Leicester are compensating for the likelihood that Manu Tuilagi will not play again this season with an improving team which is based on defence and the goal-kicking of Freddie Burns.
After Burns kicked 20 points to help record a fifth successive Premiership win, Leicester’s director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, admitted that Tuilagi, who has not played since October due to his groin injury, was unlikely to play this season. The earliest the England centre could be up and running looks to be June when World Cup preparations start.
Cockerill, however, is nothing but pragmatic. “It’s about the here and now,” he explained after an unrelenting contest after which Leicester leapt above Exeter in the hunt to nail down a place in the end-of-season play-offs.
It seemed inevitable that Leicester’s only try was supplied by Geoff Parling, the England lock who is leaving in the summer to join Exeter, while Thomas Waldrom, the ex-Tiger, was a try scorer for his new team on Saturday.
Parling and Waldrom may yet be joined at Exeter by Julian Salvi, the flanker, while Mathew Tait and Jamie Gibson have also declared their intentions to depart to Bayonne and Northampton respectively.
The exits are all part of upheaval at Leicester, where Cockerill will be joined in command by the return of Aaron Mauger, the former New Zealand centre, who is leaving Canterbury to be head coach at the English club where he excelled as a player.
Cockerill has no doubts the players leaving will be loyal until the end. Parling’s try, a second-half effort stemming from Leicester’s most ferocious pressure, prompted him to say that he expected nothing but 100%.
“Whichever players are playing for me now are Leicester players until they leave. It’s their job, they are good people, good pros and I will pick the best team to win the game whether they are here next season or not.”
Burns, brought in from Gloucester to add spark to the backline, looks to be revelling in being Leicester’s No1 fly-half following injury to Owen Williams. He has started the past five Premiership games and has contributed 71 points as Leicester have grabbed a top-four place.
The fly-half admits it has been a tough period in which he has dropped out of England thinking behind George Ford, Owen Farrell, Danny Cipriani and Stephen Myler.
“But I am still 24,” he declared on Saturday night. “I have got time on my side. I am just going to keep my head down and work hard.
“With Owen’s injury, it has opened a door for me and I have just tried to grab the opportunity and take a bit of responsibility within the team.”
In contrast to Burns’ upbeat stance, Exeter’s own England pretender, Henry Slade, had a difficult afternoon. He missed three attempts though did finish on a high by creating a crucial late try for scrum-half Will Chudley which helped grab a losing bonus point.
Leicester: Tait; Thompstone, Smith, Bai, Benjamin (Goneva 37); Burns, B Youngs (capt, Harrison 65); Ayerza (Mulipola 59), T Youngs (Ghiraldini 59), Cole (Balmain 59), De Chaves, Parling, Gibson, Salvi, Crane.
Try: Parling. Con: Burns. Pens: Burns (6).
Exeter: Dollman (James 49); Whitten, Nowell, Hill, Jess; Slade, Chudley; Rimmer (Moon 49), Yeandle, Brown (Low 62), Lees (White 26-34 & 49), Welch, Ewers (Horstmann 68), Mumm (capt), Waldrom.
Try: Waldrom, Chudley. Con: Slade. Pen: Slade.
Att: 24,000.
Referee: JP Doyle.