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| - Wasps' 19-year-old Alfie Barbeary, unusually picked at flanker instead of hooker, scored three tries in 16 minutes in Wednesday's 54-7 club-record English Premiership win over Leicester Tigers. The Coventry-based side move within two points of third-placed Bristol Bears with the victory as Tigers remain 11th after their heaviest ever league defeat. "Alfie had an outstanding second half. As an out-and-out rugby player, he's pretty good. He's a big project and he's nowhere near the finished article," Wasps head coach Lee Blackett said. "We're trying to manage him by picking him in the back row. He's a young kid and it takes time to come through in the front row positions, but we'll keep working on the hooker side of his game," he added. Tigers opened the scoring through lock Cameron Henderson's converted try after four minutes but the remaining 76 were dominated by the hosts. Ex-All Black Malakai Fekitoa, fly-half Jacob Umaga and prop Tom West crossed before Barbeary's first touchdown on 41 minutes. The England U-20s forward then added two more before the 61-minute mark and replacement Sam Spink and winger Zach Kibirige dotted down within the last quarter. Elsewhere, league leaders Exeter Chiefs secured a play-off spot by beating Gloucester 35-22, and champions Saracens, who will be relegated for salary cap breaches, lost 24-17 at Sale Sharks who above the Bears rose to second. Later, Fiji's Josh Matavesi scored 15 points as Bath kept Wasps on their toes with a 40-15 hammering of Worcester and 21-year-old fly-half Marcus Smith went over twice in Harlequins' 38-15 victory over capital city rivals London Irish. iwd/pvh
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