EURFC kept up the chase at the top of BUCS Super Rugby, as they secured a record-equalling 64-31 victory over Leeds Beckett at Topsham.
There were 15 tries in all, the joint-most in a BUCS Super Rugby match, with Exeter scoring 10 of them.

Tries from Fin Richardson, Jordan Bond and braces from Jacob Morris, Cameron Bullard, Alec Lloyd-Seed and Arthur Relton, along with five conversions from Lloyd-Seed and two from Josh Barton.

After last Wednesday’s fast start against Bath, EURFC raced out of the traps again against Leeds Beckett, opening the scoring after just three minutes.

A rapid break from Arthur Relton took play into the Beckett 22, only for his side to then be penalised at the breakdown. Exeter though, would secure the ball back and, after a bludgeoning carry from Tom Hitchcock and the Bullard, the forwards kept it tight, allowing Richardson to eventually crash over from close range.

Leeds Beckett though, were straight back on the attack, as they found space on Exeter’s right wing. With Nick Brown feeding scrum half Sam Connor and then receiving the ball back, the visitors looked for all money to be in for the try, only for a last-ditch tackle from Tom Addison to force a knock-on as Brown looked to ground.

The pressure was still on for Exeter though, as Spencer Owen and Gareth Stephens linked up, only for Addison to pull out a second try saving tackle in as many minutes.

Exeter were then awarded a penalty on their own try line and it was from there that they scored a stunning second.

Scrum half Yarnell took quickly, breaking and feeding the ball wide to Hitchcock and Relton, with the winger tearing into the Beckett 22. His offload was then collected by Yarnell, with the ball fed to fly half Lloyd-Seed to skate in under the posts.

Minutes later, Exeter were in for their third, as Dan John forced Brown to spill the ball, allowing Relton to collect and race over for a third try in just fifteen minutes.

Much the same as last week though, Exeter were pegged back after a fast start, as Leeds Beckett opened their account through Connor.

Again, the opportunity came down Exeter’s right, with Owen and Morris linking up to send the scrum-half scurrying under the posts.

One turned to two for Leeds Beckett shortly after, as they rolled over from a maul close to the line, Rhys Charalambous, Toomey reducing the gap to seven points.

The game was turning into a tight tussle now, as both teams looked to add to the early flurry of tries. Eventually, it was Leeds Beckett who would crack, as Jordan Bond scored his fifth try in five BUCS Super Rugby games.

Attacking deep in the Beckett 22, Max Bliss darted up towards the try line, before Bond gathered the ball and wriggled over the line, the try eventually being awarded after a discussion between the referee and touch judge.

HALF-TIME: EXETER UNIVERSITY 24-12 LEEDS BECKETT

The second half saw EURFC again begin at a rate of knots, with Lloyd-Seed scoring his second of the match. A box kick from Yarnell was caught superbly by Relton, with Milo Hallam and Chris Moore carrying hard into the Beckett 22. From there, Yarnell fed the ball to his fly half, to race in, before adding the conversion.

Beckett refused to lie down though, with Alex Green notching their third of the afternoon. With Exeter’s defence beginning to creak, fly half Toomey put in a perfectly placed grubber kick, for Green to slide over.

The game was flowing at a rate of knots now, with Exeter again on the attack through John Bailey. From his initial charge, Cameron Bullard then spotted a mismatch in midfield to break the tackle and race in for his first BUCS Super Rugby try.

It was then two in two minutes for Exeter, as Morris crossed for his first of the afternoon. A clearance kick from Lloyd-Seed bounced awkwardly for the Beckett defenders, allowing Bond to gather and from there, Exeter made no mistake. Several strong carries from the likes of Hallam left the visitors struggling to realign, with John sending Morris through a hole and under the posts.

The tries were now flying in EURFC, with Relton scoring his second, after some beautiful interplay by the backs. After a kick through from Leeds Beckett, fullback Bliss galloped up the field, offloading to John, who weaved his way past his opposite number, before popping the ball to Yarnell, who then found Relton to finish the move off and bring up the half century.

The game was end-to-end now, and it was Leeds Beckett who would score the next two tries in quick succession to give themselves a try bonus point.

With Exeter’s lack of discipline allowing the visitors to camp themselves deep in the 22, second row Jordan Brown spotted a gap on the shortside, to crash over for Leeds Beckett’s fourth try of the match.

Straight from the restart, they had their fifth, as Gethin Jenkins found space on the far touchline and kicked through, Will Rawlinson then grubber kicking the ball along the touchline with some nimble footwork, to dive over in the corner.

Exeter though, were straight back to their task, with Charlie McCaig punching a hole in the Beckett defence and offloading to Morris to jog in under the posts for his second of the afternoon.

With little over five minutes to go, there would be one final score for Exeter and Cam Bullard. Replacement Josh Barton managed to find space on the near touchline, to release Relton. He then offloaded back inside to Bond, who found Bullard in open space, as the Leeds Beckett defence was left scrambling, to see out the win in a high scoring thriller.

Whilst defence may have looked to have been optional at times for both sides, this was a hugely entertaining encounter and another important five points for EURFC to keep them in contention at the top of the tree.

With a trip to Northumbria next up for the side, the positives in attack will bring huge comfort, although there is still some work to be done around the defensive set-up.