A review of this weekend's action in the Aviva Premiership.
Aviva Premiership results
Saturday, February 24
- Exeter 31-30 Northampton
- Bath 33-32 Sale
- Gloucester 25-25 Wasps
- Harlequins 10-28 Newcastle
Sunday February 25
- London Irish 22-9 Worcester
- Saracens 20-28 Leicester
Sunday
Saracens missed out on the opportunity to go top of the Aviva Premiership table as Leicester claimed a bonus-point 28-20 win at Allianz Park.
Manu Tuilagi, Greg Bateman and Telusa Veainu all scored tries to put the Tigers in firm control at the break and Jonah Holmes added the bonus-point score on 65 minutes.
Max Malins touched down twice for Saracens but it came too late for the hosts, who saw a run of five straight Premiership games without a defeat come to an end.
The visitors ended a run of seven straight away losses in all tournaments, since beating Newcastle in round seven, and this was their first league win over Saracens since March 2016.
London Irish kept alive their slim hopes of avoiding relegation with a crucial 22-9 win over Worcester at the Madejski Stadium.
It was a must-win game for Irish, only their second in 16 Premiership outings, and it reduced the gap between them and 11th-placed Worcester to 12 points with six league fixtures remaining.
It was an uninspiring game, befitting the bottom two clubs, with Irish scrum-half Piet Van Zyl scoring the only try.
Greig Tonks converted it and added five penalties with Chris Pennell replying with three penalties for Worcester.
It was a very disappointing performance from the Warriors, who displayed none of the form that they had displayed in beating Exeter and Gloucester in their last two Premiership matches, and they never threatened the try-line.
Saturday
Joe Simmonds converted Thomas Waldrom's last-minute try to cap a dramatic comeback from Exeter, who rallied from 13 points down to edge out Northampton 31-30 at Sandy Park.
The Chiefs were staring at a fourth consecutive Aviva Premiership defeat when they trailed 30-17 with 10 minutes remaining but Don Armand and then Waldrom touched down.
Simmonds kept his cool to add the extras to both tries to seal a nail-biting win and one which took the defending champions above Saracens to the top of the standings.
Alec Hepburn was Exeter's other try-scorer. There was also a penalty try award with Gareth Steenson kicking a penalty and a conversion.
Rob Horne, Ben Foden and Harry Mallinder scored Northampton's tries, all of which Piers Francis converted. Francis (two) and Stephen Myler both added penalties.
Zach Mercer's late try and a nerveless conversion from James Wilson clinched a 33-32 home victory for Bath against Sale.
The hosts had trailed for much of the topsy-turvy contest and were six points down in the final minutes before blindside flanker Mercer struck for his brace.
After more than 20 phases of attack and quick hands from Ben Tapuai, Mercer dummied over in the 78th minute to make it 32-31 to the visitors.
Versatile Kiwi Wilson was starting his first match at fly-half for Bath due to injuries and his crucial conversion was by no means simple, but he held his nerve to slot his seventh goal of the game.
Josh Bayliss also bagged a try for Bath, while Sale's tries were scored by Denny Solomona (2) and Marland Yarde.
Jimmy Gopperth held his nerve to kick a last-gasp conversion and land a 25-25 draw for Wasps against Gloucester.
The match seemed to be swinging Gloucester's way as they led 18-6 at half-time through tries from hooker Richard Hibbard and wing Charlie Sharples, with centre Billy Twelvetrees adding two penalties and a conversion.
Centre Gopperth booted two penalties during that period, but Wasps hit back to level via tries from scrum-half Dan Robson and flanker Thomas Young, Gopperth converting one.
Wing Henry Trinder's try, converted by Twelvetrees, nudged Gloucester back ahead. But wing Christian Wade raced over for the crucial third try for Wasps which gave Gopperth his late conversion chance.
Sinoti Sinoti celebrated his new contract by scoring Newcastle's fourth and final try in a 28-10 win over Harlequins, their first Aviva Premiership victory at the Stoop in almost 18 years.
There was nothing to separate the sides at half-time as an early James Horwill try was cancelled out by Callum Chick at the other end.
But shortly after the restart, Kyle Cooper and Chris Harris went over in quick succession for the visitors before Sinoti followed them over the whitewash, sealing a first league victory in south-west London for the first time since September 2000.
