Gallagher PREM: Exeter Chiefs complete dramatic comeback against Sale Sharks as Leicester Tigers beat Newcastle Red Bulls
Exeter came from 26-6 down to secure a dramatic 27-26 win and inflict a rare home defeat on Sale as the Gallagher PREM resumed after a month-long break during the autumn internationals.
Alex Sanderson’s Sharks had lost only once at home in the league since January 2024 but the visitors from Devon showed impressive spirit to mount a superb second-half fightback.
Three tries from Jack Yeandle, Olly Woodburn and Scott Sio, all converted by Henry Slade, gave the Chiefs victory and sent them top of the table on points difference ahead of the weekend action.
England flanker Tom Curry was sin-binned in the fifth minute and Exeter back-rower Tom Hooper followed six minutes later, with both yellow cards a result of dangerous tackles.
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Sale appeared to be in control after tries from full-back Luke James and winger Alex Willis, but Exeter came roaring back and were not to be denied.
Curry started his first Sale game of the season along with England team-mates Luke Cowan-Dickie, George Ford and Asher Opoku-Fordjour.
The quartet starred for Steve Borthwick’s side as they racked up wins against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina in the autumn internationals.
Exeter included England duo Slade and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso along with Wales’ Dafydd Jenkins, Italy’s Andrea Zambonin and Australia’s Hooper and Len Ikitau.
Sale made a bad start when Opoku-Fordjour took an early knock, but he was fit to continue after treatment before Exeter began to throw the ball about and put their hosts under pressure.
When Curry caught Hodge with his shoulder, referee Anthony Woodthorpe showed the England flanker a yellow card and Slade kicked the resulting penalty to put Exeter 3-0 ahead.
But Sale steadied themselves and began to enjoy some decent field position inside Exeter’s 22-metre line.
They levelled the scores with a penalty from Ford before the England fly-half kicked another three-pointer after Exeter flanker Hooper was sin-binned for a challenge on Jacques Vermeulen.
Slade’s second penalty made it 6-6 before Ford landed his third to restore Sale’s three-point advantage midway through the first half.
Ford then kicked his third penalty to make it 9-6 before James scored the only try of the first half, supporting an attack superbly before racing clear.
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Ford converted and then added another three points to give Sale a 19-6 half-time lead.
Wills stretched Sale’s lead by finishing off clinically down the left flank in the 46th minute, with Ford converting, but Exeter came back strongly.
Yeandle crashed over from close range in the 55th minute and Slade converted before Woodburn produced a superb diving finish in the left corner seven minutes later.
Slade converted and after Sio touched down from close range in the 70th minute, the England centre again kicked the extras to complete the stunning turnaround.
Leicester get comprehensive win over Newcastle
Geoff Parling made a triumphant return to Kingston Park as his Leicester side extended Newcastle’s losing start to the Gallagher Prem season with a 39-17 victory.
Leicester’s head coach, who had begun his glittering career on Tyneside, saw the Tigers complete a clinical five-try performance including two for Joaquin Moro to move up to third in the table.
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It was a sixth defeat on the spin for the Red Bulls in front of another 10,000-plus crowd.
Leicester opened the scoring on six minutes when Billy Searle judged the wind impeccably with a 40-metre penalty.
The Tigers extended their lead seven minutes later when lock James Thompson scored his first league try of the season from a close-range forward drive, Searle converting.
Leicester were temporarily reduced to 14 players when wing Ollie Hassell-Collins was yellow-carded, and the Red Bulls took advantage on 21 minutes.
Leicester repelled fierce home pack drives but when fly-half Brett Connon floated a superb long pass, full-back Ethan Grayson trotted over from 15 metres with Connon adding the extras.
Newcastle had barely finished celebrating when they conceded within two minutes when No 8 Moro exposed a hole in the home defence to dash through untouched for a try which Searle converted.
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The Red Bulls did reduce the deficit to 17-10 at the interval with a Connon penalty and the men in black were rapidly out of the blocks for the second period.
Newcastle, though, undid their good work by conceding a series of penalties which allowed Leicester to exert pressure.
They successfully kept out Hassell-Collins down the left and then Adam Radwan on the right but the Tigers retained possession, with Freddie Steward sauntering over for his second try of the campaign.
Searle converted and soon added a penalty to give Leicester breathing space at 27-10.
The Tigers clinched their four-try bonus point in spectacular fashion seven minutes from time when Moro took a superb angle to finish after substitute fly-half James O’Connor ran back a deep home kick assisted by Hassell-Collins. Orlando Bailey converted.
Richard Palframan drove over for Red Bulls’ second try three minutes from time but Leicester had the final say when flanker Tommy Reffell finished off a penalty lineout drive with an unconverted try.
