With Exeter’s marquee summer signing Len Ikitau ruled out until March with a shoulder injury, the Chiefs turned to Will Rigg at inside centre.
The 25-year-old made his first league start of the season and impressed in defence as well as making a number dangerous breaks in Exeter’s win over Tigers
With Tamati Tua out for the season with an Achilles injury, the former Coventry back laid down his credentials to try to fill the number 12 shirt in Ikitau’s absence.
“Len is probably in the top four or five centres in the world, so any team’s going to miss him, but Riggy I thought came in and did a really good job,” Walder said.
“There’s a lot of noise around Len not being involved but I spoke to Riggy beforehand and I said ‘it’s important that Will Rigg turns up as the best version of Will Rigg’, and I thought he did that.
“I thought his physicality and his carry was outstanding. I thought his work rate was brilliant and I think he stepped up to the plate.
“There are a lot of boys in the squad who’ve been working hard through pre-season who haven’t had the opportunities that maybe they would have wanted.
“But, as a result, we’ve been doing well as a group and when the opportunity comes, it’s important that they take it and I thought Will was outstanding.”
