also reported that prop Greg Holmes suffered a worrying Achilles injury after 30 minutes.

Leicester found too many gaps early on to build a winning lead which gave them enough to withstand a second-half mostly defending.

Brett Deacon, Leicester’s forwards coach, said the squad had undergone the toughest pre-season in his long memory of the club and accepted that victory – only the Tigers’ fourth in this calendar year – was a huge positive.

Baxter felt new combinations – especially in the line-out – had contributed to their downfall against a team who sped ahead early on through tries by flanker Guy Thompson and one each for wings Jordan Olowofela and Jonah Holmes.

Amid a number of new faces, fly-half Noel Reid had a debut to remember since joining from Leinster. His first act was to be sin-binned for an ill-judged swinging arm tackle only to show resilience by returning to help build a lead of 20-7 seven minutes into the second half.

Reid was yellow-carded in the seventh minute as Exeter returned to the attack following Leicester’s opening try, smartly put together from line-out possession. It was an excellent team score which ended in Thompson backing up smart handling between backs George Worth, Andy Forsyth and Olowofela.

Exeter immediately replied, pouncing on Reid’s departure to make their extra man count by setting up No.8 Jacques Vermeulen for a try on his debut.

Harvey Skinner added the conversion for a 7-5 lead which lasted only six minutes before Leicester found more space outwide to send Olowofela over.

That score came during Reid’s absence but he was back directing operations through a long pass for the third try by Holmes.

Reid added a penalty after the interval to increase Leicester’s lead which enabled them to defend valiantly as Exeter tried to put together their famed phase play.

The match also descended into a messy battle as the two packs indulged in a series of prolonged scrums.

Leicester kept their line intact and six minutes from time worked a fourth score from fit-again Kyle Eastmond, the centre racing on to a chip through by Rob Hardwick, who had replaced Reid.