Tigers keep unbeaten spell going

LEICESTER booked a Premiership semi-final against East Midlands rivals Northampton with a 20-10 win over Wasps.

Steve Borthwick’s side end the season on top of the standings, as tries from Guy Porter and Freddie Steward completed a clean sweep of home league wins at Welford Road for the first time in 20 years.

Defeat for Wasps, whose only try came from a late Will Porter breakaway, ended their slim hopes of gaining qualification for the Champions Cup as London Irish finished above them in eighth position.

Leicester, flew out of the blocks and got their reward inside the first two minutes.

After lineout ball was secured, Porter arrived on a fantastic line to capitalise on a Charlie Atkinson slip and score a try that Ford improved from the tee. It was not to set the tone for a high-scoring first half, however, as errors crept in on a wet and windy day.

The visitors’ brightest moments came from a couple of Paolo Odogwu breaks while Josh Bassett’s 60m sprint down the left wing was stopped by a group of retreating players.

Tigers gained multiple entries to the Wasps’ 22 but uncharacteristically could not turn it into more points. And Ford pulled a central penalty kick wide from 35 metres out.

Jimmy Gopperth marked his final Wasps game before switching to Leicester with the first points of the second half with a sweetly-struck penalty.

Again Wasps had opportunities as a Bassett break and unfortunate stumble made Gabriel Oghre’s job harder as his fly-hack ahead rolled into touch inches from the line.

Entering the final quarter, Tigers finally clicked into action as Ford masterfully put Matias Moroni through, only for Charlie Atkinson to miraculously hold up the Argentinian.

He recovered from the chance at the next opportunity by teasing the Wasps defence and putting Steward into the right corner. Ford added the conversion and a penalty.

Wasps made a fist of the final 10 minutes as replacement scrum-half Porter finished brilliantly after Bassett was freed by an Alfie Barbeary offload tight to the left wing.

Atkinson’s touchline conversion got his side within a converted try, but another Ford penalty in the close minutes saw Leicester home.