EURFC made sure that the title race will go down to the final day, after a clinical 31-13 victory over Hartpury in the rain and the fog on the Rubber Crumb.

A week on from the huge Varsity clash at Sandy Park, a double from Dan John, along with further scores from Ollie Leatherbarrow, Will Yarnell and Alec Lloyd-Seed set Exeter on their way, with Lloyd-Seed adding three conversions.

The rain and fog throughout the match made conditions incredibly challenging throughout the match, with both teams looking to go aerial in the early exchanges.

After Durham’s victory over Leeds Beckett earlier in the day, anything other than a victory would have seen the northerners secure the title.

Hartpury are a side looking to click into gear ahead of the play-offs and it was they who had the fast start, as flyhalf Joe Winfield kicked his side to within sight of the Exeter line.

With the conditions dictating a tight encounter settled in the pack, Hartpury went to work, hammering the Exeter line, before spinning the ball out to Kieran Dunne, only for the centre to spill the ball forward.

The visitors continued to go aerial, looking to force EURFC into an error. There was no such luck though, with Max Bliss and Jordan Bond both supreme under the high ball.

With nearly ten minutes on the clock, Exeter finally worked their way into the Hartpury 22, only for the lineout to go astray.

When the first try did come though, it was an absolute gem. Hartpury were continuing to use the boot as an option and looked to hassle Exeter as Winfield’s chip through was collected by Arthur Thomas.

The second row fed the ball wide to Arthur Relton, who burst up the field and into the visitors’ 22. From there, he offloaded to Yarnell, who deftly popped the ball on to John to dive over for his first of the afternoon.

Both sides continued to use the boot throughout the half, as they searched for territory.

EURFC would suffer a blow as they lost Thomas to injury, but they continued to pile on the pressure on the Hartpury line.

With 30 minutes on the clock, the pack kept it tight, hammering and probing away at the Hartpury line in a relentless string of phases.

When Hartpury were penalised at the breakdown, Chris Moore looked to take quickly but was stopped just short of the line by a physical tackle from his opposite number.

Despite there being space out wide, the pack continued to shove the ball up the proverbial jumper, until the opportunity looked to have been lost with a knock-on.

From the resulting scrum though, a huge drive from the pack atoned for the mistake, securing a penalty.

As soon as the lineout was successfully secured, there was only ever going to be one outcome, as Leatherbarrow dotted down off the back of the maul, Lloyd-Seed adding the conversion from the touchline.

HALF-TIME SCORE: EXETER UNIVERSITY 12-0 HARTPURY

The second half saw Exeter begin at a rate of knots, as they looked to up the intensity. Straight from the restart, Yarnell collected and burst through three Hartpury tackles to race free, feeding Olly White on the Hartpury 22.

Whilst Hartpury eventually secured a turnover, the third try of the afternoon wasn’t far away.

Off a well-constructed lineout, centre Tom Hitchcock bulldozed his way through the Hartpury midfield, with Yarnell having the presence of mind to spot a gap on the fringes of the ruck and dart over from twenty metres.

The game was beginning to open up now and, straight from the restart, Exeter were penalised at the breakdown, allowing Brandon Wood to get his side on the scoreboard.

Wood would then add another penalty shortly after before Exeter scored their crucial fourth try of the afternoon in some style!

As the ball ended up in the hands of flanker Luke Bralsford, he weaved his way up into the Hartpury 22. From there, Yarnell was again quickest to the mark, firing the ball wide to Bliss, who managed to free his hands in spectacular fashion to release John, who promptly dived over out wide.

Lloyd-Seed again added another pinpoint conversion, with Exeter now looking to stretch their legs once again.

After Hartpury had once again looked to claw their way back into the match, EURFC were in no mood to give them an inch, with a second hugely destructive carry from Hitchcock causing chaos in the visiting ranks. After Ollie Leatherbarrow had mopped up a loose pass with a trademark bludgeoning carry, both he and prop Fin Richardson were forced to leave the field after suffering knocks.

Exeter though continued to stick to their task, hammering away for nearly ten phases on the Hartpury line.

Unlike in the first half though, the side made no mistake here, as the ball was fizzed wide to Lloyd-Seed to streak over for his side’s fifth of the afternoon.

Hartpury would respond, as they desperately went in search of a consolation score and, after EURFC lost Tom Harris to a yellow card on their own try line, the visitors eventually managed to break down Exeter’s defence, Will Goffey barrelling over off the back of a close-range maul.

The visitors continued to probe and press as the clock hit 80, but a huge hit from player of the match Chris Moore forced a knock-on, to secure all five points and a second consecutive unbeaten season at home.

Attention now turns to a tough assignment next Wednesday against Cardiff Met, with EURFC looking to do all they can to depose Durham at the top of the table, after one of the closest title fights in recent memory.