Exeter v Leicester: Five takeaways as ‘ruthless’ Chiefs prove it’s ‘all change in Devon’ while England hopeful proves to be ‘the answer’
Greg Fisilau was among the star performers from Exeter's win over Leicester Tigers
Following Exeter Chiefs’ 24-10 win over Leicester Tigers at Sandy Park, here are our five key takeaways from the PREM Rugby clash.
The top line
Exeter Chiefs secured their spot in the top four heading into the New Year thanks to a solid 24-10 win over Leicester Tigers at Sandy Park.
The Devonians held the advantage right from the off, with Greg Fisilau and Campbell Ridl crossing the whitewash to give them a 14-0 lead inside the opening 25 minutes.
That nearly became 21-0, with Harvey Skinner crossing after a fine solo break, but his effort was chalked off for a penalty in the build-up.
Leicester quickly rubbed salt into the wound as Cameron Henderson dotted down minutes afterwards to make it 14-7, which is how the scores stayed heading into the sheds.
Exeter were again the better side in the second-half, but had to wait until the 74th minute for their next score, which came courtesy of Stephen Varney.
With the clock winding down, the Chiefs seemed to have grabbed that all-important bonus point as Will Goodrick-Clarke barged his way over from short-range, but his effort was chalked off. The job was very much done by that point, though, with Exeter taking the spoils.
Play-off race on
The race for the top four is very much in full swing, with this weekend’s results having a major say in things.
There are just seven points between table-topping Northampton Saints and sixth-placed Saracens, while the top three are all separated by just two points.
As this weekend proved, everyone needs to be on their A-game each round if they want to make a fist of it. Bath’s loss, just their second of the year, has seen them drop from first to third, while this defeat for Leicester has seen Saracens pull level on points with them.
Sale Sharks are also looking to mount a late charge for the top four, and are within touching distance.
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Next weekend will serve as the concrete proof of where the teams are, with that being the official halfway point of the season, but it’s certainly bubbling away nicely.
What a difference a year makes
This time last year, Exeter had only just secured their first win of the season and were firmly stuck in the bottom two. Now, thanks to this win, they sit second in the table and are among the leading title contenders.
If anything was to sum up the difference between 2024/25 Exeter and 25/26 Exeter, it would be this game. They were clinical, they were efficient, they were ruthless.
Exeter didn’t actually create many opportunities, but rather took what came their way. Ridl’s score was a result of a perfectly executed strike play, while Fisilau’s came a few phases after a costly Leicester spill. But chances like this wouldn’t have been taken last year.
They will be frustrated about their missed chances, which certainly would come under a spotlight if they’d have lost this one, but that again shows just how far they’ve come in a year. They might not have even created those opportunities last season.
It wasn’t just their efforts ball-in-hand, either. Defensively, they looked solid, connected, hungry. Last year, they looked the opposite of that.
Leicester’s errors were mainly a result of Exeter’s strong work in defence rather than lapses in skill. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s tackle on Ollie Hassell-Collins in the first-half was a prime example, while Andrea Zambonin’s and Dafydd Jenkins’ relentless pestering at the breakdown caused all sorts of bother for the scrum-halves.
It’s all change in Devon, and it couldn’t come soon enough.
Own worst enemies
Leicester will likely head back to the East Midlands with a lingering feeling of ‘what if’ today.
They were their own worst enemy at times, both blowing their own chances and gifting Exeter opportunities too.
Geoff Parling’s side actually led the way in the possession and territory stats in the first-half, but only had seven points to show for it. Meanwhile, Exeter had 14 points, and could have had 21 if not for a push in the build-up to Skinner’s solo effort.
Simply put, that’s not enough to get you over the line as an away side at Sandy Park.
It wasn’t that they were making mind-boggling individual errors, but they just found themselves lacking that killer touch. Turnovers conceded within Exeter’s five-metre area just as they were looking like scoring, a ball bouncing off a support runner’s chest, or just a misplaced pass – however it came, Leicester just couldn’t take their chances.
It could have been so different for the Tigers, who now find themselves outside the top four heading into the New Year.
England’s answer at eight?
There still seems some question marks at eight for England, even with Ben Earl going really well in the Autumn Nations Series, but Greg Fisilau could be the man to fill that Tom Willis-shaped hole
The Chiefs man, who arrived at the club in 2022 following the collapse of Wasps, continues to show his value ball-in-hand, fitting that sort of unrelenting carrier that England are after at eight.
Across his 80-minute try-scoring shift today, Fisilau notched 14 carries for 85 metres, which came amid the backdrop of 13 tackles too. While his stats make decent reading, it’s also important to remember where he’s carrying the ball. Fisilau always seems to be charging into at least two or three defenders with every carry, thriving in areas of heavy traffic.
He has flirted with the England squad across the past few years, featuring in various training squads under Steve Borthwick and also being called up for England A, but if this performance is anything to go by, it won’t be long before he wins that maiden Test cap.