Back on home soil after a hard-fought win on the road in Leeds, Exeter returned to the Rubber Crumb for a 2pm showdown against a resilient Nottingham side. With momentum swinging back in their favour following defeat to Cardiff, the men in green looked to consolidate their place near the summit of BUCS Super Rugby.

Nottingham, though, are no strangers to an arm wrestle. Well-drilled and physical, they arrived in Devon with intent — ready to test the league’s frontrunners in front of a lively home crowd. Under clear skies but biting cold, Exeter sought to keep their rhythm flowing, while the visitors came hunting for an upset that could reshape the table.

For Exeter, this was about more than just maintaining form — it was about control, consistency, and showing the league that the Green Army had rediscovered their fire.

Exeter made a strong start, applying immense pressure at scrum time inside Nottingham’s 5-metre channel. The visitors fumbled their exit under the strain, handing Exe a turnover in prime scoring territory. From there, last week’s player of the match Josh Mann continued his blistering form, crashing over from short range to open the scoring.

Nottingham responded swiftly. Using their powerful pack to march downfield, they began to punch holes in Exeter’s defence before fly-half Harry Simpson produced a beautifully weighted pass to winger Matty Walker, who strolled in to level the scores.

With momentum shifting, the visitors grew into the game. On 29 minutes, prop Will Steiner powered over to give Nottingham the lead, capping off a period of sustained pressure.

Before the break, Exeter’s frustrations deepened. Nottingham executed a clinical lineout maul deep inside Exe territory, surging forward with precision and authority. Scrum-half Lewis Blinkhorn snuck through sneakily to finish the move and extend the visitors’ margin.

Exeter were left with work to do as they headed into the sheds after a punishing first-half display from Nottingham.

HALF-TIME: EXETER 7–21 NOTTINGHAM

After Nottingham’s dominant display at the lineout, Exeter emerged for the second half with clear intent. Hooker Tyler Bayley, prolific all season, once again slipped through the seams of Exeters' own driving maul to score their second try and breathe life back into the contest.

Despite that renewed spark, Exeter struggled to maintain their intensity. Nottingham’s sharp, fast-paced attack continued to stretch the home defence. Off the base of a scrum deep in Exe territory, the visitors ran a clean sequence of lines that fractured the defensive shape. Outside centre Will Tinley cut through soon after, restoring Nottingham’s cushion.

With control firmly theirs, Nottingham turned to their bench to twist the knife. Another dominant scrum set the platform, and replacement scrum-half Fergus Mainey sniped from the base before accelerating away for their fifth try.

Exeter refused to fold. Substitute lock Felix Starkey demanded the ball close to the line and powered through contact to reduce the deficit, sparking a flicker of hope around the Crumb. But that optimism vanished moments later when Mainey picked off an intercept and raced clear to kill the contest.

A late consolation from Nic Allison added some gloss for the hosts, but the outcome was already sealed. Nottingham delivered a fierce, disciplined performance to hand Exeter another upset on home turf.

FULL TIME: EXETER 26–42 NOTTINGHAM