Exeter take five-point credit
The Frenchman moved to the centre after Matt Cornwell became the latest midfielder to be struck down by injury and scored in the 29-18 win.
And Exe received another boost yesterday as league leaders Leeds dropped a vital bonus point in their 19-8 win over Bedford.
And that leaves Pete Drewett's side four points behind Leeds as the race for promotion to the Premiership hots up.
With Mark Fatialofa and Bryan Rennie also on the treatment table and Wade Kelly not at full fitness, Exeter are short of experienced centres.
Having signed Ireland A international Paul McKenzie last week, head coach Pete Drewett is looking to fill the gaps.
But Sestaret, who played in the centre for Dax, played the last 50 minutes in that position against third-placed Nottingham.
And he said the bonus-point win sets them up for the next couple of months when they travel to league leaders Leeds.
Exeter went into the clash at Sandy Park on the back of two below-par displays when they beat London Welsh and Manchester.
However, they got back to top form with a display that left Nottingham in tatters, unable to win their own line-out or break down Exeter's defence.
"The last two weeks we played poorly but last week was fabulous," said Sestaret. "We trained hard and we focused on the game.
"It was so important for the club because if we want to stay at the top and try to catch Leeds we had to grab some points against Nottingham.
"They were just one point behind us and it was very important to get the win against them.
"Getting the five points is a big advantage to us going into the next two months.
"We have Newbury this weekend, Doncaster are not too long after that and then we have to play Leeds again.
"This time against Leeds it will be crucial because we will be very close to them."
Sestaret crashed over just before half-time after Stephen Ward had bagged his first try of the season.
Josh Drauniniu and Neil Clark went over after the break to secure the bonus, with Gareth Steenson kicking nine points.
Sestaret said he trained in the centre last week in case he was needed against Nottingham and enjoyed playing there.
"When they named the team they said to me that if there were any injuries in the centre I would have to play centre," said Sestaret.
"In training I played a bit at centre but I played centre when I was with Dax so I know a bit about playing there.
"It was a bit strange after third or fourth phase but I really enjoyed it.
"We have got a lot of injuries in the centre but we are like one big family and we played well.
"We just carry on even if we get injuries — no one can destroy us."
Sestaret's try was his first at Sandy Park for his new club.
He scored for Exeter at Plymouth and scored for Plymouth at the £15m venue two years ago.
"I really enjoyed scoring, I would like to score more," he said. "This team is great, anybody can score tries. To score here, in front of a big crowd in a big game like that was very good for me."
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