Leicester Tigers finished their home campaign in this season's Aviva Premiership with a 41-18 bonus-point victory over Sale Sharks.
Freddie Burns, on his last appearance for Tigers at Welford Road, got the ball rolling with a clever run to score the first try before Graham Kitchener on his 100th start for the club, scored the second.
Tigers then scored two tries in quick succession, through Owen Williams and Jack Roberts, on their last Tigers game at Welford Road, brought up the crucial try-bonus point in the second half.
The result moved Tigers nine points ahead of fifth-placed Bath Rugby, who take on Gloucester Rugby at The Rec on Sunday.
Kitchener was joined by Adam Thompstone in making their 100th starting appearances in a Tigers shirt. Kitchener partnered Dom Barrow in the second row, while club captain Tom Youngs and back-rower Luke Hamilton returned in the only changes to the pack.
Thompstone was included in a backline that also showed two changes. Owen Williams started at centre in place of Maxime Mermoz and Mathew Tait came in at full-back for Telusa Veainu.
Laurence Pearce, the former Tigers No8, started for Sale on his return to Welford Road since his move to the Sharks last summer.
The game began in fractious fashion with handbags at the first ruck before Josh Charnley took out Thompstone in mid-air in the third minute. Thompstone dusted himself down and Charnley was shown a yellow card by referee Craig Maxwell-Keys.
Tigers won a penalty at the game’s first scrum and Burns, on his last start for Tigers at Welford Road, landed his kick from in front of the posts to give the hosts an early 3-0 lead.
Roared on by a huge crowd, Tigers put together a lovely passing move, that went through Genge and Tom Youngs to allow Barrow to crash to within 10m. However, O’Connor spilled possession and Sale counterattacked through inger Denny Solomona. His kick into Tigers territory had Genge and Burns working hard in defence but the ball beat all three players into touch.
Charnley returned to the field with Sale attacking at a lineout 8m out. The visitors set up the drive and their captain Rob Webber controlled possession to score at the right-hand corner. AJ MacGinty landed the touchline conversion to give Sale a 7-3 lead after 16 minutes.
Tigers were then pinged at a lineout for pulling down George Nott and MacGinty landed his kick to move the Sharks 10-3 ahead.
Tigers hit back immediately with a try through Burns. He began the attack by intercepting possession from behind the Sale defensive line. Mike Williams made further inroads before Burns wrong-footed Sam James and Nott to create the gap to score from 8m. Burns converted to bring Tigers level after 25 minutes.
Tigers were relentless in attack as the clock ticked into the last 10 minutes of the half. Mike Williams, Kitchener and Genge all made good yards before Solomona deliberately knocked-on Owen Williams’s try-scoring pass for O’Connor.
Referee Maxwell-Keys played the advantage and Tigers made it count when Kitchener forced his way over close to the posts. Burns converted to put Tigers 17-10 ahead.
A barge by Mike Phillips on Genge gave Burns the chance to extend the lead with a penalty with the last kick of the half, and the Tigers fly-half sent it over to put Leicester 20-10 ahead at the break.
Sale began the second-half brightly and worked space on the right where Pearce took the tackle from last-man Tait and passed inside for Solomona. O’Connor had tracked the run and got his fingertips to the ball before Solomona knocked on as he tried to scoop up the ball with the line in sight.
Tigers’ own errors, such as a knock-on by Pietersen in space in midfield, prevented them building any momentum at the start of the second-half.
Instead, it was Sale who threatened again through Haley’s run and kick through that was taken into touch by Burns 5m from the Leicester line. Tigers repelled Sale at the lineout before Pearce was held up Barrow over the Leicester line.
With Hamilton at the fore, Tigers drove Sale back towards the 22 at the next defensive set but the No8 went off his feet in stealing possession. MacGinty landed the penalty to cut Leicester’s lead to 20-13.
Brilliant work by Cole stole possession on the Sale 10m line and Tigers set about their opponents. Pietersen took them to within 5m of the line before Roberts was hauled down just short. However, another handling error brought the move to an end in the shadow of the posts.
With Kieran Longbottom already off through injury, Sale’s replacement tighthead Diogo Ferreira was also replaced, this time by James Flynn, which meant the game went to uncontested scrums.
An inch-perfect penalty by Burns took Tigers from their own half up to the Sale 5m line as Ferreira returned to the field.
Tigers had Sale under huge pressure with their drive, which was stopped illegally. Tigers hammered away without breaking through before Burns’s kick through caused confusion in the Sale defence, MacGinty was unable to gather and Owen Williams had a simple finish.
Burns converted to give Tigers a 27-13 lead and 17 minutes to find the bonus-point try.
And it duly arrived three minutes later. Tigers turnover ball in their own 22 and broke upfield through Pietersen. Peter Betham, on as a replacement for Tait, made further ground before Roberts broke Ferreira’s tackle to score under the posts. Burns again converted.
Sale scored a well-crafted consolation try late in the game. Byron McGuigan broke down the Sale right before the ball was moved back inside where Tigers were short-handed and lock Bryn Evans had a simple run to the line.
But Tigers had the last say with a try in the final minute by George McGuigan. The replacement hooker collected a short pass to drive over from a couple of metres. Owen Williams’s conversion set the seal on a 41-18 win.
Freddie Burns, on his last appearance for Tigers at Welford Road, got the ball rolling with a clever run to score the first try before Graham Kitchener on his 100th start for the club, scored the second.
Tigers then scored two tries in quick succession, through Owen Williams and Jack Roberts, on their last Tigers game at Welford Road, brought up the crucial try-bonus point in the second half.
The result moved Tigers nine points ahead of fifth-placed Bath Rugby, who take on Gloucester Rugby at The Rec on Sunday.
Kitchener was joined by Adam Thompstone in making their 100th starting appearances in a Tigers shirt. Kitchener partnered Dom Barrow in the second row, while club captain Tom Youngs and back-rower Luke Hamilton returned in the only changes to the pack.
Thompstone was included in a backline that also showed two changes. Owen Williams started at centre in place of Maxime Mermoz and Mathew Tait came in at full-back for Telusa Veainu.
Laurence Pearce, the former Tigers No8, started for Sale on his return to Welford Road since his move to the Sharks last summer.
The game began in fractious fashion with handbags at the first ruck before Josh Charnley took out Thompstone in mid-air in the third minute. Thompstone dusted himself down and Charnley was shown a yellow card by referee Craig Maxwell-Keys.
Tigers won a penalty at the game’s first scrum and Burns, on his last start for Tigers at Welford Road, landed his kick from in front of the posts to give the hosts an early 3-0 lead.
Roared on by a huge crowd, Tigers put together a lovely passing move, that went through Genge and Tom Youngs to allow Barrow to crash to within 10m. However, O’Connor spilled possession and Sale counterattacked through inger Denny Solomona. His kick into Tigers territory had Genge and Burns working hard in defence but the ball beat all three players into touch.
Charnley returned to the field with Sale attacking at a lineout 8m out. The visitors set up the drive and their captain Rob Webber controlled possession to score at the right-hand corner. AJ MacGinty landed the touchline conversion to give Sale a 7-3 lead after 16 minutes.
Tigers were then pinged at a lineout for pulling down George Nott and MacGinty landed his kick to move the Sharks 10-3 ahead.
Tigers hit back immediately with a try through Burns. He began the attack by intercepting possession from behind the Sale defensive line. Mike Williams made further inroads before Burns wrong-footed Sam James and Nott to create the gap to score from 8m. Burns converted to bring Tigers level after 25 minutes.
Tigers were relentless in attack as the clock ticked into the last 10 minutes of the half. Mike Williams, Kitchener and Genge all made good yards before Solomona deliberately knocked-on Owen Williams’s try-scoring pass for O’Connor.
Referee Maxwell-Keys played the advantage and Tigers made it count when Kitchener forced his way over close to the posts. Burns converted to put Tigers 17-10 ahead.
A barge by Mike Phillips on Genge gave Burns the chance to extend the lead with a penalty with the last kick of the half, and the Tigers fly-half sent it over to put Leicester 20-10 ahead at the break.
Sale began the second-half brightly and worked space on the right where Pearce took the tackle from last-man Tait and passed inside for Solomona. O’Connor had tracked the run and got his fingertips to the ball before Solomona knocked on as he tried to scoop up the ball with the line in sight.
Tigers’ own errors, such as a knock-on by Pietersen in space in midfield, prevented them building any momentum at the start of the second-half.
Instead, it was Sale who threatened again through Haley’s run and kick through that was taken into touch by Burns 5m from the Leicester line. Tigers repelled Sale at the lineout before Pearce was held up Barrow over the Leicester line.
With Hamilton at the fore, Tigers drove Sale back towards the 22 at the next defensive set but the No8 went off his feet in stealing possession. MacGinty landed the penalty to cut Leicester’s lead to 20-13.
Brilliant work by Cole stole possession on the Sale 10m line and Tigers set about their opponents. Pietersen took them to within 5m of the line before Roberts was hauled down just short. However, another handling error brought the move to an end in the shadow of the posts.
With Kieran Longbottom already off through injury, Sale’s replacement tighthead Diogo Ferreira was also replaced, this time by James Flynn, which meant the game went to uncontested scrums.
An inch-perfect penalty by Burns took Tigers from their own half up to the Sale 5m line as Ferreira returned to the field.
Tigers had Sale under huge pressure with their drive, which was stopped illegally. Tigers hammered away without breaking through before Burns’s kick through caused confusion in the Sale defence, MacGinty was unable to gather and Owen Williams had a simple finish.
Burns converted to give Tigers a 27-13 lead and 17 minutes to find the bonus-point try.
And it duly arrived three minutes later. Tigers turnover ball in their own 22 and broke upfield through Pietersen. Peter Betham, on as a replacement for Tait, made further ground before Roberts broke Ferreira’s tackle to score under the posts. Burns again converted.
Sale scored a well-crafted consolation try late in the game. Byron McGuigan broke down the Sale right before the ball was moved back inside where Tigers were short-handed and lock Bryn Evans had a simple run to the line.
But Tigers had the last say with a try in the final minute by George McGuigan. The replacement hooker collected a short pass to drive over from a couple of metres. Owen Williams’s conversion set the seal on a 41-18 win.