Olly Woodburn double stuns Leicester as Exeter end Tigers’ unbeaten run at home

Exeter became nan first distant broadside to triumph successful nan convention astatine Welford Road successful 14 months arsenic 2 tries from nan seasoned full-back Olly Woodburn delivered a terrific triumph for nan Chiefs.

In worldly position nan triumph made small quality to Exeter – they still request to hit Saracens astatine location successful their last crippled of nan regular play to scope nan playoffs adjacent weekend. But they will spell into nan Sandy Park shootout pinch belief coursing done them aft storming nan Tigers’ lair.

The triumph was an illustration of really they person travelled this season. Exeter’s long-serving head of rugby, Rob Baxter, has done a tremendous occupation engineering nan turnaround from nan debased of past play erstwhile nan Chiefs trailed successful ninth retired of 10. Now, his charges are wrong rubbing region of a semi-final.

To person immoderate dream of beating nan Tigers connected their ain patch, you person to messiness pinch their mojo and Exeter went astir that by knocking them backmost pinch immoderate punishing defence astir nan ruck and disrupting their set-piece foundations. When they had nan shot they went astatine Leicester.

Manny Feyi-Waboso, backmost successful nan Exeter starting lineup, carved Leicester isolated to group up nan first effort of nan game, fielding a clearance footwear successful his ain half earlier surging done nan Tigers’ defence to put Woodburn successful for nan people successful nan seventh minute. The powerful wing, missed by England successful nan Six Nations, has an unthinkable expertise to make yards done interaction but connected this juncture location was nary arsenic nan waves parted for him.

Leicester deed backmost six minutes later pinch a effort for nan scrapbook from 20-year-old academy full-back George Pearson who picked up Orlando Bailey’s left-footed spot to people connected his first Prem start.

Bailey looked to person group different up for Adam Radwan aft evading Stephen Varney and offloading one-handed but immoderate tremendous defence by Henry Slade held up nan flying helping complete nan line.

Ollie Hassell-Collins, connected nan near wing, should person been put successful by Pearson earlier nan break excessively but nan full-back’s walk went astray and Exeter escaped. However, a bulldozing Leicester scrum earned them different changeable astatine nan Chiefs arsenic nan half drew to a adjacent and Bailey put complete his 3rd punishment to springiness them a 14-13 interval lead.

Len Ikitau holds disconnected Adam Radwan to people for Exeter astatine Welford Road. Photograph: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK/Shutterstock

It was ferocious worldly each information pinch Tommy Reffell a menace astatine nan breakdown for Leicester and each area of nan crippled a contest.

Exeter regained nan lead 3 minutes into nan 2nd half pinch a effort started and vanished by their Wallabies. Tom Hooper burst up nan mediate to make nan dent and Len Ikitau dived complete successful nan left-hand area from nan adjacent phase.

Ikitau, truthful awesome against nan Lions, is into his stride now having missed 4 months of nan play pinch a enarthrosis wounded and it took a terrific screen tackle from Hanro Liebenberg, making his 150th Leicester appearance, to extremity him going complete again.

It was Ikitau’s shot wrong which gave Woodburn – nan 34-year-old into his 2nd decade astatine Sandy Park – his 2nd effort successful nan 54th infinitesimal arsenic Exeter stretched into a 25-14 lead.

Woodburn was sent to nan sin-bin conscionable earlier nan hr people for a deliberate sound connected arsenic he tackled Bailey arsenic Leicester upped nan ante. Jack van Poortvliet blew a aureate opportunity pinch an atrocious walk to nan unmarked Radwan pinch nan statement astatine nan wing’s mercy but Olly Cracknell made nary correction from short scope arsenic nan crippled ticked into nan last quarter.

It was beautiful overmuch each Tigers astatine this constituent and erstwhile Radwan’s overarm walk put Charlie Clare complete Leicester had a one-point lead pinch 10 minutes left. However, Exeter dug heavy and deed backmost to spell complete again pinch six minutes near done 2nd statement Andrea Zambonin who handed disconnected Bailey to spell successful astatine nan corner.

Slade converted from nan touchline and added an injury-time punishment to return his individual publication to 15 points and deprive nan Tigers of a losing prize point.

Leicester, already cemented into nan playoffs, tin still gain a location semi-final pinch a triumph astatine Bath adjacent play but this conclusion felt for illustration a momentum stopper.