Leicester Tigers mauled Exeter Chiefs 66-14 in the Prem Rugby Cup Final last Sunday at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. (15th March).
Leicester took a commanding 35-7 half time lead in torrential conditions, with Will Wand and Billy Searle scoring two tries each in the first half, and tries from Archie van der Flier (a try in each half), Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Tarek Haffar and James O’Connor completed the rout in the second half. The Tigers were also awarded a penalty try, after Martin Maloney saw yellow for an infringement close to the try line. Ross Vintcent and Will Haydon-Wood scored for the Chiefs.
“Big Effort by Everybody”
Head Coach Geoff Parling said after the impressive win “It was a big effort by everybody. However small someone thinks their part is, it is not, it really matters. Everyone’s chipped in for the whole competition and it’s really pleasing that we got to do it in front of our home fans as well.
“It’s been a great chance for some guys to put their hands up. Look at the example of Will Wand, who has been outstanding and grown for us over the season. Harry Palmer made his debut at the start of the season and has been great.
“So it’s been a chance for the young guys, and they’ve mixed with some older blokes and some internationals who have got game time and who have also stepped up and done well. It’s just been a real squad effort.”
“The Boys dug in”
Billy Searle, having signed for the Tigers from French second-tier side Agen, earned the Player of the Match award for scoring 20 points. He has impressed his head coach with his performances in the Gallagher Prem and in Europe, as well as in this tournament. Searle said “I’m loving it. I can’t big thing sup too much, but I’m just enjoying playing here in front of this crowd. The boys dug in and it was a real squad effort.
“It was special to have a final at home with a big crowd in today, a big atmosphere, and to put on a performance like that is really pleasing. Obviously, it is nice to win at home. You just take the conditions as they come on the day. It was probably not the most exciting rugby at times, but we adapted to the conditions and it’s a good win for us.”
Carrying the Momentum
The Tigers return to the Gallagher Prem on Sunday (22nd March) with a home fixture against third place Bristol Bears, and Searle hopes that the Tigers can continue their winning ways, having won their last three Prem games before the break, and beating the Bears 46-21 in the semi-final of the Prem Cup.
Searle said “This win is massive for the club and momentum-wise as we push back into the Prem. We had everyone involved pretty much throughout the competition, and in finals rugby we’ve delivered under pressure. It’s a massive day for us, and a trophy is a trophy at the end of the day, so we’ll take it and move on to the Prem.”
What have we learned?
Leicester’s impressive win in the Prem Cup final will send shockwaves through the Gallagher Prem, as the Tigers currently sit fourth only a point behind the Bears and a point ahead of the Chiefs, and will want to continue their form into their next two games against Bristol and Gloucester. Having their Six Nations stars will help the Tigers, but the depth of their squad in this win has shown that they are just as good without them.
Exeter, currently fifth in the Prem, will want to put this bad day at the office behind them, as they find to break into the top four before the end of the season. They have the perfect opportunity to right the wrongs from the Cup Final with a home fixture against seventh place Sale, then they travel to bottom side Newcastle Red Bulls at the end of the month.
