Richard Wigglesworth’s reign as Leicester Tigers head coach began in superb fashion after they overcame Gloucester 28-13 on Christmas Eve.
Following the departure of Steve Borthwick, who replaced Eddie Jones as England boss, Wigglesworth saw his side run in three tries at Welford Road.
Anthony Watson touched down twice while Guy Porter also went over as Leicester claimed the inaugural Slater Cup, created in honour of former Tigers and Gloucester lock Ed Slater who is battling motor neurone disease.
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Gloucester dominated the early exchanges and were rewarded when Hastings kicked them into an eighth-minute lead.
However they suffered a setback when their Wales international wing Louis Rees-Zammit was forced to leave the field with a leg injury after being forced to hobble for the previous five minutes.
They soon received further blows as Freddie Burns kicked two penalties in quick succession to give Tigers a 6-3 lead at the end of a competitive first quarter.
The first half-hour was featureless as both sides launched the ball skywards at every opportunity so there was little for the crowd to enthuse over.
It therefore came as no surprise that the next points-scoring opportunity came via a shot at goal but Hastings sent his 30-metre kick wide.
The game badly needed a spark and it came after 37 minutes when Jack van Poortvliet darted away from a maul to send Dan Kelly over but TMO replays showed that Leicester prop Dan Cole had impeded Gloucester number eight Albert Tuisue in the build-up so the try was ruled out.
Just before the interval, Gloucester lost a second back to injury when their full-back Santiago Carreras was led off but with the last move of the half, Tuisue finished off a driving line-out to give them an 8-6 half-time lead.
Four minutes after the restart, Leicester regained the lead thanks to a superb solo try from Porter. Receiving the ball 40 metres out from the line, the centre held off four would-be tacklers to crash over with Burns converting from the touchline.
Gloucester’s injury woes continued when replacement Lloyd Evans left the field for an HIA before Burns extended Leicester’s advantage with his third penalty.
It was now one-way traffic in favour of the hosts and they were rewarded with two run-ins for Watson as Gloucester capitulated in the face of Leicester’s onslaught.
With a minute left on the clock, Gloucester made the final score more respectable with a try from Jonny May but it was not enough to stop their opponents moving above them in the league table.
This is what it's all about 👏
@edslater joins both @LeicesterTigers and @gloucesterrugby after the match to present the Cup and raise awareness for Motor Neurone DiseaseOne rugby family, all the best Ed 🙌#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/pmrjR4ASyk
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) December 24, 2022
Exeter Chiefs overcome battling Bath
Exeter hung on in the face of a determined Bath fightback to claim a 20-15 victory at Sandy Park that keeps them in the hunt for a Gallagher Premiership play-off place.
Dave Ewers and Henry Slade touched down as the Chiefs cruised to a 20-10 half-time lead but they failed to score again, with Bath dominating the final 30 minutes of an ugly West Country derby.
Replacement hooker Niall Annett touched down in the 62nd minute but despite coming under continuous pressure, including during a late do-or-die assault, Exeter’s line held firm.
Apart from the result, England flanker Sam Underhill could be satisfied with a successful comeback as he made his first appearance of the season following a shoulder problem.
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Underhill had not played since the second Test against Australia in July when concussion ended his tour, but he contributed fully to a committed Bath defensive effort.
Scotland centre Cameron Redpath was not so fortunate, however, as he departed in the third quarter with an injury while skipper Tom Dunn was lost to concussion early on.
Exeter drew first blood through a Joe Simmonds penalty but having box-kicked their way into enemy territory, Bath came alive when a series of carries were rounded off by Orlando Bailey palming down a kick for Joe Cokanasiga to score.
Ewers forced his way over as the Chiefs responded quickly to reclaim the lead but the visitors worked their way back downfield, scrum-half Louis Schreuder kicking regularly and referee Tom Foley helping by awarding penalties in their favour.
Both sides were content playing a narrow game, and while Exeter showed occasional flashes of ambition, there was an element of luck to their second try as having lost an attacking line-out Slade charged down the clearance for a simple score.
Cokanasiga dropped the simplest of catches but it ignited the best spell of the match so far as aggressive Bath defence forced a turnover, and having marauded downfield they then lost the ball to Sam Simmonds’ expertise on the floor.
Exeter continued to press in a lively end to the first half that was concluded when Simmonds extended the lead to 10 points with a penalty.
A dynamic move broke down when full-back Josh Hodge dropped a pass as the Chiefs put width on the ball and suddenly the game had opened up, although errors prevented them from really cutting loose.
Bath were tenacious, however, and they were the next over through Annett from close range for a try scored amid a downpour that vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Worryingly for Exeter, they faced sustained pressure from the visitors’ kicking game and line-out drive and for the first time there were signs of real endeavour.
The closing stages were continuous one-way traffic as Bath pressed through route one, and when they conceded a penalty in overtime their comeback quest was foiled.