Leicester Tigers leapfrog Exeter Chiefs in Aviva Premiership after Welford Road win
Last Updated: 28/03/15 11:59pm
Geoff Parling's second-half try and the boot of Freddie Burns helped Leicester Tigers to a 25-18 victory over Exeter Chiefs at Welford Road.
The Chiefs overcame the Tigers in a thrilling LV= Cup semi-final earlier this month and despite Thomas Waldrom and Will Chudley touching down, it was the Tigers who exacted a degree of revenge in the Aviva Premiership.
Fly-half Burns kicked 20 points for Richard Cockerill’s men, while Parling crossed the whitewash with 15 minutes remaining as Leicester leapfrogged Exeter into third the table.
Henry Slade was off target with two early penalties before Burns opened the scoring on 14 minutes. With high balls causing havoc in the swirling wind, Burns then added a second penalty, with Slade getting Exeter off the mark on 23 minutes with a kick from inside his own half.
The Tigers regained their six-point lead with four first-half minutes remaining, Exeter failing to roll away after a break by Miles Benjamin, who was then forced to leave the field injured.
The Tigers almost had the first try of the game on the stroke of half-time after another breakaway, but they had to make do with a fourth penalty from Burns to give them a 12-3 lead.
Burns slotted his fifth kick shortly after the restart, forcing Exeter into changes as they attempted to drag themselves back into the game.
It had the desired impact as Waldrom scored the game’s first try after an Exeter drive near the posts. Slade inexplicably missed the conversion, hitting the post when it seemed easier to score.
Vereniki Goneva went close as the Tigers upped the ante, and the pressure told as their scrum dominance saw Parling go over in the corner, with Burns adding the conversion.
Exeter hit straight back with a try of their own as Chudley raced under the posts. Slade made no mistake this time to reduce the deficit to seven points with the Tigers still leading 22-15.
Burns added a further penalty to increase the lead to 10 but missed his first kick of the game with just minutes remaining as he attempted one from his own half.
A late Slade penalty was not enough for Exeter, however, as the Tigers saw out any further trouble to climb above their visitors in the table.
