Exeter Chiefs 9 Leicester Tigers 12: match report It meant Jason Shoemark was brought into the midfield alongside Phil Dollman and highly-rated youngster Dave Ewers was handed his first-ever top flight start in the back-row. The Tigers, meanwhile, arrived in the Westcountry with a full attacking arsenal at their disposal, including all seven of their England stars who had featured in the Six Nations decider in Cardiff just seven days earlier. Fly-half Flood led the visitors out on a wet and wild afternoon in Devon, but it was opposite number Steenson who broke the game's deadlock on 10 minutes when he punted the Chiefs in front with a lengthy penalty after the Tigers had strayed offside deep inside their own half. Exeter's advantage proved shortlived, however, as within minutes the visitors drew level with a kick of their own as Flood dissected the posts with a kick after Ewers was pulled up for offside. Flood and Steenson exchanged successful kicks, before the former nudged his side back in front on the half-hour mark after Chiefs winger Matt Jess was the latest to fall foul of referee Tim Wigglesworth. With little to choose between either side, the Tigers threatened to claim the game's opening try just before the break when a razor sharp attack carved open the home defence. But as Mathew Tait looked set to pounce, just inches from the home line, he was engulfed by a blaze of home defenders who defiantly turned him over. It was a let-off for the home side, but they did not care as they restored parity with virtually the last kick of the half as Steenson thundered over a booming penalty from nigh on 45 metres. If the first period was tight, the second half was proving equally as close as neither side was willing to give an inch in an absorbing, physical battle. The Chiefs set the early tone after the restart with a string of attacking raids into enemy territory, but the Tigers were proving a tough obstacle to move. However, the home side were playing with plenty of confidence and even declined a potential kick at goal in search of greater reward. The move, though, backfired somewhat as Haydn Thomas' link with Richard Baxter saw the veteran Exeter No.8 downed as he tore towards the line. With the battle up front intense, both sides threw on fresh muscle in a bid to make the crucial breakthrough. And it was one of the newly-introduced stock, Leicester's Logovi'i Mulipola, who created the platform from which the first points of the second half were gleaned. The Samoan prop made the initial charge, creating a ruck which saw Exeter replacement scrum-half Will Chudley needlessly step through the middle offside and gift Flood a fourth successful penalty. Scoring sequence: 3-0 Steenson pen 10 min; 3-3 Flood pen 18 min; 3-6 Flood pen 24 min; 6-6 Steenson pen 26 min; 6-9 Flood pen 30 min; 9-9 Steenson pen 39 min; 9-12 Flood pen 70 min. Exeter Chiefs: L Arscott, J Nowell, P Dollman (I Whitten 38), J Shoemark, M Jess, G Steenson, H Thomas (W Chudley 55), C Rimmer (B Sturgess 65), J Yeandle (C Whitehead 65), H Tui (C Mitchell 72), D Mumm (J Hanks 65), D Welch, D Ewers, B White (K Horstmann 55), R Baxter (capt) Replacement not used: H Slade Leicester: M Tait, N Morris, M Tuilagi, A Allen, A Thompstone, T Flood (capt), B Youngs, M Ayerza (L Mulipola 65), T Youngs, D Cole (M Castrogiovanni 55), E Slater, G Parling, T Croft, J Salvi, J Crane. Replacements not used: R Hawkins, T Waldrom, G Kitchener, S Harrison, G Ford, M Smith Referee: Tim Wigglesworth (RFU) Attendance: 10,427.