Leicester end Exeter's play-off hopes

Ollie Hassell-Collins scored his 10th try of the season for Leicester

Gallagher Premiership

Leicester: 40 (20)

Tries: Hassell-Collins, van Poortvliet, Reffell, Brown Cons: Pollard 4 Pens: Pollard 2, Wilkinson

Exeter: 22 (10)

Tries: Feyi-Waboso, Frost, Vintcent Cons: Slade 2 Pens: Slade

Exeter's hopes of a Premiership play-off place were dashed as they lost 40-22 at Leicester.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's early try for Exeter was cancelled out by two tries in five minutes as Ollie Hassell-Collins and Jack van Poortvliet went over.

Exeter had Feyi-Waboso sin-binned just before half time, and shortly after the restart Tommy Reffell went over before Mike Brown got a fourth try.

Dan Frost pulled one back before Jasper Wiese was sent off for a dangerous tackle and Ross Vintcent got a third Exeter try.

The Chiefs knew they had to get a victory at Tigers and hope results for the sides above them went their way if they were to make the top four.

As it was, Rob Baxter's side ended the season in sixth place, with Leicester finishing in eighth.

Exeter struck first after eight minutes - Feyi-Waboso finishing off a five-pass move in the right corner from a lineout after a back-of-the-hand pass from Olly Woodburn.

Handre Pollard's penalty cut the gap before Hassell-Collins' excellent try put Tigers in front as he received the ball five metres inside his half and powered down the left wing leaving Woodburn and Harvey Skinner trailing in his wake.

Tigers went further in front when van Poortvliet darted through the Exeter defence from the breakdown before a second Pollard penalty after Woodburn was penalised for a deliberate knock on, which saw him spend 10 minutes in the sin bin as Exeter's Henry Slade added a penalty just before the break.

Feyi-Waboso was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on of his own just after Woodburn had returned to the field meaning Exeter started the second half with 14 men and were punished as Reffell went over following a flowing passing move.

Brown got a 53rd-minute bonus-point try from close range after Freddie Steward's break set up the field position for Leicester, but Exeter replied with a try of their own soon after as Dan Frost burrowed over following phase after phase of pressure on the Tigers line.

Wiese saw red 10 minutes later after he drove Vintcent into the ground head first at a ruck and a minute later Exeter's Italy forward responded from close range after a quick tap penalty.

Kieran Wilkinson added a late penalty for the hosts as they end their disappointing season on a high, while Exeter's new look team fell short.

Leicester Tigers head coach Dan McKellar told BBC Radio Leicester:

"I feel pleased that the group of players and the staff can finish the season with a smile on their face and take a little bit of momentum in the off season and pre-season,

"It's the first time in a long time we've seen transfer of what we've been trying to get to to be the rugby team that we want to be.

"We were a little bit loose at times and turned over the ball, but we've probably got to go that way to pull back a little bit.

"But I thought today was the first time we had real balance in terms of their defence, our kicking game, but also wanting to have that mindset to attack when we get the chance."

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon:

"They had bags of emotion, bags of energy, the game meant an awful lot to them, you could tell that through the week that the whole thing was growing emotionally for them.

"But the reality is amongst that energy and emotion you have to have some accuracy and you have to really drill down deep how you're going to play and how you're going to come together.

"Even though we were at one stage towards the end of the game right back in contention, and another try would have made things really exciting, it was a bit of a ragged performance from us in a lot of ways.

"That kind of highlighted where we need games like this and we need to experience them and why they become valuable to us."

Leicester: Steward; Brown, Scott, Kelly, Hassell-Collins; Pollard, van Poortvliet; van Wyk, Montoya (capt), Cole, Martin, Wells, Liebenberg, Reffell, Wiese.

Replacements: Clare, Cronin, Heyes, Carnduff, Cracknell, Whiteley, Wilkinson, Kata.

Red card: Wiese 68

Exeter: John; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Hawkins, Woodburn; Skinner, Cairns; Sio, Norey, Street, Dunne, Jenkins (capt), Roots, Vermeulen, Fisilau.

Replacements: Frost, Keast, Painter, Tshiunza, Vintcent, Armstrong, Haydon-Wood, Wimbush.

Yellow card: Woodburn 30, Feyi-Waboso 40, Skinner 81

Referee: Karl Dickson.