Premiership Rugby Cup: Championship Ealing secure semi-final spot
- Published
Exeter Chiefs number eight Ross Vintcent is congratulated after scoring one of his three tries in their 47-10 win over London Scottish
Championship side Ealing Trailfinders have become the first team to book their place in the semi-finals of the Premiership Rugby Cup.
In Pool D, Ealing ran in eight tries as they won 52-17 at fellow Championship side Cambridge to make it four wins out of four.
Number eight Ross Vintcent scored a hat-trick of tries as Exeter were convincing winners 47-10 over London Scottish to also record a fourth successive win.
That should be enough to secure a semi-final spot, but their situation has been complicated by the folding of Jersey Reds.
Fellow Championship side Coventry could still pip Gloucester in Pool A despite drawing 33-33 at home to Nottingham.
Leicester Tigers are on course to reach the last four after they hammered Newcastle Falcons 60-7 in Pool B, while Northampton Saints played out a thrilling 43-42 cross-pool win over Bath at Franklin's Gardens coming from 23 points behind to win at the death in a match featuring 13 tries.
Ealing had already beaten Premiership pair Bristol Bears and Northampton, but after a close first-half at Cambridge in which they led 19-10, they pulled away after the break.
The forwards scored all the tries with a pair for Andrew Davidson and Josh Taylor and one each for Henry Walker, Rayn Smid, Will Montgomery and Matt Cornish with Sam Hanks and Morgan Veness crossing for the home side.
At Sandy Park, Exeter ran in seven tries against the Exiles to make it four wins from four.
The three from Vintcent were complemented by one each for Arthur Relton, Niall Armstrong, Joe Snow and Ollie Burrows, with Steven Kerins and Will Brown grabbing consolation scores for London Scottish.
The Chiefs are eight points clear of Bath, but if Jersey's results are expunged, the gap will only be five points given that Exeter beat the Islanders 43-22 while Bath lost 34-10 to them at the Recreation Ground.
In those circumstances, it would mean Exeter losing five points, and Bath none. The two sides meet next Saturday at the Rec in the final pool game.
Northampton Saints and Bath produced 13 tries and 85 points as the Saints edged it 43-42 in a thrilling cross-pool game
Bath were on course for victory at Northampton when they were 42-19 up early in the second half.
But Saints scored 24 unanswered points thanks to Tommy Freeman, Curtis Langdon, Tom Seabrook and then Freeman again for his hat-trick, before Fin Smith's conversion won the game.
Bath had earlier scored six tries from Tom Dunn, Ted Hill, Max Ojomoh, Tom de Glanville (two) and Sam Underhill, with Freeman, Waller and Trevor Davison Northampton's earlier scorers.
Leicester were ruthless at Mattoli Woods Welford Road with a 10-try demolition of Newcastle in the all-Premiership match.
The five points had been wrapped by half-time with a 39-0 lead before they eased off in the second period.
There were two tries for Hanro Liebenberg, Charlie Clare and Joe Powell with Guy Porter, Francois van Wyk, Matt Rogerson and Tom Whiteley also scoring. Hooker Jamie Blamire grabbed the Falcons' only score.
Newcastle would have to win their final game, score four tries, hope Leicester lose and overturn a points difference of 158 to deny the Tigers a semi-final spot.
In Pool A, Coventry can still claim top spot if they win at Gloucester next Saturday, but they were unable to get the better of Nottingham as they shared five tries apiece.
Ellis Mee scored with six minutes left, converted by Morgan Bunting to bring Nottingham level, but Coventry fly-half Evan Mitchell missed a penalty to win the game.
In Pool B, there was a minute's silence at Caldy's Patton Field ground for yesterday's fatal bus crash on the nearby M53 before Sale ground out a hard-fought 24-7 win in terrible conditions.
Rob du Preez, Jean-Luc du Preez, Sam Dugdale and Ben Bamber were the Sharks' try-scorers in the Wirral, with a Connor Wilkinson response for Caldy.
Also in that pool, Bedford Blues came from behind to beat Ampthill 24-19. Trailing by five points with only six minutes left, a converted Sean French try and a Louis Grimoldy penalty turned it around for Bedford.
Harlequins play Saracens in a dead rubber in Pool A on Sunday, before the final round of pool matches take place next weekend.