Leicester v Exeter predictions and rugby union tips: Tigers ready to roar against travel-sick Chiefs

Where to watch Leicester v Exeter 

BT Sport 1, 3pm Sunday

Best bet

Leicester -11
2pts 10-11 general

Leicester v Exeter preview 

Leicester crashed out of Europe to Leinster in Dublin but they have had their foot on the gas in the Premiership, running up five successive wins, and are 11-point favourites as they pick up the pursuit of a playoff place at home to Exeter.

The Chiefs are fighting to keep up with the playoff pace and their away form has been a key weakness. They have claimed just one win in eight road games and have let down their handicap backers in all seven away defeats.

It's rare for Exeter to be such big underdogs and the only occasions when they have been handed a double-figure handicap start was on their last two visits to Saracens, where they lost 35-3 this season and 38-22 at the end of the previous Premiership campaign.

Since that loss at Sarries on New Year's Eve Exeter have been beaten 40-5 by Harlequins at Twickenham and 36-19 at Bath, who were bottom of the table at the time.

Exeter are still in Europe thanks to an impressive 42-17 win over the Stormers last week, a performance that really caught the eye. That success followed a hard-fought quarter-final in Montpellier, where the scores were level at 33-33 after extra time and the Chiefs went through on the try count. 

This is a third tough contest in a row against a Tigers team who have had an extra day to recover from their European exit, and with a Champions Cup semi-final against trophy-holders La Rochelle in France two weeks away, Exeter may well struggle to stay at their peak.

Leicester have scored 16 tries in their last three Premiership games while Exeter have shipped 12 in as many outings. A strong Leicester line-up and bench should ensure the hosts pull away by a double-figure margin by the end.

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