Leicester 40-22 Exeter: Tigers end Chiefs Premiership play-off hopes

Try: Hassell-Collins, van Poortvliet, Reffell, Brown Versus: Pollard 4 Pens: Pollard 2, Wilkinson

Try: Feyi-Waboso, Frost, Vincent Versus: Slade 2 Pens: Slade

Exeter’s hopes of a Premiership play-off place were dashed as they lost 40-22 at Leicester.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s early try for Exeter was canceled out by two tries in five minutes as Ollie Hassell-Collins and Jack van Poortvliet went over.

Exeter let Feyi-Waboso lose his sin just before the break and shortly after the restart Tommy Reffell crossed before Mike Brown got his fourth try.

Dan Frost pulled one back before Jasper Wiese was sent off for a dangerous tackle and Ross Vintcent got a third try for Exeter.

The Chiefs knew they had to get a win at the Tigers and hope the results for the teams above them went their way if they were to finish in the top four.

As it was, Rob Baxter’s side ended the season in sixth place, with Leicester finishing eighth.

Exeter struck first after eight minutes – Feyi-Waboso finishing a five-pass move into the right corner from a lineout after Olly Woodburn’s backhand pass.

Handre Pollard’s penalty reduced the gap before Hassell-Collins’ excellent try put the Tigers in front when he received the ball five yards into his own half and stopped down the left wing, leaving Woodburn and Harvey Skinner behind .

The Tigers went further in front when van Poortvliet ran through the Exeter defense from the drop before a second Pollard penalty after Woodburn was penalized for a deliberate tackle which saw him spend 10 minutes in the sin bin when Henry Slade from Exeter added a penalty just before. pause.

Feyi-Waboso was sin-binned for a deliberate tackle just after Woodburn returned to the pitch, meaning Exeter started the second half with 14 men and was punished as Reffell went over following a move from care flowing.

Brown got a bonus point try in the 53rd minute from close range after Freddie Steward’s break set up Leicester’s field position, but Exeter responded with a try of their own shortly after Dan Frost went through after pressure phase on the Tigers. the line.

Wiese saw red 10 minutes later after driving Vintcent into the ground head-first at a ruck and a minute later the Italy Exeter striker responded from close range after a quick-fire penalty.

Kieran Wilkinson added a late penalty for the hosts as they end their disappointing season on a high as a new-look Exeter side fell short.

Leicester Tigers head coach Dan McKellar told BBC Radio Leicester:

“I’m glad the group of players and staff can finish the season with a smile on their faces and take some momentum into the off-season and pre-season.

“It’s the first time in a long time that we’ve seen the transfer of what we’ve tried to achieve to be the rugby team we want to be.

“We were a little loose at times and turned the ball over, but we probably need to go that way to pull back a little bit.

“But I thought today was the first time we had a real balance in terms of their defense, our kicking game, but also wanting to have that mindset to attack when we get the chance.”

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon:

“They had bags of emotion, bags of energy, the game meant a lot to them, you could tell that over the course of the week everything was building emotionally for them.

“But the reality is among that energy and excitement you have to have some accuracy and you have to really dig deep into how you’re going to play and how you’re going to come together.

“Even though we were back in contention at one point towards the end of the game and another try would have made things really interesting, it was a bit of a ragged performance from us in a lot of ways.

“This highlighted where we need games like this and experience them and why they become valuable to us.”

Leicester: Flight attendant; Brown, Scott, Kelly, Hassell-Collins; Pollard, van Poortvliet; van Wyk, Montoya (captain), Cole, Martin, Wells, Liebenberg, Reffell, Wiese.

Substitutes: Clare, Cronin, Heyes, Carnduff, Cracknell, Whiteley, Wilkinson, Kata.

Exeter: John; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Hawkins, Woodburn; Skinner, Cairns; Sio, Norey, Street, Dunne, Jenkins (captain), Roots, Vermeulen, Fisilau.

Substitutes: Frost, Keast, Painter, Tshiunza, Vincent, Armstrong, Haydon-Wood, Wimbush.

Yellow card: Woodburn 30, Feyi-Waboso 40, Skinner 81