With the clock deep in the red at Sandy Park, the Tigers dug deep into their reserves to somehow fashion out a match-winning moment for replacement Tommy Reffell to help seal a 17-14 success.
It sparked scenes of jubilations among the visitors and their supporters in the stands, whilst it also gave a winning start to life under new head coach Michael Cheika who, ahead of battle, had opted for Chessum as his new onfield leader.
In what was a first for the 24-year-old England international in Tigers colours, Chessum did not disappoint as he led from the front with a heroic display that augurs well for the future.
“Other than being capped at international level, this is probably the biggest honour I’ve had in rugby,” he said. “It may only be for one game, who knows….. but it’s a huge honour.
“When Cheik said on Monday that he was thinking about making me captain and how did I feel? I was straight away like ‘yes’. When I first got to the club, I would have bitten your hand off to play one game – and I’d have certainly bitten your hand to take the captain’s role.
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