Tigers 22 Chiefs 30

Leicester Tigers 22

Exeter Chiefs 30

Mark Stevens at Welford Road

Exeter Chiefs remain on course to become the first-ever side to defend the LV= Cup after they saw off rivals Leicester Tigers in a pulsating encounter in the East Midlands.

Rob Baxter’s side booked themselves a final date against Saracens next Sunday having produced a dogged, yet determined display against their illustrious hosts.

Tongan duo Elvis Taione and Fetu’u Vainikolo both claimed a try apiece in the first half, whilst the metronomic boot of skipper Ceri Sweeney was good enough to keep the Tigers at bay for much of the contest.

Even when the Tigers threatened to pounce late in the game, the defending champions soaked up the pressure before adding the coupe de grace late on thanks to a third try from hooker Greg Bateman.

Leicester - it has to be said - played their part in this nail-biting affair as fly-half Tommy Bell helped himself to 17 points, alongside a try from prop Michele Rizzo, but it was not enough to thwart Devon’t finest.

Fresh from four successive Premiership victories, including a record-breaking 74-19 win over London Welsh, it was a much-changed Chiefs line-up that took to the field in the East Midlands. Just Mitch Lees and Tom James were retained from the previous week, but it was still a more than powerful array of talent in the visiting ranks.

Likewise, the Tigers - who themselves were on a six-game winning streak in all competitions - paraded a healthy mix of youth and experience, including the most famous of them all, former All Black, Brad Thorn, in the home engine room.

Early on, though, it was the home side who set the tone and they broke the deadlock inside five minutes when a sizzling break from winger Miles Benjamin in midfield saw his elude a clutch of Exeter defenders before he offloaded to centre George Catchpole.

Still with work to do, the young centre tore in on the Exeter line, but although he was halted, the onrushing Rizzo was close at hand to ease his way over from five metres out for the try, which Bell duly converted.

Minutes later and Bell had the chance to add to his tally when Jerry Sexton was adjudged to have come in at the side of a ruck. This time, the Tigers No.10 was not as successful, his long-range punt cannoning back off the far post.

The Chiefs made the most of the let-off and drew level on 14 minutes. Having won a line-out deep inside Leicester’s 22, Baxter’s men made the most of the take from Lees to propel themselves towards the line - from which hooker Taione was able to burrow over from close range for the converted score.

Bell restored Leicester’s slender grip on things with his first successful penalty - only for the Chiefs to hit back with their second try of the game midway through the first half when Vainikolo picked off Laurence Pearce’s pass to race in unopposed under the home posts.

Welsh international Sweeney added the extras to that score, before adding a penalty as the visitors started to make hay up front with a well-drilled driving maul.

The kicking duel between the respective No.10s showed no sign of abating as the game headed towards the turn. Both Bell and Sweeney added two penalties apiece as the Chiefs headed into the break with a slender four-point cushion.

HALF TIME LEICESTER TIGERS 16 EXETER CHIEFS 20

After a high-scoring first 40 minutes, it took the Chiefs just a minute to add to their tally during the second half as Sweeney again hit bullseye with his shot at the target after Leicester had strayed offside from the kick-off.

The Tigers looked to summon an instant response, but Bell was this time wide of the mark after Scottish prop Moray Low was adjudged to have dropped a scrum just inside his own half.

Bell, however, atoned for his miss just moments later when - playing with the advantage of a penalty in hand - he slotted a sweet drop-goal from in front of the Exeter posts to leave just four points between the two sides again.

Now with the bit between their teeth, the Midlanders looked to press home their mounting pressure. A flurry of big names were introduced from the sidelines and the fresh muscle appeared to give them the extra impetus they had been lacking.

Their cause was duly helped when, just past the hour mark, Exeter full-back Max Bodilly was sent to the sin-bin for a professional foul as he scrambled in defence to keep the Tigers from crashing over.

Bell duly administered the resultant penalty to make it 22-23 and all of a sudden it was the home side who were offering everything in attack.

The defining moment, it could be said, came when a home surge enabled replacement Neil Briggs to race clear for the line. With the hooker seemingly bearing down on the line, an outstanding chase from the impressive Ben White saw the Aussie collar the home forward and deny him a certain score.

Although the Tigers looked to recycle the ball at pace to the left, Thorn was then held up by a plethora of Exeter defenders and it was the visitors who scrambled sufficiently to win the turnover.

On such big moments are games won and lost - and it was the Chiefs who rallied from the heroics to put the seal on this famous win.

Using a simple pick-and-go game, the Chiefs forwards - in which White, Lees and Hostmann were the pick - they edged their way deep into the Leicester half from where they milked a crucial penalty.

Instead of opting for the kick at goal, Sweeney drilled the ball to the right corner, Ed Holmes won the resultant line-out and when push came to shove, there was Bateman who emerged from the mass of bodies to take the acclaim of his colleagues around him

Sweeney banged over the additional two points to put the Chiefs two scores clear and in sight of a trip to Franklin’s Gardens.

The Tigers, even then, were far from finished and in one last throw of the dice they threatened to cause a late upset. The Chiefs, however, had other ideas and bravely stood tall with a defensive display that was richly applauded by the entire Exeter coaching staff.

The celebrations that greeted the final whistle were certainly worthy, but as skipper Sweeney was quick to stress post match, the task is only half done, now the Chiefs must ready themselves for an equally daunting challenge against Sarries.

Tigers: B Scully; M Smith (A Thompstone 69), G Catchpole, C Loamanu (T Hepetema 73), M Benjamin; T Bell, D Mele (S Harrison 57); M Rizzo, H Thacker (N Briggs 59), F Balmain (L Mulipola 55); B Thorn (T Price 69), S de Chaves (capt); J Whetton, R Barbieri (J Salvi 55), L Pearce. Replacement (not used): T Bristo

Try - Rizzo; Conversion - Bell; Penalties - Bell (4); Drop-Goal - Bell

Chiefs: M Bodilly; F Vainikolo, A Hughes, S Naqelevuki, T James; C Sweeney (capt), H Thomas (D Lewis 53); B Sturgess (C Rimmer 53), E Taione (G Bateman 55), M Low (A Brown 53); M Lees, J Sexton (E Holmes 66); B White, S Simmonds (J Conlon h/t), K Horstmann. Replacements (not used):  G Steenson, T Hendrickson.

Tries - Taione, Vainikolo, Bateman; Conversions - Sweeney (3); Penalties - Sweeney (2)

Yellow Card: Bodilly

Referee: T Wigglesworth

Attendance: 11,040

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS: v Saracens (A), LV= Cup Final, Sunday, May 22 (3pm)