Exeter Chiefs have been the surprise element in the last two Premiership campaigns – making the final in June having flirted with Newcastle Red Bulls for bottom place the year before.
Little was expected of Exeter a year ago, but some shrewd signings, Len Ikitau, Tom Hooper, Andrea Zambonin and Stephen Varney especially, blended with the resolve of the players who had earned the wrath of backer Tony Rowe following a humbling defeat at Gloucester.
Rowe has since handed over financial control to an American consortium which will allow Exeter to spend up to the salary cap in the coming years, but...