Chiefs race to the top

The Chiefs beat the Falcons 32-17, a bonus points win at Sandy Park that saw them surge to the top of the Premiership table.

* In the other Satuyrday matches Wasps returned to form with a showcase of scintillating rugby at the Ricoh Arena as they leapfrogged Leicester Tigers into third in the table with a bonus-point victory.

* Northampton Saints overcame a slow start at Franklin's Gardens as a pair of quickfire tries shortly after the break led them to a bonus-point victory over Sale Sharks.

* Bryce Heem scored two tries as Worcester Warriors took another step towards Premiership survival with a 28-20 win over Gloucester at Sixways.

We look at the Saturday matches!

Wasps 36-24 Leicester Tigers

Wasps returned to form with a showcase of scintillating rugby at the Ricoh Arena as they leapfrogged Leicester Tigers into third in the table with a bonus-point victory.

Charles Piutau crossed over early on for Wasps though Peter Betham's intercept try pegged them back.

However, Christian Wade made up for his mistake for Betham's try to surge over himself, and Piutau completed his try-double before the first half was out.

Frank Halai danced up the touchline soon after the break tor record Wasps' bonus-point try and though Telusa Veainu's effort gave Leicester hope, the hosts produced another classy score finished off by Nathan Hughes.

Niki Goneva scored a late try for Leicester but they ran out of time to snare the bonus points.

Just two points separated third-place Tigers from fourth-place Wasps in the table – it was all set up for a potential classic in the West Midlands.

Wasps had been tearing up Premiership before defeat to Gloucester last weekend – but on early evidence, that setback hadn't affected them in the slightest.

First Piutau made a searing break and with the Tigers caught cold, they gave away a penalty which Jimmy Gopperth duly slotted.

A Gopperth chip to the corner then pegged Leicester back in their 22, and after a number of bruising Ashley Johnson carries, Piutau used brute force to pile over on the right.

That try seemed to jolt Leicester into life and when Adam Thompstone turned over the ball on halfway it was not long before Freddie Burns put his team on the board with a penalty.

After a sustained period of pressure, they then grabbed a try out of nowhere as an under-pressure Wade threw a pass straight into the hands of Betham.

Burns' conversion drew Leicester level, but Wade made up for the intercept almost immediately as the diminutive wing plucked a Gopperth kick out of the air and crossed over.

No sooner had Gopperth converted Wasps were on the charge again, this time siblings combining as big brother Siale Piutau put through Charles for his second.

Gopperth was spot on with the extras again to put Wasps up 22-10 by the half-hour mark – though the game started to settle down somewhat.

Kiwi flyhalf Gopperth missed a penalty but Leicester would have cut the deficit just before half-time, if not for Matt Smith's forward pass before Thompstone dotted down.

But much like the first half, Wasps started the second with a bang as Wasps used the width of a cigarette paper up the left to round Leicester.

Johnson, the Piutau brothers and Halai all combined before the latter broke off into the middle of the field and finished a sublime try.

Now 19 points behind after another Gopperth conversion, the next score was crucial for Leicester – and it arrived via Veainu with his first touch of the ball.

Having replaced the injured Thompstone, Veainu squeezed over on the right-hand side after Wasps had been put under pressure with a catch and drive. Burns converted.

The match was surely over by the hour though when replacement prop Matt Mullan sucked in two defenders before delivering to a galloping Sam Jones.

And with Leicester on the backfoot, the ball was eventually recycled through Johnson, to George Smith, and then to Hughes who used every sinew to dot down over the line.

Alex Lozowski, on for the injured Gopperth, made the extras though shortly after there was a moment of concern for Smith – who was clapped off the field after landing awkwardly.

Wasps continued to threaten, Wade going close before being bounced into touch, but Leicester got some consolation when Goneva raced over in the left corner.

The scorers:

For Wasps:

Tries: Wade, Piutau 2, Halai, Hughes

Cons: Gopperth 3, Lozowski

Pen: Gopperth

For Leicester Tigers:

Tries: Betham, Veainu, Goneva

Cons: Burns 3

Pen: Burns

Teams:

Wasps: 15 Rob Miller,14 Christian Wade, 13 Charles Piutau, 12 Siale Piutau, 11Frank Halai, 10 Jimmy Gopperth, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Sam Jones, 7 George Smith, 6 Thomas Young, 5 Kearnan Myall, 4 James Cannon, 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Ashley Johnson, 1 Simon McIntyre.

Replacements: 16 Edd Shervington, 17 Matt Mullan,18 Phil Swainston, 19 Will Rowlands, 20 Nathan Hughes, 21 Jamie Stevenson, 22 Alex Lozowski, 23 Brendan Macken.

Leicester Tigers: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Peter Betham, 12 Matt Smith, 11 Vereniki Goneva, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Jono Kitto, 8 Ed Slater, 7 Lachlan McCaffrey, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Dom Barrow, 4 Mike Fitzgerald, 3 Logovi'i Mulipola, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Marcos Ayerza.

Replacements: 16 Michael Van Vuuren, 17 Ellis Genge,18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Graham Kitchener, 20 Mike Williams, 21 George Tresidder, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Telusa Veainu.

Referee: Greg Garner

Assistant referees: Ashley Rowden, Paul Burton

TMO: Trevor Fisher

Northampton Saints 26-11 Sale Sharks

Northampton Saints overcame a slow start at Franklin's Gardens as a pair of quickfire tries shortly after the break led them to a bonus-point victory over Sale Sharks.

Saints began the day sixth in the Premiership table, slipping behind Harlequins the previous evening, but preserved their push for the top four.

Only Wasps can boast a better run of league form than Jim Mallinder's side but that momentum wasn't evident early on, Bryn Evans crossing over as Sale opened up an 11-point lead.

However, Mike Haywood hit back shortly before the break and the damage was done after it, Ken Pisi and Tom Collins each dotting down in quick succession to turn the game on its head.

And JJ Hanrahan went over late on to wrap up maximum points and ensure Sale would remain eighth in the Premiership table.

Danny Cipriani was first to take a pop at the posts after the Saints were caught offside but the visiting flyhalf sent his effort wide of the target.

The scoreboard remained untroubled for the opening quarter of an hour, with the teams evenly matched but lacking cutting edge, but Sale struck halfway through the opening 40.

Having been forced to defend their line minutes earlier, Sale found their way into the Northampton 22 and when the ball went wide, Evans bundled over.

Referee JP Doyle called for the TMO, ensuring a nervy wait for Steve Diamond's side, but the try was eventually awarded but Cipriani couldn't add the extras from the touchline.

It was third time lucky for Cipriani, who slotted a straightforward penalty after the hosts failed to roll away five minutes later, as ill-discipline continued to trouble Northampton.

They were penalised for not releasing shortly afterwards and this time Tom Arscott bisected the posts, 11-0 to the Sharks with half an hour on the clock.

Harry Mallinder – a late call-up in the centres after Luther Burrell was forced to withdraw – sparked the Saints into life with a sharp break and when the ball was recycled, Evans earned himself a stint in the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on.

That didn't do much to delay the try, though, with Northampton kicking for the corner, Haywood dotting down from the resulting drive and Stephen Myler converting from out wide.

Saints emerged for the second half with a four-point deficit but also a man advantage and they made it count, patient build-up allowing Christian Day to feed Pisi to score.

Myler's conversion made it 14-11 and in a matter of minutes he slotted another, after Lee Dickson strode clear and produced a perfect offload to a grateful Collins on his shoulder.

Northampton almost struck again, only for the linesman to signal that Day had stepped into touch near the corner, and their frustration was compounded by a yellow card for George Pisi for a trip on Will Addison.

Sale couldn't capitalise – in fact, only a resolute defence prevented them from going further behind – before Mallinder's neat grubber agonisingly bounced out of reach for Collins ten minutes from time.

The bonus-point score did arrive at last, however, when Hanrahan danced through the Sharks defence for a superb solo score.

The scorers:

For Northampton Saints:

Tries: Haywood, K Pisi, Collins, Hanrahan

Cons: Myler 3

For Sale Sharks:

Try: Evans

Pens: Cipriani 2

Yellow cards: Bryn Evans (Sale Sharks, 36), George Pisi (Northampton Saints, 53)

Teams:

Northampton Saints: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 George Pisi, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Tom Collins, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Lee Dickson (captain), 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Tom Wood, 6 Jamie Gibson, 5 Christian Day, 4 James Craig, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Mikey Haywood, 1 Ethan Waller.

Replacements: 16 Reece Marshall, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Gareth Denman, 19 Victor Matfield, 20 Jon Fisher, 21 Kahn Fotuali’i, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Harry Mallinder.

Sale Sharks: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Tom Arscott, 13 Sam James, 12 Sam Tuitupou, 11 Will Addison, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 TJ Ioane 7 David Seymour, 6 Cameron Neild, 5 Andrei Ostrikov, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 Vadim Cobilas, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ross Harrison,

Replacements: 16 Neil Briggs, 17 Eifion Lewis Roberts, 18 Brian Mujati, 19 Jonathan Mills, 20 Magnus Lund, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Joe Ford, 23 Mark Jennings

Referee: JP Doyle

Assistant referees: Robin Goodliffe, Roger Baileff

TMO: David Sainsbury

Worcester Warriors 28-20 Gloucester

Bryce Heem scored two tries as Worcester Warriors took another step towards Premiership survival with a 28-20 win over Gloucester at Sixways.

After beating Newcastle Falcons last week, Worcester flew out of the blocks with an early score from Heem, and he added a second before half-time.

When Niall Annett crossed early in the second half, there looked to be no way back for Gloucester, and despite James Hook's try, the home side were able to see it out.

Worcester made a dream start with a converted try after just two minutes as Gloucester failed to deal with a high ball. Ryan Mills put in the cross kick and when it bounced awkwardly for Rob Cook, Heem pounced and raced over for the try. Tom Heathcote added the extras.

Gloucester then lost Willi Heinz to injury, but could have cut the deficit only for Hook's effort to drift wide.

They did manage to draw level midway through the half though, when Callum Braley, having replaced Heinz, put through a perfect grubber. Billy Meakes was on hand to dot down, with Hook converting to level the scores.

Worcester were still looking dangerous, and one break from Wynand Olivier had the visitors scrambling, but the move was shut down by a huge tackle from Sione Kalamafoni on Heathcote. In the end Gloucester were able to clear but the next time Worcester attacked they earned a penalty which Heathcote slotted to give the Warriors the lead once more.

That was quickly cancelled out by Hook when Carl Kirwan failed to roll away in a tackle, while Heathcote missed his next kick as it came back off the post from 40 metres out.

Still, Worcester weren't slowing down, and when they were stopped illegally on the Gloucester line, Ross Moriarty was sent to the bin.

The Warriors were able to take advantage, spreading the ball to Heem to sprint over for his second of the half. Heathcote was shaken up in the move and although he recovered to take the kick, he was off-target with his effort. Worcester led 15-10 at the break.

The home side had the extra man to start the second half but couldn't use it to build on their lead.

Despite that, they were looking the more dangerous team and when Moriarty returned it was Worcester who scored again. A few charges from the forwards had them on the front foot and after Francois Hougaard was stopped, Annett forced his way over. Heathcote converted to make it 22-10.

Hook responded with a penalty for Gloucester, but they still trailed by more than a score heading into the final quarter.

Worcester were dominant at scrum-time though, and another huge shove earned them another shot at goal for Heathcote. He made no mistake to push the lead back to 12 points.

But Gloucester weren't done, and when they earned a penalty deep in Worcester territory they kicked to the corner.

The forwards tried to crash through, but in the end it was the quick feet of Hook that made the difference. The Welshman converted his own try to cut the deficit to five at 25-20.

Worcester came back again, with another Heathcote penalty easing any fears of a comeback and they saw the rest of the game out.

The scorers:

For Worcester Warriors:

Tries: Heem 2, Hougaard

Cons: Heathcote 2

Pens: Heathcote 3

For Gloucester:

Tries: Meakes, Hook

Cons: Hook 2

Pens: Hook 2

Yellow card: Ross Moriarty (Gloucester, 35)

Teams:

Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Wynand Olivier, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 Tom Heathcote, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 GJ van Velze (captain), 7 Carl Kirwan, 6 Phil Dowson, 5 Darren Barry, 4 Donncha O’Callaghan, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Niall Annett, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin.

Replacements: 16 Ben Sowrey, 17 Na’ama Leleimalefaga, 18 James Johnston, 19 Dan Sanderson, 20 Sam Betty, 21 Luke Baldwin, 22 Ryan Lamb, 23 Andy Symons.

Gloucester: 15 Rob Cook, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Bill Meakes, 12 Billy Twelvetrees (captain), 11 David Halaifonua, 10 James Hook, 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Jeremy Thrush, 4 Tom Savage, 3 John Afoa, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Nick Wood.

Replacements:16 Darren Dawidiuk, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Paul Doran-Jones, 19 Mariano Galarza, 20 Lewis Ludlow, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Henry Trinder, 23 Steve McColl.

Referee: Ian Tempest

Assistant referees: Peter Allan, John Meredith

TMO: Rowan Kitt

Exeter Chiefs 32-17 Newcastle Falcons

Gareth Steenson set a new league points scoring record for Exeter Chiefs as they overcame a determined Newcastle Falcons side to record a 32-17 bonus points win at Sandy Park and surge to the top of the Premiership table.

The flyhalf, who ended the day with 12 points, passed Tony Yapp's existing record of 1,526 points in the second half to set a new record of 1,532 on a day also notable for the return from a broken leg of England centre Henry Slade.

Newcastle refused to lay down and it took tries from Thomas Waldrom, Phil Dollman, Sam Hill and Elvis Taione to see them off in an exciting second half after the sides had gone in at the break tied at 3-3.

From the kick-off Newcastle looked to put boot to ball at every opportunity with few opportunities for either side to attack from broken play in the opening minutes.

But Gareth Steenson had the chance to get the first points on the board following a deliberate knock-on from Nili Latu and he made it 3-0 with a penalty from in front of the posts.

With Newcastle determined to slow the game down Exeter struggled to find space although one great break from Jack Yeandle almost saw him burst clear with men outside him.

Despite dominating possession Exeter conceded a free-kick for early engagement at the scrum and shortly after a penalty on the ten-metre line but Falcons flyhalf Mike Delany pushed his shot at the posts left of the sticks and it stayed 3-0.

Latu was perhaps lucky to stay on the pitch after an extremely late tackle on the returning Slade, with referee Craig Maxwell-Keys opting to keep his cards in his pocket.

Exeter forced a number of attacking lineouts forcing consecutive penalties but failed to get over the line, eventually losing the ball in midfield.

Strong defensive work from the Falcons frustrated Exeter who seemed to run out of ideas as the half wore on and when Hill was pinged for not rolling away from the tackle in the Exeter 22, Delany was presented with another shot at the posts.

He knocked the three-pointer off with aplomb and the sides were all square with half-time approaching, with Exeter ruing a lack of penetration after dominating proceedings.

But Exeter put right any wrongs from the first period shortly after half-time when Newcastle failed to clear following a break from Don Armand, the clearing kick going straight to Waldrom who dived over the line.

Steenson added the extras to give Exeter a 10-3 lead but Newcastle struck straight back, the home side leaving the blind side undefended during a Falcons driving maul allowing scrum-half Sonatane Takulua to dash home, Delany converting to level the scores.

However the setback only seemed to galvanise the Chiefs who rumbled forward and retook the lead on 52 minutes

Good handling from the backs allowed Dollman to crash over the line, giving Steenson the opportunity to make Exeter history which he did with ease, creating a new Chiefs' league points scoring record in the process.

However Exeter continued to make errors, a wayward pass from Waldrom setting up a Falcons attack and after persistent short range drives Latu crossed under the posts giving Delany an easy conversion to make it 17-17.

The Chiefs went on the attack once more and the referee was eventually given no option but to sin bin Falcons skipper Will Welch after a number of offenses in their own 22.

An intelligent kick from Slade left Falcons on the defensive in their 22 and they coughed up another penalty allowing Steenson to take his personal tally for the day to ten points and give Exeter a three-point lead with ten minutes of the game left.

A brilliant kick from Steenson that stopped inches from the Falcons try line allowed the home side to exert more pressure on the visitors and Newcastle were unable to lift the siege, Hill crashing over from four metres out to seemingly put the result beyond doubt, despite Steenson missing the extras.

With seconds left on the clock Taione secured Exeter's try bonus point with his side's fourth of the afternoon from close range, Steenson adding the extras to cap a well-deserved victory.

The scorers:

For Exeter Chiefs:

Tries: Waldrom, Dollman, Hill, Taione

Cons: Steenson 3

Pens: Steenson 2

For Newcastle Falcons:

Tries: Takulua, Latu

Cons: Delany 2

Pen: Delany

Yellow card: Will Welch (Newcastle Falcons, 62)

Teams:

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Olly Woodburn, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Ian Whitten, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Will Chudley,

8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Julian Salvi, 6 Don Armand, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Lewis Stevenson, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Ben Moon.

Replacements: 16 Elvis Taione 17 Alec Hepburn 18 Carl Rimmer 19 Ollie Atkins 20 Dave Ewers 21 Dave Lewis 22 Will Hooley 23 Max Bodilly

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Giamba Venditti, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Juan Pablo Socino, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Mike Delany, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Nili Latu, 7 Will Welch, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Callum Green, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Mike Cusack, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Alex Rogers.

Replacements: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Ben Harris, 18 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 19 Richard Mayhew, 20 Ally Hogg, 21 Michael Young, 22 Andy Goode, 23 Tom Penny

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys

Assistant referees: Simon McConnell, Kelvin Stewart

TMO: David Rose

Source: @premrugby