Greg Fisilau sets the tone as Exeter show strength with dismissal of Leicester
There is still a long way to go but Exeter would have settled for their current position back in the summer.Second place in the Prem table heading into 2026 with momentum building nicely is a very different story from last season’s grim struggle and, in front of a 15,000 capacity crowd, here was another example of exactly why they are a developing force.While this was not quite as compelling as their pre-Christmas raid on Saracens, the Chiefs could conceivably have registered another half-dozen tries in the absence of Len Ikitau, their injured Wallaby centre.Another barnstorming display from No 8 Greg Fisilau set the standard and the whole side showed enough physicality and defensive hunger to leave the Tigers to survive on seasonal scraps.Chiefs, bottom of the heap 12 months ago, might even have been on top entering the new year for the first time in five years had they not been denied a try bonus point at the death.
Campbell Ridl and Will Goodrick-Clarke both dropped balls over the line but even without them their side now sit only a point behind leaders Northampton, with next week’s visit to Bath looming as a significant game for both sides.Northampton’s fabulous weekend performance at the Rec will already have provided food for thought for those in contention.Bath still have a hefty international contingent and it could be that sides like Exeter will be fresher than others over the season’s closing months.Rob Baxter is no one’s fool and already looks to be ahead of schedule in terms of reconstructing another squad capable of winning major titles.The latest template is not entirely unfamiliar: the marauding Fisilau, scorer of his side’s opening try after just seven minutes, could be a spiritual descendent of Sam Simmonds or Thomas Waldrom, while the box-office, tackle-busting energy of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has echoes of prime Jack Nowell.
Exeter Chiefs: Woodburn; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Rigg (Haydon-Wood, 72), Ridl; Skinner, Varney; Sio (Goodrick-Clarke, 58), Dweba (Yeandle, 58), Tchumbadze (J Roots, 69), Jenkins (capt), Zambonin (Tuima, 69), Hooper (James, 60), E Roots, Fisilau.Replacements (not used): Chapman, JohnTries: Fisilau, Ridl, Varney.Cons: Slade 3.Pen: Slade.Sin-bin: Tuima, 75.
Leicester: Steward; Radwan, Perese (Hamer-Webb, 60), Kata (Bailey, 32), Hassell-Collins; Searle, Whiteley (Van Poortvliet, 32); Smith (Haffar, 63), Blamire (Theobold-Thomas, 72), Heyes (Hurd, 50), Henderson, O Chessum (capt), Moro, Reffell (S Williams, 39), Cracknell (Thompson, 50),Try: Henderson,Con: Searle,Pen: Searle,Sin-bin: Searle, 61.
Referee: A Woodthorpe (RFU),Att: 15,000,Perhaps most tellingly of all, though, the physical crunch is back,In place of the old family firm led by Dave Ewers et al there is now a new-look heavy mob fronted by Ethan Roots and that kind of hard-nosed mindset tends to be infectious,One seriously big tackle from Feyi-Waboso on his opposite winger, Ollie Hassell-Collins, certainly dislodged a lot of hyphens.
Baxter also remains good at spotting raw talent, planing away the rough edges and unleashing it without great fanfare,The latest off the production line is the 20-year-old Ridl, born in Tooting but reared in South Africa, who has come through the ranks at Exeter University and represented England at U20 level,Chiefs already have some eye-catching wingers but any of them would have been proud of the spectacular solo try that Ridl contributed to extend Exeter’s lead to 14-0 after 25 minutes,Turnover ball offered the rangy Ridl some broken-field space and a chip over the top and impressive acceleration turned a half-chance into a 50-metre cracker,A properly one-sided contest looked possible following another sharp chip-and-chase effort by Harvey Skinner, only for it to be ruled out for an off-the-ball push in the buildup.
For the first time Exeter sat back momentarily and Leicester took advantage, a midfield linebreak resulting in Cameron Henderson bursting clear to score,With Henry Slade also denied inches from the line by a last-gasp Jack van Poortvliet intervention, the half-time score of 14-7 did not remotely reflect the balance of play,Leicester under Geoff Parling, once an Exeter player, can also be a hard side to shake off and the first-half withdrawal of scrum-half Tom Whiteley, who had been ill overnight, and the hamstrung Solomone Kata also seemed to stiffen their resolve,Exeter’s bench, though, also gave them renewed impetus, along with a penalty from Slade,Another Ridl surge set up Skinner for a scything break that, again, was halted fractionally short of the whitewash, with Billy Searle subsequently earning a yellow card.
Leicester did their best to cling on in his absence but a 71st-minute breakaway by Stephen Varney, teed up by Fisilau, effectively put the game to bed.Parling, in his first season as the Tigers’ head coach, was not happy.“For the first time this season we lacked a bit of edge in the first 30 minutes.That wasn’t our DNA today.We’re not good enough yet to have those off days.
” His Exeter counterpart, Dave Walder, would also have preferred Chiefs to collect an extra point – “Deep down we’re a little bit disappointed with our accuracy” – but if they retain this level of physical appetite there will be plenty more good days to come,
The Guide #223: From surprise TV hits to year-defining records – what floated your boats this year
Merry Christmas – and welcome to the last Guide of 2025! After sharing our favourite culture of the year in last week’s edition, we now turn this newsletter over to you, our readers, so you can reveal your own cultural highlights of 2025, including some big series we missed, and some great new musical tips. Enjoy the rest of the holidays and we’ll see you this time next week for the first Guide of 2026!“Get Millie Black (Channel 4), in which Tamara Lawrance gives a powerhouse performance as a loose-cannon detective investigating a case in Jamaica. The settings are a tonic in these dreary months, and the theme song (Ring the Alarm by Shanique Marie) is a belter. But be warned: the content of the final, London-set episode goes to some dark places.” – Richard Hamilton“How good was Dying For Sex! This drama about a terminally ill woman embarking on an erotic odyssey was so funny and sad and true and daring
My cultural awakening: a Turner painting helped me come to terms with my cancer diagnosis
My thyroid cancer arrived by accident, in the way life-changing things sometimes do. In May of this year, I went for an upright MRI for a minor injury on my arm, and the scan happened to catch the mass in my neck. By the following month, I had a diagnosis. People kept telling me it was “the good cancer”, the kind that can be taken out neatly and has a high survival rate. But I’m 54, and my dad died of cancer in his 50s, so that shadow came down on me hard
From Marty Supreme to The Traitors: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
Marty SupremeOut nowJosh Safdie’s new sports comedy takes loose inspiration from the career of New York ping-pong icon Marty “the Needle” Reisman, with Gwyneth Paltrow, Abel Ferrara and Fran Drescher in supporting roles, and Timothée Chalamet in the lead as the vibrantly eccentric sportsman.The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePantsOut nowThe ever-popular underwater adventures of the amiable yellow sponge continue, with a fourth big-screen adventure that sees SpongeBob tracking down the Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill). Expect to see just as many child-free millennials in the audience as families.AnacondaOut nowApologies to anyone who views it through rose-tinted spectacles, but the original 1997 Anaconda was a load of drivel. But this isn’t a faithful remake: it’s a meta-horror-comedy-action remake about a couple of guys (Jack Black and Paul Rudd) attempting to remake Anaconda only to be attacked by – yes – a giant snake
Jewish klezmer-dance band Oi Va Voi: ‘Musicians shouldn’t have to keep looking over their shoulders’
After 20 years playing around the world, the group had two UK gigs cancelled this year after protests from activists. It’s made them feel targeted for who they are, the band sayJosh Breslaw was looking forward to a homecoming gig with his band of two decades’ standing. Oi Va Voi, a predominantly Jewish collective mixing traditional eastern European folk tunes with drum’n’bass and dance, were due to conclude a spring tour of Turkey with a gig in May at Bristol’s Strange Brew club, plus one in Brighton where Breslaw lives. But then, after protests from local activists about both the band’s past performances in Israel, and with Israeli singer Zohara, Strange Brew abruptly cancelled, citing “the ongoing situation in Gaza”.To be told they hadn’t met the venue’s “ethical standards” was devastating, says Breslaw, the band’s 52-year-old drummer: “It felt so unjust
British Museum’s plan for ‘red, white and blue’ ball sparks row
An internal row has broken out within the British Museum over its director’s suggestion of a “red, white and blue” themed ball for 2026, after staff condemned it as “in poor taste” following the rise in flag-hoisting across the UK.Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the 272-year-old museum, has proposed a colour theme based on the union jack and French tricolore to mark next year’s loan of the Bayeux tapestry from Normandy.The suggestion has led to concerns being raised by staff within the museum’s curatorial and administrative departments, the Guardian understands.Some of the staff are said to argue that the idea is “in poor taste due to the current far-right flag campaigns around the country,” a source said.Since the summer, union jacks and other flags of the four nations of the UK have been hoisted from windows, bridges and lamp-posts in what has been described by some as a celebration of Britishness
The Titanic, Sinclair C5 and Brexit: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK
Britain has been mismanaging inventions and ideas with impeccable style for centuries. Next spring, we will finally get a museum to celebrate the results: the Museum of Failure is coming to the UK.Its founder, Dr Samuel West, is anticipating a warm welcome: Britain, he said, was the museum’s spiritual home. “I’ve travelled all over the world with the museum but I’ve always wanted to bring it back home because of our black humour and our support of the underdog,” he said. “The Brits totally get it
DIY chains enjoy bumper year as UK property market slows
UK accounting body to halt remote exams amid AI cheating
From shrimp Jesus to erotic tractors: how viral AI slop took over the internet
More than 20% of videos shown to new YouTube users are ‘AI slop’, study finds
Matthew Potts poised to play in fifth Ashes Test after England rule out Gus Atkinson
Patriots clinch AFC East as Eagles edge Bills while Browns shatter Steelers: NFL week 17 – as it happened