Newcastle Falcons recorded a dramatic 32-31 win to end Leicester’s Premiership Rugby Cup hopes.
Ollie Fletcher’s last-minute try and Louie Johnson’s conversion with the final play of the game saw Falcons edge a thrilling game in the East Midlands.
Victory – Newcastle’s first in the competition – meant Leicester failed to overtake Sale at the top of the group and miss out on the semi-finals.
In the evening’s other game, Bristol won 29-0 at rivals Bath.
Alex Tait took advantage of some Leicester handling errors to give the Falcons a fifth-minute lead before Tom Horton levelled for Tigers 10 minutes later after Hosea Saumaki’s superb run down the left wing.
But a try from Elliott Obatoyinbo and Tian Schoeman penalty put the Falcons 15-5 ahead at the break.
Leicester responded with tries from Sean Jansen and Josh Manz early in the second period before Tait’s second after an hour.
Archie Vanes was mauled over for Tigers to close the gap to one point before the replacement hooker got his second in similar fashion to put Tigers 31-25 up with 12 minutes left.
But Fletcher finished off a Tigers maul over in the final moments before Johnson held his nerve to seal the victory.
Bristol cruise to win at Bath
Bristol completed a relatively straightforward-looking win over rivals Bath at the Rec to go top of their pool.
Harry Thacker was driven over over from close range in the fourth minute to send the Bears on their way, with Deago Bailey getting a second soon after.
Thacker’s second three minutes from half-time came in similar fashion, as did his third five minutes into the second half as Bath struggled to contain Bristol’s driving maul.
Henry Purdy scored Bristol’s fifth try as he snaffled a loose ball and raced in to make it 29-0 with 13 minutes left
The bonus-point win sees Bristol move a point clear at the top of Pool One, although Exeter and Gloucester both have five points from one match.
