Aviva Premiership Wrap: Round 17

Exeter Chiefs assistant boss Ali Hepher hailed his side’s fighting spirit as they battled back from a 12-3 half-time deficit to sink play-off chasing Northampton Saints at Sandy Park.

With Saracens losing at Leicester Tigers, the result took the Chiefs to the summit of the Aviva Premiership Rugby table with five fixtures remaining.

Gareth Steenson kicked five penalties and Olly Woodburn touched down for Exeter, with England international Henry Slade particularly impressive.

Scores from Lee Dickson and Ken Pisi looked set to give the Saints a crucial win but after the break it the Chiefs turned things around.

“We looked as though we weren’t enjoying our rugby in the first half as we were frightened to make mistakes,” Hepher said.

“We had a quiet word at half-time and this freed us up. We created a different and positive mindset and we said that we needed to be positive and not afraid of errors.

“We took on the message and turned the screw, we had a bit of self-belief.”

Saracens boss Mark McCall admitted he is pleased to see the back of the Six Nations after his hugely depleted squad went down 21-13 at Welford Road against Leicester Tigers on Sunday.
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