Aviva Premiership: Semi-finals – Dramatic wins for Wasps and Chiefs

Josh Bassett scored a try two minutes from time as Wasps reached their first Premiership final in nine years with a thrilling victory over Leicester.

Kurtley Beale helped Wasps build a 10-point lead but Peter Betham’s try saw Tigers three points down at half-time.

Leicester led when Telusa Veainu dived over, and Freddie Burns’ kick had them four points up and defending bravely.

Premiership player of the year Jimmy Gopperth, who kicked 11 points, missed the conversion but Dai Young’s side saw out the closing seconds as Leicester fell at the semi-final stage for the fourth consecutive season.

Wasps, who finished top of the regular-season table, will face Exeter – who were second – at Twickenham on Saturday, May 27 at 14:30 BST for the right to become champions.

Wasps have not lost a league match at the Ricoh Arena since December 2015 and were 18 points clear in the final table of their fourth-placed opponents.

However, they were moments from being stunned by Matt O’Connor and his Leicester team, with the home side’s line-out a constant area of concern.

With the match in their control, Wasps conceded two quick-fire penalties before the influential Burns, who will join Bath this summer, launched a pinpoint pass for Betham to finish and level.

An injury forced Australia superstar Beale off early in the second half which further encouraged Leicester, who isolated the largely anonymous Christian Wade to edge in front through Veainu.

The favourites looked to have missed their chance when back-rower Young misplaced a pass to the onrushing Gopperth after breaking the line, but resilience from Guy Thompson and Joe Launchbury opened things up for Bassett to score the match-winning points.

Wasps: Beale; Wade, Daly, Gopperth, Le Roux; Cipriani, Simpson; Mullan, Johnson, Swainston; Launchbury (capt), Symons; Haskell, Young, Hughes.

Replacements: Taylor, McIntyre, Moore, Gaskell, Thompson, Robson, Leiua, Bassett.

Leicester: Veainu; Thompstone, Tait, O Williams, Betham; Burns, B Youngs; Genge, T Youngs (capt), Cole; Barrow, Kitchener; Fitzgerald, O’Connor, Hamilton.

Replacements: McGuigan, Bateman, Balmain, Slater, M Williams, Harrison, Roberts, Smith.

Scores:

Exeter Chiefs squeak home against Saracens

Saracens’ hopes of consecutive domestic and European titles were dashed as Exeter scored a late try to reach their second Premiership final in a row.

Sam Simmonds was forced over as the clock wound down to deny Sarries, who beat Clermont to win the Champions Cup last Saturday, in a tense semi-final.

Jack Nowell’s try put Chiefs ahead after it was 6-6 at half-time, but Chris Wyles’ try brought Saracens back.

The last-gasp victory gained revenge for Exeter, who had lost out to Saracens in their first Premiership final 12 months ago, while extending the Chiefs’ unbeaten league run to 16 matches.

A second half to remember

Two early Owen Farrell penalties were cancelled out by Gareth Steenson’s two three-pointers as both sides had great chances to score in the opening half.

First Wyles was denied by a last-ditch Nowell interception, and then Thomas Waldrom was held up by the Saracens defence as he went over the line.

But straight after the break Exeter hit their straps, Nowell finishing off after Phil Dollman had broken through before setting Ollie Devoto away.

The home side’s dogged defence kept Saracens, who lost former England winger Chris Ashton to an early injury, at bay.

But Mark McCall’s side always looked dangerous with ball in hand, and so it proved as Wyles went over in the left corner after a delayed pass from Maro Itoje with 23 minutes left.

Ellery, who had replaced Ashton, had the Saracens coaching staff leaping for joy when he cart-wheeled over the line despite the desperate efforts of Nowell and Michele Campagnaro to stop him.

But England’s Henry Slade, on as a replacement, blasted a perfect penalty deep into the Saracens 22 and Exeter secured the resulting line-out, allowing the Chiefs to drive academy graduate Simmonds over for the decisive score.

Exeter: Dollman; Nowell, Whitten, Devoto, Short; Steenson (capt), Townsend; Moon, Cowan-Dickie, Williams, Dennis, Parling, Horstmann, Armand, Waldrom.

Replacements: Yeandle, Rimmer, Francis, Lees, S Simmonds, Chudley, Slade, Campagnaro.

Saracens: Goode; Ashton, Bosch, Taylor, Wyles; Farrell (capt.), Wigglesworth; M Vunipola, George, Koch, Itoje, Kruis, Rhodes, Wray, B. Vunipola.

Replacements: Brits, Lamositele, Du Plessis, Brown, Burger, Spencer, Lozowski, Ellery.

Scores:

bbc