England told not to pick tryscoring Tuilagi

“He’s playing well and doing some good things. If [Eddie Jones] wants to pick Manu, he can pick Manu. At the moment he’s not doing a full training week because we need to save his load for game day. It’s more difficult to do that in a Test environment. He’s ­probably four or five games away from being fit enough for an 80-minute Test.”

For an hour this was the perfect game for an ambitious player to show the world their international credentials. At times it was ill tempered, with Exeter perplexed by a few of the refereeing ­decisions as three yellow cards were dished out during the afternoon, but Leicester counterpunched well on their way to a 20-point lead.

Yet Leicester were unable to hold on to that huge advantage in the second half as, having scored their bonus-point try before the 50-minute mark, they ­allowed Exeter to muscle back into the contest and right some wrongs as ­they finished within four points of the ­victors.

It took 16 minutes for the deadlock to be broken. There were some thumping hits that came in beforehand — one ­notably coming in from Tuilagi as he clattered Phil Dollman, turning over the ball in the process as everyone ignored that he had not wrapped his arms in the tackle — and it was noticeable that Leicester were happy to keep kicking looping up-and-unders.

Exeter for the life of them could not escape from their own half, but ­Leicester could not make their early momentum and possession count. That is until Exeter coughed up a ball in their own half and practically invited Leicester to go for the tryline. From the turnover Freddie Burns, the home fly half, slipped a kick deep into the corner and Dave Lewis was forced to run it out.

At the lineout maul, ­Exeter were adjudged to have infringed as Harry Thacker drove towards the line. ­Upon review a penalty try was awarded and ­Geoff Parling, the former Leicester lock, was sent to the sin bin for his attempt to stop the hooker.

With a man down, another turnover was the breaking of ­Exeter. Vereniki Goneva galloped down the left touchline and as the ball swung back the other way, Marcos Ayerza, of all people, drew his man and fed Tuilagi for his try. Welford Road erupted.

The punishment hardly relented in the opening exchanges of the second half and as Exeter bumbled towards the line, Thacker, the man of the match, flew out of the line and the ball was spilt again. This time quick hands found ­Peter Betham, who streaked in from 60 metres to score. Barely a blink later ­Adam Thompstone, the wing, charged beyond the back of a lineout to take the ­bonus-point score.

It was set up for a rout, but Exeter are not the types to roll over. Leicester were given a yellow card of their own as ­Exeter spurned a kick at goal to go for the corner and Dom Barrow, the lock, pulled down Exeter’s maul. The visitors kept hammering away and eventually plunged over the line, but after an ­embarrassingly long wait for the officials to make a decision it was decided Don Armand had been held up.

Hackles were further raised as Burns jumped out of the line to slap down a ball, only for Matthew Carley, the ­referee, to oddly call it offside.

Perhaps justice was served as an ­Exeter one-two of tries came from the fractured moments immediately after, firstly with Lewis pushing a maul to the line and then Ian Whitten roaring in, ­untouched, for the second.

Exeter took another step back as Matt Jess took out Burns in the air, earning himself a yellow card, but they were pumped up enough to come back again and again until Kai Horstmann got the converted try that brought Chiefs to within four points.