Ali Hepher insists there was 'nothing lucky' about Exeter's last-gasp win

Exeter head coach Ali Hepher believed his side deserved to win a compelling contest against Leicester but they had to rely on a last-minute converted try from replacement prop Patrick Schickerling to record a thrilling 24-20 win over the reigning champions at Sandy Park.

Exeter appeared in control when they led 17-6 after 50 minutes but they then conceded 14 points to trail before a commanding performance in the final quarter saw them claim a morale-boosting victory.

Solomone Kata was the other tryscorer for Chiefs. There was also a penalty try awarded, with Joe Simmonds kicking a penalty and two conversions.

Hanro Liebenberg and Charlie Clare scored Leicester’s tries, both of which Jimmy Gopperth converted. Freddie Burns added two penalties.

Hepher said: “There was nothing lucky with the win as I thought we were in control for most of that match.

“In that final quarter, we had three hold-ups over the line, a disallowed try, and when the yellow card came for Alec Hepburn, I thought we were up against it.

“However, we kept going at them and got our reward but it was a game we would have lost last year.

“Last season we didn’t have a lot of luck, possibly because we didn’t work hard enough, but we’ve had a reset and the bonding process kicked in during that final quarter.

“We made a couple of errors and they punished us as Leicester always do, for they are a resilient side and were well on their way to winning that.”

Exeter were without a number of leading players but Hepher reported that many will be back in the near future.

“We are close with Luke (Cowan-Dickie), Hoggy (Stuart Hogg), Henry Slade and Josh Hodge but Sam Simmonds is further back.”

Leicester’s head coach Steve Borthwick was disappointed that his side lost their opening fixture.

He said: “The boys are gutted to lose in the last play but we gave them one too many opportunities.

“There were a lot of positives to take from the game as everyone worked exceptionally hard for the club.

“Exeter came out with a specific plan and executed it very well but we adapted by making a few tweaks to be leading on the scoreboard but we missed a few crucial opportunities.

“Going down to 14 with a yellow card and losing our fly-half Freddie Burns at half-time to a failed assessment didn’t help.”

Leicester captain Liebenberg said: “We started slowly but really bounced back, although it’s hard chasing the game against a very physical pack like Exeter.

“In the first half, we lost the kicking battle and then we had to make a lot of tackles but the boys’ defence was outstanding.”