Henry Slade led the way as Exeter Chiefs emerged emphatic 32-12 winners from their grudge match against Saracens to secure a Gallagher Prem play-off against Bath.
Slade ran in the crucial 47th-minute try that placed the Chiefs in a commanding position and also landed three conversions and two penalties, with Max Norey and Andrea Zambonin and Stephen Varney touching down too.
The classy England centre inspired Exeter’s fightback after they had spent the second quarter of the shootout for a semi-final place under heavy pressure before coming alive to end to Saracens’ five-match winning run.
Even without England star Immanuel Feyi-Waboso because of a facial injury they were comfortably the better side on a blustery day at Sandy Park to claim bragging rights against their fierce rivals. They finish the regular season in third place and now meet Bath at the Recreation Ground on Saturday for a place in the final.
The defeat signalled the conclusion of Mark McCall’s trophy-laden 15-year reign as Saracens director of rugby with the former Ireland centre stepping down at the end of the season.
Bath, meanwhile, secured home advantage in the play-offs after beating Leicester 24-22 at a rainswept Recreation Ground.
The reigning Prem champions withstood a powerful Leicester challenge to nail down second place behind Northampton and will now host Exeter. Tigers, meanwhile, face a testing trip to East Midlands rivals Northampton when the title race reaches its penultimate lap.
Bath had their South African prop Thomas du Toit to thank for putting them in the driving seat as he scored a hat-trick of tries, all from close range.
Wing Joe Cokanasiga also touched down, with fly-half Santi Carreras kicking two conversions, but Leicester went toe to toe for long periods through tries by Orlando Bailey, Jack van Poortvliet and George Pearson, while James O’Connor added two conversions and a penalty.
Bath, though, were not to be denied, staying firmly on course for a third successive Prem final appearance after losing to Northampton in 2024 and beating Leicester a year ago.
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Gloucester sealed their Champions Cup place for next season with a convincing 54-21 victory over bottom-club Newcastle at Kingsholm as the bonus-point win was enough to deprive Harlequins of the eighth and final spot.
It was not all plain-sailing for Gloucester as they trailed at the end of the first quarter but they then proceeded to blow away their opponents starting with a four-try blitz. Ben Redshaw scored a hat-trick of tries and Arthur Clark, Caolan Englefield, Max Llewellyn, James Venter and Seb Blake were also on the scoresheet, with Charlie Atkinson converting seven.
They will be joined in the competition by Sale Sharks, who secured their spot with a comfortable 38-17 bonus-point win over an understrength Bristol.
Alex Sanderson’s Sharks have made the play-offs in each of the past three campaigns but ended this season in seventh, their lowest placing since finishing in that position in 2018-19.
There was disappointment for Quins, though Tom Lawday’s try with his final touch at the club earned a 38-31 victory over Northampton to end a season to forget on a positive note at the Stoop.
Gallagher Prem semi-finals
Friday 12 June
Northampton Saints (1) vs Leicester Tigers (4) (7.45pm BST, Cinch Stadium at Frankliln’s Gardens)
Saturday, June 13
Bath Rugby (2) vs Exeter Chiefs (3) (3pm BST, The Recreation Ground)
PA
