Chiefs join Leicester, Wasps and Saracens as double winners but none of these were in the second tier a decade previously
No scorching May heat or packed stands, just damp autumn leaves on a windblown concourse and a soaking, empty colosseum. On the face of it this was as far removed from grand theatre as a small flapping tent on a sodden campsite but Exeter are increasingly a team for all seasons and stages, whatever the opposition or the weather throw at them.
It was properly Hitchcock shower-scene wet by the end but, when it absolutely counted, the Chiefs’ grip on a cherished double proved impossible to shake. They are in excellent company with only Leicester (twice), Wasps and Saracens (twice) having previously won the European Cup and Premiership in the same season. None of those fine sides had to contend with the unique challenges of this prolonged campaign, nor were they playing in the second tier of English rugby just a decade previously.
