Not since 2021 have Exeter finished in the Prem top four, hence the heartfelt Devon roar at the final whistle. To beat their old rivals Saracens to a playoff place made the result all the sweeter given the frequently acrimonious history of this fixture. It will be the Chiefs who progress to next Saturday’s semi-final, where they will face Bath at the Rec.
In doing so, they officially drew the curtains on Mark McCall’s 15-year tenure in charge of Sarries. This is absolutely not how the Ulsterman or his players wanted it to end, but, for a while, this was exactly McCall’s type of game: hard, unforgiving and intense. By the end, though, the visitors were very much second-best to opponents whose physicality and endurance could yet make them tricky knockout customers.
