Category: Rugby

Canterbury outside back Josh McKay has committed himself to the Highlanders, penning a two-year deal with the Dunedin-based Super Rugby franchise.

McKay made two appearances including one start in his debut campaign for the Highlanders on the back of a seven-try campaign for Canterbury last season.

The 20-year-old played at fly-half for Christchurch Boys’ High School, but McKay clearly considers himself an outside back.

“I haven’t had much consistent game-time at first-five since high school,” McKay told Stuff.

“With where I’ve been the last couple of seasons, I’m certainly an outside back now. There’s a few role models down south to learn off. Obviously Ben Smith is someone, as an aspiring fullback, I could certainly learn to mould my game off.”

McKay will start on the wing for Canterbury against undefeated Bay of Plenty in Tauranga in Mitre 10 cup action on Saturday afternoon.

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Four games take place in the Premiership on Saturday, while Newcastle Falcons and Saracens close out the weekend’s action at Kingston Park on Sunday.

Saturday

Gloucester v Northampton Saints

Matt Banahan and Danny Cipriani will make their first competitive starts for Gloucester as they kick-off their 2018/19 Premiership season with a home fixture against Northampton Saints at Kingsholm.

The Cherry and Whites come into Saturday’s season opener on the back of pre-season friendly victories over Ulster and the Dragons, although the Saints will be a far different proposition with league points at stake.

Banahan and Cipriani are joined as newcomers in the match-day squad by hooker Franco Marais, who is named amongst the replacements, in a Gloucester side skippered by Ed Slater.

Meanwhile, Alex Waller will lead out Northampton for the first time as club co-captain with Chris Boyd naming his squad to take on Gloucester.

Fly-half Dan Biggar, flanker James Haskell and prop Ben Franks all make their first competitive appearances in black, green and gold at Kingsholm, while hooker James Fish will run out for the first time in the Premiership after scoring six tries in three pre-season matches.

England captain Dylan Hartley headlines a bench packed with both experience and youth as new director of rugby Boyd goes in search of an opening league victory following pre-season wins over Ospreys, Dragons and Glasgow Warriors.

Ahsee Tuala continues his run at full-back after starting 11 of Saints’ last 12 matches, with Nafi Tuitavake and Tom Collins looking to cause the Cherry and Whites trouble on the wings.

There’s a familiar look to Northampton’s midfield with England internationals Piers Francis and Luther Burrell named in the centres, but British & Irish Lion Biggar will line-up alongside Cobus Reinach in the Premiership for the first time.

Waller, Fish and Franks pack down together again after an accomplished showing from the front three against Glasgow, while two towering locks in David Ribbans and Courtney Lawes provide plenty of height in Saints’ second-row.

Meanwhile Teimana Harrison and Heinrich Brüssow join Haskell in the back-row to complete an unchanged pack from the side that beat the Scots 41-15 at Franklin’s Gardens last Friday.

Hartley, Api Ratuniyarawa, Francois van Wyk and Ken Pisi – who scored a crucial try the last time these sides met – provide experience from the bench, while four Saints academy graduates in Lewis Ludlam, Ehren Painter, James Grayson and Alex Mitchell will also look to make their mark in the second half.

Form: Gloucester Rugby’s only two victories in round 1 since 2009 were at Newcastle in 2015 and at home to then defending champions Exeter twelve months ago. Gloucester concluded their last Premiership Rugby campaign with just one home win in their last four games at Kingsholm. Northampton Saints have been defeated in round 1 for the past three seasons and finished off 2017/18 with two wins in the last three rounds of Premiership Rugby. The Saints won just twice away from home in the tournament last season, at London Irish in round 4 and at Leicester in round 20. Northampton’s only defeat in their last eleven clashes with Gloucester in all competitions was 22-29 at Kingsholm in round 6 of Premiership Rugby last season.

The teams:

Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Mariano Galarza, 4 Ed Slater (c), 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 James Hanson, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Jake Polledri, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Tom Hudson, 23 Owen Williams

Northampton Saints: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Nafi Tuitavake, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Tom Collins, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Heinrich Brüssow, 6 James Haskell, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Ben Franks, 2 James Fish, 1 Alex Waller (cc)
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley (cc), 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Ehren Painter, 19 Api Ratuniyarawa, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 James Grayson, 23 Ken Pisi

Venue: Kingsholm
Kick-off: 14:00 BST (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant Referees: Jack Makepeace, Greg Macdonald
TMO: Trevor Fisher

Harlequins v Sale Sharks

Chris Robshaw will captain Harlequins for the club’s opening Premiership fixture of the season against Sale Sharks at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday.

The England international leads a strong team that includes eight full internationals in the starting line-up. Mike Brown is among them and he will be making his 299th appearance in Harlequins colours.

Head of rugby Paul Gustard has also selected four of the club’s summer signings in the match day squad – Nathan Earle, Paul Lasike, Matt Symons and Ben Tapuai will make their debuts.

For Sale, director of rugby Steve Diamond has named one debutant in the XV with James Phillips starting alongside Bryn Evans in the second-row.

Club captain Jono Ross will lead out the Sharks in a side that features both the Curry and James brothers, while Marland Yarde will also feature against his former club for the first time.

On the bench, Joe Jones is in line to make his first appearance for the club after signing from Perpignan.

Form: Harlequins defeat to London Irish in the opening weekend at Twickenham Stadium twelve months ago ended a run of six successive round 1 victories for Quins. Harlequins have won only one of their last ten games in Premiership Rugby, beating Bath 20-5 at The Stoop in March in a game that was delayed 48 hours due to bad weather. Sale Sharks have lost on the opening weekend for the past four seasons and were also defeated in each of the last three rounds last season. The Sharks won three of their last seven away games in Premiership Rugby in 2017/18, at Worcester, London Irish and Northampton. The last six encounters between the two clubs in Premiership Rugby have all been won by the home side on the day whilst Sharks only victory at The Stoop in the tournament since 2008 was in November 2014.

The teams:

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Nathan Earle, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Aaron Morris, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Luke Wallace, 6 Chris Robshaw (c), 5 Dino Lamb, 4 Matt Symons, 3 Will Collier, 2 Elia Elia, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Max Crumpton, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Phil Swainston, 19 Ben Glynn, 20 James Chisholm, 21 Charlie Mulchrone, 22 James Lang, 23 Paul Lasike

Sale Sharks: 15 Byron McGuigan, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 Sam James, 12 Luke James, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Will Cliff, 8 Jono Ross (c), 7 Ben Curry, 6 Tom Curry, 5 James Phillips, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Cameron Neild, 17 Alexandru Tarus, 18 Joe Jones, 19 Josh Beaumont, 20 Josh Strauss, 21 Gus Warr, 22 Mark Jennings, 23 Paolo Odogwu

Venue: Twickenham Stoop
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant Referees: Simon McConnell, Roy Maybank
TMO: David Grashoff

Worcester Warriors v Wasps

Worcester Warriors’ flyer Bryce Heem has returned from injury ahead of Saturday’s Premiership opener against Wasps at Sixways.

The Kiwi winger is set for his 50th club appearance while three summer signings will make debuts in Alan Solomons’ starting XV.

Springbok Francois Venter and Scotland fly-half Duncan Weir start while prop Callum Black is set for his second debut, after returning to the club for a second spell this summer.

Hooker Niall Annett is handed his first Premiership appearance since November 2016, having made his comeback from a series of injuries in last weekend’s pre-season win over Birmingham Moseley.

Nick Schonert joins Annett and Black in the front-row while Anton Bresler and Darren Barry get the nod in the second-row. Alafoti Faosiliva, Sam Lewis and skipper GJ van Velze occupy the back-row.

Full-back Chris Pennell prepares for his 202nd game in the blue and gold next to Heem and Josh Adams is in the back three, with the latter making his 49th club appearance – which has included a whopping 30 tries so far.

Venter partners Ryan Mills in the centres while Weir is joined by Francois Hougaard in the half-back combination.

The replacements see new signings Cornell du Preez and Ashley Beck in line for their debuts, while academy lock Andrew Kitchener is included.

Meanwhile, director of rugby Dai Young has handed competitive Wasps debuts to two new signings when his club gets its 2018/19 Premiership campaign underway against Worcester.

Fly half Billy Searle and flanker Joe Atkinson are both named in the starting 15 to take on the Warriors.

Will Stuart is in line to make his first Premiership start, having come off the bench in two Premiership games last season. Stuart packs down in the front-row alongside Ben Harris and Tom Cruse.

The side is captained by Joe Launchbury, who is partnered in the second-row by Will Rowlands.

Nizaam Carr joins Nathan Hughes and Atkinson in the back-row for his first competitive Wasps appearance since returning to the club.

Behind the scrum, Searle forms the half-back partnership with Dan Robson, with international centre pairing Juan De Jongh and Elliot Daly outside him.

Christian Wade and Josh Bassett combine with Rob Miller in an electric back three.

The number of competitive debutants could increase to five should Georgian international prop Zurabi Zhvania, former Northampton Saints prop Kieran Brookes or former Harlequins second-row Charlie Matthews make their bows from the replacements.

Joining them on an impactful bench are Tommy Taylor, Ashley Johnson, Joe Simpson, Gaby Lovobalavu and Marcus Watson.

Form: Worcester Warriors have only recorded a round 1 victory in Premiership Rugby twice before, both at Sixways, against Sale in 2011 and Northampton in 2015. The Warriors last five games of the 2017/18 campaign were all won by the home side on the day whilst Worcester’s only home defeat in Premiership Rugby since early January was to Leicester on 4 March. Between 2012 and 2015 Wasps began their new Premiership Rugby season with a defeat, a run which ended with round 1 victories at the Ricoh Arena against Exeter in 2016 and Sale in 2017. Wasps finished off last season with defeat in the semi-final at Saracens but rounded off the regular season with three straight victories. The Warriors most recent victory over Wasps came at Sixways in Premiership Rugby in March 2013. Wasps have actually won at the venue on six of their last seven visits in the competition.

The teams:

Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 GJ van Velze (c), 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Alafoti Faosiliva, 5 Darren Barry, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Niall Annett, 1 Callum Black
Replacements: 16 Joe Taufete’e, 17 Ryan Bower, 18 Simon Kerrod, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Cornell du Preez, 21 Jonny Arr, 22 Jono Lance, 23 Ashley Beck

Wasps: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Joe Atkinson, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Will Stuart, 2 Tom Cruse, 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Tommy Taylor, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Charlie Matthews, 20 Ashley Johnson, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Gaby Lovobalavu, 23 Marcus Watson

Venue: Sixways
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Peter Allan, Philip Watters
TMO: Stuart Terheege

Exeter Chiefs v Leicester Tigers

Although Exeter Chiefs will be missing the likes of Alex Cuthbert, Jack Nowell and Mitch Lees, all of whom have undergone surgery, a powerful array of talent will take to the field tomorrow for the hosts against Leicester Tigers at Sandy Park.

Club captain Jack Yeandle heads up a beefy pack that includes international stars such as Alec Hepburn, Tomas Francis, Don Armand, Sam Simmonds and Matt Kvesic, the latter of whom has really impressed during pre-season.

Behind, Nic White and Gareth Steenson provide an experienced half-back axis, while Ian Whitten is joined in the centre by fit-again Ollie Devoto. The back three is made up of Olly Woodburn, Santiago Cordero and Phil Dollman.

On the bench, there is also plenty of experienced cover in the shape of front-row trio Greg Holmes, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Harry Williams, while there is a first ever inclusion in a Premiership squad for Sean Lonsdale. Playmakers Joe Simmonds and Henry Slade are also waiting in the wings should they be needed by Baxter.

Meanwhile, Leicester hand debuts to five new arrivals. Will Spencer and David Denton start in the forward pack, while props David Feao and Gaston Cortes, and centre Kyle Eastmond are among the replacements for the trip to Sandy Park after summer moves to Tigers.

Australian duo Matt Toomua and Tatafu Polota-Nau return from international duty to claim places in the match-day squad. Toomua joins Manu Tuilagi in the Tigers’ midfield while Polota-Nau is named on the bench.

Mike Fitzgerald makes his 50th starting appearance in Premiership rugby and Telusa Veainu makes his 50th top-flight appearance for the club.

Head coach Matt O’Connor also gives a call-up to England U20s wing Jordan Olowofela for the first game of the new season.

Form: Exeter Chiefs only victory in round 1 in the last five seasons was 52-0 at London Welsh in 2014, however this is the first time that The Chiefs have begun the season with a home fixture at Sandy Park since 2012. Exeter’s defeat in last season’s Premiership final ended a run of ten successive victories in first team fixtures. The Chiefs have lost only once at Sandy Park in Premiership Rugby since October 2016: 5-6 to Worcester in round 14 last season. Leicester Tigers opening weekend defeat at home to Bath twelve months ago ended a run of five successive round 1 victories. Tigers lost only two of their last eight Premiership Rugby encounters last season, both at home, to Northampton and Newcastle. Leicester have won their last four away games but have not won five in succession on their travels in the tournament since 2012. The Chiefs have won four of their last six contests with Tigers in Premiership Rugby, whilst Leicester’s most recent triumph at Sandy Park was in 2014.

The teams:

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Nic White, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Don Armand, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Ollie Atkins, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Greg Holmes, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Toby Salmon, 20 Sean Lonsdale, 21 Stu Townsend, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Henry Slade

Leicester Tigers: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Brendon O’Connor, 6 David Denton, 5 Will Spencer, 4 Mike Fitzgerald, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 1 Greg Bateman
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 David Feao, 18 Gaston Cortes, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Mike Williams, 21 Sam Harrison, 22 Kyle Eastmond, 23 Jordan Olowofela

Venue: Sandy Park
Kick-off: 16:30 BST (15:30 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Paul Dix, Anthony Woodthorpe
TMO: David Rose

Sunday

Newcastle Falcons v Saracens

Flying winger Adam Radwan makes his first Premiership start at Kingston Park on Sunday when Newcastle Falcons kick-off the new season at home to champions Saracens.

The 20-year-old Teessider’s sensational pre-season form has been recognised with a starting spot in the league after scoring in all three of his summer friendlies.

He forms part of a side which sees a competitive debut for prop Logovi’i Mulipola, the vastly-experienced Samoan having joined from Leicester Tigers, as well as a second Falcons ‘debut’ for hooker George McGuigan as he begins his second spell with the club.

Meanwhile, David Strettle will make his second Saracens debut against Newcastle Falcons in the opening round of the Premiership campaign.

The veteran winger, whose last game for Sarries came in the 2014/15 final win over Bath, scored twice in pre-season and lines up on the right flank. Fellow new recruit Alex Lewington will make his first appearance for the Men in Black off the bench.

Strettle is one of five changes from the Wolfpack’s XV which started at Twickenham in May.

Australia international Will Skelton’s impressive pre-season has earned him a call-up in the boiler while Mike Rhodes and Ben Earl partner Jackson Wray in the back-row.

One other alteration in the backs sees England scrum-half Ben Spencer get the nod at nine ahead of Richard Wigglesworth.

Form: Newcastle Falcons have begun their Premiership Rugby campaign with an opening weekend victory for the past two seasons. The Falcons lost out at Exeter in the semi-final last season and were also defeated by Wasps on their most recent game at Kingston Park to end a run of nine successive home victories in all competitions. Premiership Rugby champions, Saracens, have won their opening fixture of the new campaign for the past six seasons and finished off last year with seven straight Premiership Rugby victories, since their 12-24 reversal to Exeter at Sandy park on 4 March. Saracens have won their last nineteen encounters with Falcons in all tournaments since Newcastle’s 13-9 victory at Kingtson Park in Premiership Rugby in February 2009.

The teams:

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Adam Radwan, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Callum Chick, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Will Witty, 4 Calum Green, 3 Logovi’i Mulipola, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Sami Mavinga
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Jack Payne, 19 Tevita Cavubati, 20 Gary Graham, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Alex Tait

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 David Strettle, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Mike Rhodes, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Sione Vailanu, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Nick Tompkins, 23 Alex Lewington

Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant Referees: Tim Wigglesworth, John Meredith
TMO: Sean Davey

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Bristol began a new life in the Premiership with a 17-10 win over rivals Bath in their season opener at Ashton Gate on Friday.

A try from Alapati Leiua and 12 points from the boot of Ian Madigan saw them beat a disappointing Bath side, who made far too many errors.

This victory delighted the 26,300 supporters in the ground as Bristol’s comeback to the top flight of English rugby kicked off in real style.

Bristol were 6-0 in front at the break despite being on the back foot for a large spell of the opening period, with Bath wasteful in possession.

Madigan set the Premiership new-boys on their way with a ninth minute penalty before Priestland hit the post with a relatively simple shot.

Bath would then enjoy a sustained period of ball and it looked like Tom Homer had been put over by Priestland on 15 minutes for an easy dot down. However, replays showed the full-back had lost the ball over the line under no pressure whatsoever, with the five points chalked off.

Still Bath came though with more ball but this time it was Jordan Crane’s impressive work at the breakdown that helped relieve the pressure.

Bristol used that as a catalyst and Luke Morahan’s break on halfway should have resulted in points. However, the wing could not get the pass out to Nic Stirzaker and was instead hauled down two metres from the whitewash. At least for Bristol two minutes later Madigan would make it 6-0.

6-0 became 9-0 on 43 minutes after Sam Underhill was pinged at the breakdown, Madigan making no mistake. And with Priestland wayward once again off the tee seven minutes later, confidence was growing in Bristol.

But Bath would not roll over and finally Homer had a chance to right the wrong of the first-half when he finished off a slick move to make it 9-7.

Bath were now on top and with Tusi Pisi sin-binned after coming offside a metre from his try-line, the visitors were pressing for a crossing.

It would not come though and they had to settle for three points from 35 metres from Priestland. However, Madigan responded to make it 12-10.

That seemed to galvanise the Bears and Morahan’s break on 72 minutes saw him find a hole and then offload to Leiua, who juggled before gathering for the crucial try. Madigan could not add the extras which meant Bath remained just one score behind at 17-10 with eight minutes remaining.

The visitors pushed hard at the death for that levelling seven points but were unsuccessful, with a crooked line-out five metres out summing up their dismal evening as Bristol celebrated a famous win.

The scorers:

For Bristol:
Try: Leiua
Pens: Madigan 4
Yellow Card: Pisi

For Bath:
Try: Homer
Con: Priestland
Pen: Priestland

Bristol: 15 Luke Daniels, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Will Hurrell, 12 Tusi Pisi, 11 Alapati Leiua, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Nic Stirzaker, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 George Smith, 6 Steven Luatua (c), 5 Chris Vui, 4 Ed Holmes, 3 John Afoa, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Yann Thomas
Replacements: 16 Shaun Malton, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 Jake Armstrong, 19 Joe Latta, 20 Jack Lam, 21 Andy Uren, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Ryan Edwards

Bath: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Chris Cook, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Zach Mercer, 5 Matt Garvey, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Jack Walker, 1 Nathan Catt
Replacements: 16 Tom Dunn, 17 Will Vaughan, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Elliott Stooke, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Max Green, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Aled Brew

Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant Referees: Adam Leal, Wayne Falla
TMO: Rowan Kitt

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Leinster and Ospreys picked up narrow victories in their opening PRO14 encounters of the season, while Zebre claimed a convincing win over Southern Kings.

Cardiff Blues 32-33 Leinster

Defending champions Leinster got their campaign underway with a nail-biting victory over European Challenge Cup winners Cardiff Blues at Cardiff Arms Park.

The Welsh side looked as if they had a point to prove early on, going 8-0 up in the 11th minute thanks to a Rey Lee-Lo try, which followed on from a Jarrod Evans penalty.

However, Leinster fought their way back, with James Tracy going over for the game’s second try in the 27th minute and penalties from Ross Byrne and Fergus McFadden either side of that putting the champions in front.

Cardiff were not to be intimidated and regained the lead in the 38th minute with a Jason Harries try, which was converted by Evans. A second Ross Byrne penalty meant the hosts went into the break 15-14 ahead.

In the second half, Cardiff Blues picked up where they had left off at the end of the first, with Harries leading the charge. A fantastic run saw him beat Dave Kearney and go in for his second try of the match in the 45th minute.

Seemingly unwilling to let his teammate steal the show, Lee-Lo then grabbed his second try of the night four minutes later, with the conversion taking the score to 29-14.

Bryan Byrne hit back for Leinster in the 53rd minute, taking advantage of a perfectly executed lineout maul to score their second try.

14 minutes later, Jamison Gibson-Park scored a magnificent try, beating two defenders on the inside to put his side back within touching distance.

Cardiff Blues nevertheless looked set to hold on until the dying minutes, when another Bryan Byrne try and a Ross Byrne conversion gave Leinster the narrowest of victories.

The scorers:

For Cardiff Blues:
Tries: Lee-Lo 2, Harries 2
Cons: Evans 3
Pens: Evans 2

For Leinster:
Tries: Tracy, B Byrne 2, Gibson-Park
Cons: R Byrne 2
Pens: R Byrne 2, McFadden

Cardiff Blues: 15 Matthew Morgan, 14 Jason Harries, 13 Willis Halaholo, 12 Rey Lee-Lo, 11 Owen Lane, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Ellis Jenkins (c), 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Seb Davies, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Brad Thyer
Replacements: 16 Rhys Gill, 17 Ethan Lewis, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 George Earle, 20 Olly Robinson, 21 Tom Williams, 22 Steven Shingler, 23 Garyn Smith

Leinster: 15 Dave Kearney, 14 Adam Byrne, 13 Rory O’Loughlin, 12 Joe Tomane, 11 Barry Daly, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Rhys Ruddock (c), 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Scott Fardy, 4 Ross Molony, 3 Michael Bent, 2 James Tracy, 1 Peter Dooley
Replacements: 16 Bryan Byrne, 17 Ed Byrne, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Mick Kearney, 20 Max Deegan, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Noel Reid, 23 Fergus McFadden

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Gwyn Morris (Wales)
TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)

Ospreys 17-13 Edinburgh

George North was the star of the show as Ospreys saw off Edinburgh in a low-scoring encounter at the Liberty Stadium to get their season off the ground running.

The match got off to a cagey start, with neither side putting points on the board until Simon Hickey drew first blood for Edinburgh with a 31st minute penalty, which was cancelled out by Luke Price two minutes later.

Hickey put Edinburgh back ahead with another penalty in the 55th minute, but North then went over for the first try of the game four minutes later, leaving two defenders for dead and showing why Ospreys signed him.

North waited only 10 minutes before embarking on a magnificent solo run from around 65 metres out to score his second try, bringing the spectators to their feet.

Although Blair Kinghorn restored some hope for Edinburgh with a 76th minute try, Ospreys ultimately proved too strong.

The scorers:

For Ospreys:
Tries: North 2
Cons: Davies 2
Pen: Price

For Edinburgh:
Try: Kinghorn
Con: Van der Walt
Pens: Hickey 2

Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 George North, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Hanno Dirksen, 10 Luke Price, 9 Aled Davies, 8 James King, 7 Justin Tipuric (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Scott Otten, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Alex Jeffries, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Sam Cross, 21 Tom Habberfield, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Joe Thomas

Edinburgh: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Scott Bennett, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Simon Hickey, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Bill Mata, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Luke Hamilton, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Ben Toolis, 3 Simon Berghan, 2 Stuart McInally (c), 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Alan Dell, 18 Murray McCallum, 19 Fraser McKenzie, 20 Jamie Ritchie, 21 Sean Kennedy, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 James Johnstone

Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Sean Gallagher (Ireland), Wayne Davies (Wales)
TMO: Tim Hayes (Wales)

Zebre 32-16 Southern Kings

Zebre outclassed the Southern Kings to get their PRO14 campaign off to a good start, securing the bonus point late on.

The Kings were less than impressive in their debut season and looked as if they were in for more of the same at the start of their second campaign.

After a sustained spell of pressure, the South African side’s defence was eventually overpowered by the Zebre maul, with Oliviero Fabiani scoring the first try of the game in the fifth minute.

Carlo Canna kicked the hosts into a 10-0 lead, but then Michael Botha hit back for the Kings in the 16th minute, going in for their first try. The hosts restored the 10-point lead just before the break, going in 17-7 ahead thanks to Mattia Bellini’s 37th minute try.

Although the boot of Masixole Banda kept the scoreboard ticking for the side from Port Elizabeth in the second half, it was a familiar story for the Kings as Jimmy Tuivati grabbed Zebre’s third try in the 55th minute.

Yellow cards to Andisa Ntsila in the 71st minute and Bobby de Wee in the 79th, both with the score at 27-16, did not help matters for the visitors.

The final nail was hammered into the Kings’ coffin when Apisai Tauyavuca scored an 80th minute try to ensure that Zebre snatched maximum points from their opener.

The scorers:

For Zebre:
Tries: Fabiani, Bellini, Tuivati, Tauyavuca
Cons: Canna 3
Pens: Canna 2

For Southern Kings:
Try: Botha
Con: Banda
Pens: Banda 3
Yellow Cards: Ntsila, De Wee

Zebre: 15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Giulio Bisegni, 12 Tommaso Castello (c), 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Renato Giammarioli, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 David Sisi, 5 George Biagi, 4 Leonard Krumov, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Massimo Ceciliani, 17 Daniele Rimpelli, 18 Giosué Zilocchi, 19 Apisai Tauyavuca, 20 Jimmy Tuivaiti, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Francois Brummer, 23 Edoardo Padovani

Kings: 15 Michael Botha, 14 Michael Makase, 13 Harlon Klaasen, 12 Berton Klaasen, 11 Yaw Penxe, 10 Masixole Banda, 9 Rudi van Rooyen, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Tienie Burger, 6 Henry Brown, 5 Bobby de Wee, 4 Schalk Oelofse, 3 Luvuyo Pupuma, 2 Michael Willemse (c), 1 Justin Forwood
Replacements: 16 Alandre van Rooyen, 17 Schalk Ferreira, 18 Luphumlo Mguca, 19 JC Astle, 20 Andisa Ntsila, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Martin du Toit, 23 Ulrich Beyers

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Keith Allen (Scotland), Manuel Bottini (Italy)
TMO: Stefano Pennè (Italy)

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New Zealand Rugby (NZR) have bought back a private investor’s stake in the Blues Super Rugby franchise after an independent review found the ownership structure was “unsustainable”, the governing body said.

NZR said it had acquired Bolton Equities Limited’s (BEL) 40 percent stake in the Auckland-based franchise for an undisclosed amount and was on the lookout for a new private investor.

The two-time Super Rugby champions ended the 2018 season at the bottom of the New Zealand Conference for the third succesive year and last made the tournament’s play-offs in 2011.

While NZR did not release the independent review, governance issues are believed to have played a part in the problems at the Blues.

The BEL investors reportedly clashed with other stakeholders, made up of provincial rugby unions, back in 2015 over whether to retain the team’s coach at the time, former All Black wing John Kirwan.

BEL bought the stake in 2013 as part of a NZR project to attract private investors to improve the game’s finances.

“We would like to thank BEL CEO Murray Bolton and his team for their contribution to the Blues over this period,” said NZR chief executive Steve Tew.

Fellow New Zealand franchises the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Chiefs have adopted a similar ownership structure without encountering major problems.

The Blues have given current head coach Tana Umaga one more year to improve the team’s fortunes after the side registered just four victories during their 2018 campaign.

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Ospreys head coach Allen Clarke was full of praise for George North after the Wales flyer shone in Friday’s 17-13 win over Edinburgh at the Liberty Stadium.

North, who was making his competitive debut for the Ospreys, was the Welsh region’s hero as he scored both of their tries but also worked hard off the ball, especially on defence, where he made several important tackles.

And Clarke hailed the 26-year-old’s performance after the match.

“It looks like a new George North,” he told Walesonline.

“He’ll get the headlines for scoring two tries and taking them fantastically well, but I was equally pleased with the complete package — his work off the ball, his resilience after he took a bang early on, his desire to stay on and not for a moment think of coming off.

“All that was rewarded at the back end of the game and that reflects where he’s been as a person within the group.”

Clarke also sang the praises of Wales fly-half Sam Davies, who delivered an impressive performance when coming on as a replacement for the injured Luke Price just before half-time.

“I have to comment on Sam Davies after the knockback he had with not being selected,” said Clarke.

“He defined our character with the way he responded and led us on the field. To come from the world of de-selection on Tuesday to deliver that performance in the second-half was fantastic.”

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Northampton head coach Chris Boyd believes the signing of mercurial fly-half Danny Cipriani is a very shrewd acquisition on the part of Gloucester.

Cipriani will line up in the Cherry and Whites’ number ten jersey for his debut against Boyd’s Saints at Kingsholm on Saturday.

The 30-year-old was rewarded for his fine form last season at Wasps with a first England appearance in ten years in the third and final Test of England’s June tour of South Africa.

However, it has also been a summer of controversy for Cipriani, haivng been convicted of common assault and resisting arrest while on pre-season tour with Gloucester in Jersey.

“Johan Ackermann (Gloucester head coach) was a revelation in South Africa and did extremely well with the Lions,” Boyd told the Belfast Telegraph.

“He introduced a new style of rugby, and I can see a lot of his traits in the way that Gloucester play. Plus, Cipriani is a very good signing for them, as he likes that style.”

When asked if there were any nerves ahead of his maiden game in charge of a European top-flight side, Boys said: “I am probably too old to get nervous now.

“But I just want to make sure that when we get to Saturday as a coaching group we’ve done everything we can, left no stone unturned and given the players all the preparation they need to go into the game.

“It’s up to them then to bring the performance.”

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Bristol head coach Pat Lam praised his side’s character after they opened the Premiership season with a 17-10 victory over Bath on Friday.

The newly-promoted outfit shocked their out of sorts rivals thanks to a try from Alapati Leiua and 12 points from the boot of Ian Madigan.

Afterwards Lam admitted he was delighted with his team’s opening showing which took place in front of 26,000 supporters at Ashton Gate.

“When you’re under pressure it’s about being able to show resilience and character and stay together as a team,” the coach told BT Sport.

“We were under a lot of pressure, we got done in the penalty count and spent a lot of time in our own half. I’m extremely proud of the boys.”

He added on the impressive turnout at the ground: “I said to the boys if we invest in the community they will invest in us. It was a fantastic night.”

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Bath captain Matt Garvey bemoaned his side’s high error count after they suffered a 17-10 defeat to Bristol at Ashton Gate on Friday.

Despite holding a slight edge over the Premiership newbies during the opening half, Bath were wasteful in possession and Bristol held a 6-0 lead at half-time.

Bristol grew in confidence in the second half and although Bath fought back and held a 10-9 lead midway through the second half, the home side secured victory via Ian Madigan’s goalkicking and a late Alapati Leiua try.

And Garvey could not hide his disappointment after the match.

“Rugby can be quite humbling at times, there was a lot of effort in the first half,” he said.

“I thought it was only a matter of time before it would tell but we made too many errors – they cost us.

“We were dangerous at points and we have to look at it. It does not matter who you play, you will be punished if you don’t take advantage.”

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Gloucester, Harlequins, Wasps and Exeter kicked off their Premiership campaign with victories as they beat Northampton, Sale, Worcester and Leicester on Saturday.

Gloucester 27-16 Northampton Saints

Two sides buoyed by new arrivals, but it was the recruits on the pitch who beat the recruit off the pitch as a Danny Cipriani inspired Gloucester kicked off with a win against Chris Boyd’s Northampton side.

The Kiwi is 12 months worse off than his South African counterpart in the home coaching box and perhaps continuity sprinkled with some star dust won the day. Cipriani’s wide pass for his side’s second try ignited Kingsholm with thoughts of what might be this term.

It was the man outside him at 12, Billy Twelevetrees, who kicked three first-half penalties, the first coming within 90 seconds after Saints were penalised. Three points became eight when hooker James Hanson benefitted from the back of a driving maul to score the game’s first try.

Dan Biggar got his first competitive points in Saints colours when he notched a penalty after 10 minutes only for Twelvetrees to kick his second three pointer over minutes later.

Biggar’s colleague Ahsee Tuala then sparked some Southern Hemisphere flair befitting his coach’s wishes. Picking up after a poor Piers Francis pass he stopped, stuttered and barged his way through the Gloucester defence. Francis’ support line atoned for his poor delivery as he dived over following Tuala’s offload.

Biggar missed the conversion but kicked a penalty to level the contest before Twelvetrees’ boot pushed the hosts three points ahead.

Charlie Sharples scored Gloucester’s second try of the game off a first phase move following a sumptuous wide pass from debutant Cipriani. The extra two making it 21-11 at the interval.

The second 40 elapsed with both side’s cancelling each other out. Twelvetrees kicked his fourth penalty of the afternoon with 20 minutes left to push the gap out to 13 points. Northampton responded and, much like Gloucester’s first try, utilised the power of numbers as a driving maul allowed Courtney Lawes to emerge five points better off.

Twelvetrees took his personal haul for the day to 17 with his fifth penalty of the afternoon three minutes from time. Saints thought they had nicked a losing bonus point at the death but the TMO deprived them and they left empty handed.

The scorers:

For Gloucester:
Tries: Hanson, Sharples
Con: Twelvetrees
Pens: Twelvetrees 5

For Northampton:
Tries: Francis, Lawes
Pens: Biggar 2

Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Mariano Galarza, 4 Ed Slater (c), 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 James Hanson, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Jake Polledri, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Tom Hudson, 23 Owen Williams

Northampton Saints: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Nafi Tuitavake, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Tom Collins, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Heinrich Brüssow, 6 James Haskell, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Ben Franks, 2 James Fish, 1 Alex Waller (cc)
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley (cc), 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Ehren Painter, 19 Api Ratuniyarawa, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 James Grayson, 23 Ken Pisi

Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant Referees: Jack Makepeace, Greg Macdonald
TMO: Trevor Fisher

Harlequins 51-23 Sale Sharks

Sale didn’t make a habit of winning on the road last term and old habits die hard on the opening weekend of the new Premiership season.

Three wins from 11 outings wasn’t the greatest return and, despite showing signs they had it in them to win in Twickenham, they return north empty handed.

Marland Yarde had attracted much of the pre-match chat as he returned to the club he left in acrimonious circumstances last season. He was booed as his name was read out and, despite scoring a try, he won’t have enjoyed his reunion.

The game was stopped almost as soon as it started. Tom Curry was thumped by a jumping Aaron Morris as he looked to recover a high ball and was down for nearly 10 minutes. He was eventually stretchered off the pitch with Josh Strauss an early entrant but the concern was clear.

This after Marcus Smith opened his account for the season with the game’s opening three points. His opposite number AJ MacGinty responded with his own penalty to level at 3-3.

New occupant of the 12 shirt Ben Tapuai began endearing himself to the Stoop with two first-half tries. His opener owing much to some weak Sale tackles fives metres out and he wrinkled under to score unopposed.

Trailing by seven, Sale quickly turned the tables to lead by seven when MacGinty scored down the blind side with Quins short on numbers. The initial break made by Luke James down the centre as he got some serious drive from his attached forwards.

Pantomime villain of the day Mr Yarde then silenced the fans he used to make cheer. He ran with authority from his own half, trading passes with Will Cliff, to sprint over.

One of the men charged with replacing Yarde’s shirt after his mid-season departure last term is new arrival Nathan Earle. He scored his first try in Harlequin colours when he sprinted clear down the right to dive over in the corner. Tapuai’s second score under the posts reasserted the hosts advantage heading into the break as they led 24-20.

Two Smith penalties in the opening 10 minutes of the second-half pushed their lead out to 10 points. MacGinty responded with the boot directly in front of the Quins posts but Sale’s away day blues were still evident.

Joe Marchant made the visitors’ task even tougher when he grabbed the ball on the deck after a wayward offload was made to work by the outside centre. He scored unchallenged and Smith converted once more.

Sale, now 14 points behind, began their assault on the Quins line but to no avail. They were unfortunate as the home side conceded multiple penalties with Sale five metres out but an interception released the pressure valve.

If Sale had any thoughts of a losing bonus point or even a late rally it was put to bed when, running across the defence, Danny Care found his half-back partner Smith cutting a great line to score under the posts to make it 44-23.

The home side’s sixth and final try came with a minute remaining when replacement Max Crumpton powered over in the corner after Quins had begun camping in Sale territory. Smith soaring his sixth conversion of the afternoon.

The scorers:

For Harlequins:
Tries: Tapuai 2, Earle, Marchant, Smith, Crumpton
Cons: Smith 6
Pens: Smith 3

For Sale:
Tries: MacGinty, Yarde
Cons: MacGinty 2
Pens: MacGinty 3

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Nathan Earle, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Aaron Morris, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Luke Wallace, 6 Chris Robshaw (c), 5 Dino Lamb, 4 Matt Symons, 3 Will Collier, 2 Elia Elia, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Max Crumpton, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Phil Swainston, 19 Ben Glynn, 20 James Chisholm, 21 Charlie Mulchrone, 22 James Lang, 23 Paul Lasike

Sale Sharks: 15 Byron McGuigan, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 Sam James, 12 Luke James, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Will Cliff, 8 Jono Ross (c), 7 Ben Curry, 6 Tom Curry, 5 James Phillips, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Cameron Neild, 17 Alexandru Tarus, 18 Joe Jones, 19 Josh Beaumont, 20 Josh Strauss, 21 Gus Warr, 22 Mark Jennings, 23 Paolo Odogwu

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant Referees: Simon McConnell, Roy Maybank
TMO: David Grashoff

Worcester Warriors 20-21 Wasps

No Cipriani, no Gopperth and seemingly no problem for Wasps as they battled to victory at Worcester.

To say no problem would be to indulge Wasps unnecessarily, Worcester led for an hour of the contest before Wasps hit the front. Dai Young’s injury list at the Ricoh is extensive and Gopperth’s injury meant new fly-half Billy Searle was pushed into action far quicker than anticipated.

The 10 though was the hero of the day, kicking the winning penalty.

A lacklustre win at Sixways early last season was Wasps last victory before a run of five consecutive defeats threatened to derail their season early on. They recovered then and they recovered today to earn a vital win.

With all the debacle over fly-halves it was the one in blue who kicked two early penalties to put Worcester 6-0 up. That lead was extended after a quarter of an hour when centre Ryan Mills went over the whitewash from the back of a scrum.

The visitors did grab a foothold in the game when new boy Searle scored his first points in Wasps colours; two penalties in the final 12 minutes of the half cutting the gap to 13-6 at the break.

Last year’s semi-finalists returned from the interval with renewed vigour and when Alafoti Faosiliva was sent to the bin for 10 minutes Wasps seized their chance. Captain Joe Launchbury finally went over after the forwards had peppered the Worcester line. Searle’s boot levelled things up at 13-13 with half an hour remaining.

Minutes later Worcester regained the lead when flanker Sam Lewis picked up on the 22 and benefitted from a gap in the visitors defence. Duncan Weir kicked his second conversion to open back up the seven point cushion but it didn’t last long.

Wasps replacement Tommy Taylor barged over in the corner after a quick tap and go had put them off the front foot. Searle failed to add the two which meant Wasps trailed 20-18.

Still firmly on the front foot Wasps won a penalty following a dominant scrum and Searle kicked the three points to put Wasps into the lead for the first time in the afternoon.

The Coventry-outfit had managed the final moments well until a line out 10 metres out allowed Worcester one final assault. They secured their own ball and laid the foundations for Weir to notch a drop goal but the fairytale ending sailed wide and Wasps left victorious.

The scorers:

For Worcester:
Tries: Mills, Lewis
Cons: Weir 2
Pens: Weir 2
Yellow Card: Faosiliva

For Wasps:
Tries: Launchbury, Taylor
Con: Searle
Pens: Searle 3

Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 GJ van Velze (c), 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Alafoti Faosiliva, 5 Darren Barry, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Niall Annett, 1 Callum Black
Replacements: 16 Joe Taufete’e, 17 Ryan Bower, 18 Simon Kerrod, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Cornell du Preez, 21 Jonny Arr, 22 Jono Lance, 23 Ashley Beck

Wasps: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Joe Atkinson, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Will Stuart, 2 Tom Cruse, 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Tommy Taylor, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Charlie Matthews, 20 Ashley Johnson, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Gaby Lovobalavu, 23 Marcus Watson

Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Peter Allan, Philip Watters
TMO: Stuart Terheege

Exeter Chiefs 40-6 Leicester Tigers

Exeter relinquished their crown last term but they proved they have all the appetite to get it back with Leicester Tigers their first bonus point victims.

A Tigers side that was near enough full strength it has to be said; whether the lesson of today is how good Exeter still are or how far Leicester have to go to reach former glories is a topic of debate. Both remain true in varying degrees.

George Ford endeavoured to push and pull his team in the right directions but, as was the case last year, he is operating without the relevant cogs around him.

Ford kicked the game’s opening points – two penalties coming in the opening 25 minutes to give the visitors a 6-0 lead. Olly Woodburn and Matt Kvesic quickly turned the lead in the Chiefs favour; the back-row making a half break before allowing his winger to go under the posts. Gareth Steenson added the extras.

The Chiefs’ win was predominantly about doing what they do, but there was an indication they wanted to throw the ball about a little more. Often a battering ram; Sam Simmonds found himself in the wide channel just before the interval and the home side scored their second of the afternoon.

The second 40 at Sandy Park took on far more of a mid-season feel, the Chiefs’ process well in tune with their high phase high possession game, Leicester looking to get imaginative through Ford and Telusa Veainu.

It took until the hour mark for Exeter to extend their lead. Typically the Chiefs found themselves five metres out and they went time after time. Eventually Luke Cowan-Dickie got a little push from Henry Slade to score the third from close range and then Slade scored a try of his own. Second-row Sam Skinner running a line any outside back would be proud of before pace eluded him and with Slade in support he offloaded for the bonus point score.

The contest began to have an ominous atmosphere about it; Exeter looking to kick into overdrive and Leicester acknowledging the game had gone. Kvesic scored the home side’s fifth try when he barged over after Phil Dollman had been stopped inches short.

Five quickly became six. Perhaps the pick of the bunch. Working in the open field Slade picked the ball up 30 metres out and ran hard and straight, threw a dummy and then an offload to Ian Whitten who ran over unopposed.

The scorers:

For Exeter:
Tries: Woodburn, Simmonds, Cowan-Dickie, Slade, Kvesic, Whitten
Cons: Steenson 5

For Leicester:
Pens: Ford 2

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Nic White, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Don Armand, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Ollie Atkins, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Greg Holmes, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Toby Salmon, 20 Sean Lonsdale, 21 Stu Townsend, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Henry Slade

Leicester Tigers: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Brendon O’Connor, 6 David Denton, 5 Will Spencer, 4 Mike Fitzgerald, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 1 Greg Bateman
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 David Feao, 18 Gaston Cortes, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Mike Williams, 21 Sam Harrison, 22 Kyle Eastmond, 23 Jordan Olowofela

Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Paul Dix, Anthony Woodthorpe
TMO: David Rose

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