Exeter arrived at this fixture nursing wounds both physical and psychological. A string of defeats had dimmed what once looked like a title charge, and the green army needed something to cling to. Back on the rubber crumb of Sandy Park, a reshuffled Exeter side faced Leeds Beckett who were struggling to stay afloat in BUCS Super Rugby, as they had sunk to 8th in the table. With questions being asked of the men in green, would they turn the tide and find their form once more?

The answer to those questions came quickly. It was the perfect start for Exeter, as scrum-half Freddie Skinner fielded the kick-off deep in his own half and launched a rocket into Leeds territory, the bounce rolling dead for a perfect 50:22. The crowd barely had time to settle before Exeter were camped on the visitors' line, ready to pounce for the opening score through Tupeni Ralogaivau.

But Leeds weren't here to roll over. After Exeter's scrum-half had dazzled in the build-up to the opening score, Leeds number nine Toby Morley delivered his own moment of brilliance - sniping blind from a maul and dotting down to draw level. Game on.

Exeter, determined to retain a lead early in the matchup, made sure to strike back quickly. After seven minutes of sustained pressure and wave after wave of pick-and-goes, number eight Sammy Erskine burrowed under a collapsing defence to restore the lead. Yet Leeds kept swinging. A sloppy Exeter lineout deep in their own 22 handed flanker Harry Gresswell a gift try, and suddenly the match had become a back-and-forth affair.

Despite putting up an impressive showing early on, Leeds shot themselves in the foot on the 18th minute as Prop Matt Casselden put in a high tackle which was as clumsy as it was cynical, and the yellow card killed Leeds momentum stone dead. From there, Exeter began to turn the screw and took advantage of Leeds ill-discipline.

Alex Osborn, filling in for the absent talisman Tyler Bayley, seized his chance. Off a driving maul, he spotted space on the blindside, exploited the scrambling Leeds defence, and crossed for Exeter's third. Leeds kept throwing punches, but they were spending too much time defending their own line and continuously gave away needless penalties and conceded possession under the constant pressure of being a man down. Eventually, the dam broke again - more grunt work at close range from Exeter before turning to towering lock Felix Starkey, who muscled over a flagging defence.

Still, Exeter weren't content to bludgeon Leeds into submission. Having imposed their physical edge over the visitors, Exeter wanted to display more than just brute and brawn as they turned to their backline. When the ball eventually went wide to full-back Jed Findlay on the 34th minute, he sliced through untouched before feeding last week’s Man of the Match Noah Fenton, who continued his fine form and crossed over in the corner. As the half came to a close, the floodgates seemed to have well and truly opened.

HALF TIME: EXETER 35–14 LEEDS BECKETT

The second half picked up where the first left off as number eight Sammy Erskine grabbed his second from a lineout maul just 3 minutes in, and it seemed as though the contest was at risk of becoming an execution. Leeds, however, weren't done yet. They finally found some sustained pressure, and off the back of their own driving maul, hooker Ben Bailey rolled over from close range to offer a flicker of resistance.

With the risk of a narrowing deficit fuelling the already roaring fire for Exeter, they turned to their bench to re-establish set-piece superiority and set a foundation to dissect the Leeds pack. Fresh front-rowers reasserted dominance at scrum time, and on 55 minutes Freddie Skinner spotted an opportunity. After Leeds buckled under scrum pressure and conceded a penalty, Skinner took a quick tap from halfway and ran straight through a scattered defence. Opportunism, recklessness or brilliance – however you want to frame it, Skinner set the field alight and set his claim for the starting number nine jersey with a try which truly came from nothing.

Moments after igniting the crumb with a flash of individual brilliance, the young scrum-half undid his own work with a costly lapse. Skinner’s exit kick drifted infield and presented Leeds winger Charlie Lawson with an invitation he ruthlessly accepted, tearing through the broken chase to drag Leeds back into the contest. In an instant, the noise drained from the ground, and belief began flickering back into the visitors.

Still, Exeter had one more gear which they had not yet reached. With 15 minutes left to go and Exeter retreating with backs to their goal line, substitute Conor Byrne picked off an intercept on his own line and set off on an 80-metre gallop, weaving through exhausted defenders before finding support. The ball shifted wide to Fenton, who grabbed his second brace in as many weeks and twisted the dagger deep into a few defeated Leeds hearts.

There was still time for the final nail in the coffin as Felix Starkey grabbed his second from close range in the dying moments, capping a performance that felt as much about reasserting dominance as it did about the scoreline.

Exeter have work to do if they're serious about salvaging their season, but this was the kind of statement they desperately needed. With plenty of rugby still to be played this season in BUCS Super Rugby, this result feels like a crucial springboard. If they can bottle the confidence and physicality shown here and replicate it on the road next week against Nottingham, the men in green can truly start steering themselves back towards the promised land of BUCS glory.

FULL TIME: EXETER 61–28 LEEDS BECKETT