The hot breath of Saracens feels ever warmer on Leicester backs. Perversely, they gave their most convincing notice yet that Saracens’ great escape need not be the foregone conclusion so many seem to think it is, fairly blasting Exeter, if not quite off the pitch, into an awkward corner in the first half. Their returning internationals looked a million dollars as Exeter, still favourites to win this thing, were made to look anything but.
Alas, any sense of a new dawn was premature, however promising some of Leicester’s play. The Chiefs rode the blows and coolly collected a bonus-point win that takes them top of the table. The Tigers could not score a single point in the second half – and thus emerged from this excellent encounter without even a point for the league table.
Worse for the Tigers, Geordan Murphy became embroiled in a shouting match with a fan. He apologised later to the spectator, who accepted it, but the sense of Leicester’s ongoing turmoil was difficult to avoid.
“As I came back up from pitch side, I said a comment I shouldn’t have – I swore – to a fan who was voicing his frustration with some of the decisions being made on the field,” said Murphy. “There were a couple of kids there, so I went back to apologise.”
How his side failed to drive home their early advantage will confound him. What is clear is that, assuming relegation is invoked this season, somebody very big will be falling. The idea of the Tigers being it still feels absurd, even if the reality of what we have seen this season on the field renders that prospect perfectly plausible.
Just reel off some of the names in that back division, looking far more serious now the ravages of the World Cup have been ridden. Add in some fresh spice in the pack – two England props, a Puma lock – and they look far more the proposition up front we used to expect. That first 40 also represented a masterclass by another newbie, Jordan Taufua. One of those Kiwi flankers whose failure to win a Test cap is almost as absurd as the idea of Leicester’s relegation, he arrives from a typically trophy-laden season in his homeland.
From Leicester’s second try, in the 13th minute, which he scored by rampaging through the floundering Lion Stuart Hogg, to the many Exeter attacks that were ended against his unanswerable presence at the breakdown, the multiple facets of his game seemed to have lent Leicester a new edge.
Not that he was alone. George Ford was at his imperious best, and Jonny May had two tries within the first 20 minutes, the first a beauty after another restored international, Telusa Veainu, tore down the right, the second an outrageous finish from out of the clutches of three defenders. At that point, safety beckoned for the Tigers.
The Chiefs were 19-7 down, but even in extremis they know how to finish when within range. An early penalty to the corner was all they needed to force Jannes Kirsten over for the game’s opening score, and Hogg’s dancing feet established the position from which Don Armand drove over on the half-hour.
Their prowess from short range was evident again as they chased Leicester down in the second half, but the approach work that gained them the positions became increasingly impressive, best exemplified by their third on the hour. Fabulous interplay among the forwards released Elvis Taione into Leicester’s half and behind the first line. Then Hogg’s feet had a twinkle to work Exeter even closer, before Armand burrowed over for his second.
Four minutes later, they had the bonus point, Jonny Hill galloping to the corner. The turnaround was complete, only a turned ankle for Henry Slade causing any concern.
Leicester, though, had only their performance of the first quarter from which to draw consolation. They will beat teams here if they keep their heads. It’s just that these days a 17-point cushion at the bottom feels less than fluffy.
