Exeter Chiefs overpower Leicester at Welford Road to strengthen play-off position

Exeter Chiefs produced a dominant forward display to beat Leicester 35-26 at Welford Road, picking up a five-point haul that moves them three points clear of Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership play-off race. Henry Slade’s last-minute penalty completed the scoring and denied Leicester any consolation points from the contest.

Exeter forwards coach Ross McMillan credited the character of his tight squad after a frustrating defeat at Harlequins the previous week. “We were frustrated by our performance at Harlequins last week, but throughout the season every time we’ve had a setback we’ve bounced back,” he said. “The tight squad have great character and have always responded when they’ve been knocked around a bit.”

McMillan was particularly pleased with how his pack matched a Leicester forward unit that is accustomed to controlling matches at Welford Road. “We knew it would be a tough challenge from the outset but the boys took it on board and I loved the battles that went on today, especially the scraps on the floor and in the air as possession of that ball is vital. The Leicester pack are used to dominating sides here so I’m incredibly proud at how we fronted up to them.”

Exeter ran in four tries to Leicester’s three, with Olly Woodburn scoring twice and Len Ikitau and Andrea Zambonin also touching down. Slade added three conversions and three penalties.

The defeat leaves Leicester, currently third in the table, needing a win at Bath’s Recreation Ground next Saturday to keep alive their hopes of hosting a home semi-final. Director of rugby Geoff Parling pointed to set-piece struggles and missed opportunities as the key factors. “Our set-piece wasn’t good enough today and we didn’t take our chances. We were frustrated by our inaccuracy and that led to us being not physical enough,” he said.

Parling acknowledged that two tries left unscored in the corner proved costly. “In a game of fine margins, you have to take your chances and we didn’t finish two obvious ones in the corner.” He also confirmed that full-back Freddie Steward will not be fit in time for the Bath fixture.

For Exeter, the result sets up a pivotal home clash against Saracens next Saturday at Sandy Park, with a place in the top four and the play-off format both still to be determined.