Leicester 30-8 Exeter

Adam Thompstone scored a hat-trick on his first start for the club as Leicester thrashed Exeter 30-8 at Welford Road.

Ignacio Mieres did get the visitors on the scoreboard early on with a penalty from in front of the posts but it wasn't long before the Leicester pack began to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

The Tigers' forwards were dominant in the scrum, at the lineout and in the loose in the first half but it was the backs who provided the cutting edge for the only try of the opening period.

A strong run from Fijian winger Vereniki Goneva laid the foundations for Toby Flood to spin the ball wide and Adam Thompstone dived over in the right-hand corner to score his first try for the club.

Flood added the conversion and three penalties as the half wore on, with the Chiefs guilty of giving away a succession of penalties as they were forced onto the back foot, and Leicester took a 16-3 lead into the interval.

The Tigers were in no mood to relent in the second half either and the former London Irish winger Thompstone grabbed his second try of the match five minutes after the restart.

Mieres fumbled the ball on his own try-line after a poor pass from Haydn Thomas and Flood flicked the ball up to Matt Smith with his boot, allowing the centre to release Dan Bowden and then Thompstone to stroll over untouched.

The pressure being exerted by the hosts was almost incessant and, after Logovi'i Mulipola butchered a fantastic opportunity in the left-hand corner, a third try duly arrived with just under quarter of an hour left to play.

Flood released Smith again on the right-hand side and the 26-year-old's grubber kick through the defensive line was perfectly weighted for Thompstone to race onto and complete his hat-trick.

Leicester were unable to find the bonus point try that their domination arguably deserved and Exeter even snatched a consolation try with the last play of the game as replacement Ben White dived over from short range.

There was never any doubt about the result though as the Tigers bounced back from their defeat to champions Harlequins last week to inflict the Chiefs' third defeat of the season in comprehensive fashion.