5 months ago
The Prem
Exeter Chiefs (14) 24
Tries: Fisilau, Ridl, Varney Cons: Slade 3 Pens: Slade
Leicester Tigers (7) 10
Tries: Henderson Cons: Searle Pens: Searle
Exeter returned to 2nd spot successful nan Prem arsenic they hit Leicester 24-10 astatine a sold-out Sandy Park.
Greg Fisilau gave Exeter an early lead earlier 20-year-old winger Campbell Ridl scored his first Prem effort successful spectacular manner to thief make it 14-0 aft 25 minutes.
Harvey Skinner had a 3rd Exeter effort disallowed, and moments later Cameron Henderson went complete to put Tigers connected nan scoreboard.
Henry Slade's punishment extended nan lead 10 minutes aft nan break earlier Stephen Varney's 72nd-minute effort made nan crippled safe pinch Tigers a man down aft a yellowish card.
Billy Searle scored a precocious punishment for Tigers, earlier Ridl and Will Goodrick-Clarke some mislaid nan shot going complete nan statement successful stoppage-time arsenic Exeter missed retired connected a try-scoring prize constituent that would person sent them apical of nan table.
The nonaccomplishment keeps Leicester successful 5th spot successful nan Prem aft 8 rounds of matches, while Exeter are a constituent down Northampton and 1 up of third-placed Bath.
Tigers survived an early scare aft Andrea Zambonin charged down a seventh-minute container footwear that led to unit connected their line, but they could not extremity nan powerful tally of Fisilau 3 minutes later arsenic he went successful done nan Tigers statement from 15 metres.
The lead was almost doubled 11 minutes later, but Tigers held up Bachuki Tchumbadze arsenic he tried to spell complete aft Exeter's dynamic-looking onslaught had sewage them to nan line.
And soon after, England under-20 winger Ridl, who has burst onto nan segment successful caller weeks, showed each that dynamism and much arsenic he chipped nan shot complete his marker earlier regathering, skipping past Ollie Hassell-Collins and swan-diving nether nan posts for an unforgettable first-ever Prem Rugby try.
It could person been 21-0 moments later erstwhile Skinner chipped complete and scored, nevertheless replays showed a needless push by Will Rigg connected Izaia Perese successful nan build-up that could person stopped nan Tigers centre having a chance of reaching Skinner.
Leicester replied 3 minutes later arsenic Henderson galloped successful aft Jamie Blamire recovered Olly Cracknell, earlier nan Tigers number 8 put successful his fastener to support nan visitors successful it astatine nan break.
Having weathered early Leicester pressure, Slade kicked a 50th-minute punishment to unfastened up a 10-point spread earlier nan England centre was tip-tackled by Sam Williams, which saw nan Tigers replacement sent to nan misdeed bin.
No sooner had Williams returned to nan section than Leicester were reduced to 14 again – this clip Searle was judged to person gone successful from nan broadside arsenic he tried to extremity Skinner arsenic nan Exeter fly-half collapsed for nan line.
Referee Anthony Woodthorpe felt Skinner had been brought down by 1 of Searle's team-mates earlier he could score, truthful did not grant a punishment try.
Tigers thought they had again weathered nan 2nd 14-man spell, but conscionable arsenic Searle was astir to return, Fisilau collapsed done and fed Varney arsenic nan Italy scrum-half scored his 2nd effort successful arsenic galore games.
Leicester scored their first points of nan half pinch 4 minutes near erstwhile Searle converted a punishment aft replacement Rusi Tuima was sin-binned for head-on-head interaction pinch Finn Theobald-Thomas.
Much of Sandy Park thought their broadside had gone apical of nan array arsenic nan timepiece ticked complete nan 80-minute mark, but Ridl first mislaid power arsenic he went complete successful nan correct corner, while aft a mates of penalties Goodrick-Clarke dived successful from adjacent scope only to person nan shot dislodged.
The win, pursuing past week's victory astatine Saracens, again showed Exeter's title credentials arsenic they proceed to retrieve from past season's dismal showing erstwhile they ended nan run second-from-bottom.
Exeter: Woodburn; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Rigg, Ridl; Skinner, Varney; Sio, Dweba, Tchumbadze, Jenkins (c), Zambonin, Hooper, E. Roots, Fisilau.
Replacements: Yeandle, Goodrick-Clarke, J. Roots, Tuima, James, Chapman, Haydon-Wood, John.
Sin bin: Tuima (76)
Leicester: Steward; Radwan, Perese, Kata, Hassell-Collins; Searle, Whiteley; N. Smith, Blamire, Heyes, Henderson, Chessum (c), Moro, Reffell, Cracknell.
Replacements: Theobald-Thomas, Haffar, Hurd, Thompson, Williams, Van Poortvliet, Bailey, Hamer-Webb.
Sin bin: Williams (51), Searle (62)
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe.
