Ashton equals record as Leicester make playoffs with victory at Exeter

There are three months of the season still to go but Leicester remain firmly in the domestic box seat. A quietly impressive victory in Devon has already clinched their place in the playoffs and there was the added bonus of two tries for the former England wing Chris Ashton who is now the joint highest scorer in Premiership history.

The Tigers have had some lean hunting days in Devon in recent years but there could be no disputing their first win at this venue since 2014. They led for all but the first seven minutes of the contest and were too well organised and strong in defence and at the set pieces for an error-prone Exeter side whose resources continue to be stretched by injuries to key players.

No one is suggesting the outcome would have been different had Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jack Nowell, Johnny Hill, Stuart Hogg and Sam Skinner all been on the field but the fourth-placed Chiefs are going to have to find another gear or two if these two teams do end up meeting again in the Premiership playoffs in June. Despite the loss of George Ford who limped off in the first half with a damaged ankle, Leicester had the answers to almost every west country question.

The Chiefs did at least try to mount a grandstand finish from 19-0 down but despite enjoying plenty of possession they mostly encountered an east midlands brick wall. If Steve Borthwick fancies succeeding Eddie Jones as England’s head coach after the 2023 World Cup, the defensive appetite and energy that his side displayed here was another good advertisement for his technical skills and motivational ability.

It also helps to have players as effective as Julian Montoya in and around the breakdown while Ashton, if not the game’s dominant figure, remains as reliable a try