Steenson sinks the Knights
The Knights are always difficult opponents and they are expected to finish comfortably inside the top eight to secure their place in the end-of-season play-offs.
A 52-point game suggests a feast of running rugby in the glorious autumn sunshine, but, as a spectacle, it sadly rarely got above the levels of the dour 9-9 draw between the two sides that brought the curtain down on the 2008-09 campaign.
There was too much aerial ping-pong – a curse of the modern game – between the back threes, while Exeter's tactic to nullify Doncaster's blitz defence by kicking the ball into space behind them meant the home three-quarters were left largely redundant as an attacking force.
It was a tactic that worked though, in the sense that it provided both of Exeter's tries – two moments that lit up proceedings.
The first came in the 33rd minute when fly-half Gareth Steenson's exquisitely judged crossfield kick fell into the arms of winger Matt Jess, who made light of the two Doncaster backs standing in his way to go over in the corner with a quality finish for his second try in two matches and help put Exeter in the driving seat at 19-10 ahead at half-time.
The second, only one minute into the second period, was a special moment for 18-year-old full-back Josh Matavesi, who was making his first league start for the Chiefs.
This time it was centre Matt Cornwell who delivered the perfectly weighted kick over the Doncaster defence. The bounce of the ball eluded both Exeter winger Mark Foster and his opposite number Andy Wright, but fell invitingly for the onrushing Matavesi, who collected it with glee before racing over the line for his first Chiefs' try.
It crowned a good home league debut for the youngster, who was pretty solid under the high ball and did most things right before coming off injured in the 58th minute.
That score should have put the game to bed for Exeter, with the magnificent boot of Steenson – who contributed 22 points – providing the extras, to add to his four first-half penalties and conversion to give the Chiefs a 26-10 lead. However, Doncaster are not the sort of team to capitulate, and with former Leeds fly-half James Brooks pulling their strings – although he was another one guilty of kicking away a lot of possession – they scored ten points without reply, to add to their first-half penalty try, awarded when a superb 25-metre forwards drive, off the back of a quickly-taken penalty by scrum-half Chris Hallam, saw Exeter punished for collapsing the maul, and Brooks' conversion made it 10-6 to the Yorkshiremen with 20 minutes gone.
The second-half fightback started with Brooks kicking a 44th-minute penalty, and eight minutes later, former Brixham centre Bevon Armitage grabbed a try after a period of intense pressure under the Exeter posts.
With Brooks adding the extras, there were suddenly alarm bells ringing in the home camp – and they would have got louder if Brooks had not squandered a 60th-minute penalty chance.
Instead, it was Steenson's metronomic boot that eased the Chiefs over the finishing line with his fifth and sixth penalties of the afternoon, giving him a superb eight-from-eight record, and earning him praise from Exeter team manager Robin Cowling.
"It is fabulous to be able to rely on Gareth's kicking," he said. "Referees are going to penalise sides that do the wrong thing, and it is nice to be able to punish them."
He added: "Donny are always a difficult side to play against. They are strong and physical and I thought we were a little bit tense for the first 20 minutes.
"We overdid things a little bit, but we showed real character, and to get the result is satisfying. There is more to come from us, but our set-pieces were sound, as was our defence and the pressure we put on them, so there are lots of pluses to come out of the game."
There are, though, also several things to work on before Friday night's visit to Coventry.
