A flurry of second-half tries saw Leicester stage a remarkable fightback to open their home campaign with a 29-19 victory over Harlequins.

A 52nd-minute yellow card for Quins’ Jack Walker proved the turning point as the Tigers spun around a 19-0 deficit with four tries in the final 25 minutes.

Will Wand scored two of them with Jack van Poortvliet and Ollie Hassell-Collins also crossing, while Billy Searle converted three and added a penalty.

Will Porter scored Harlequins’ only try. Jarrod Evans added the extras and kicked three penalties with Jamie Benson also adding a penalty.

A penalty from Evans gave Quins a sixth-minute lead but they soon suffered a blow when they lost flanker Jack Kenningham to a facial injury briefly before he returned to watch his side score 10 points within a minute.

The crucial moment then arrived as Harlequins lost Walker to a yellow card for a deliberate offside before their talisman and skipper, Dombrandt, departed with an injury.

Tigers had to capitalise and they did so when a neat offload from Searle provided replacement Wand with a simple task of touching down.

The tide was now firmly with the home side and it came as no surprise when first they produced the best move of the match to send Hassell-Collins racing over, before a second try for Wand secured their bonus-point victory to leave a bemused Quins with nothing.

Feyi-Waboso’s hat-trick guides Exeter to victory over Newcastle

England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scored a hat-trick of tries as Exeter got their home campaign off to a fine start with a 38-15 bonus-point victory over Newcastle.

It took his tally to five in two matches since his return from a hamstring injury and is an excellent boost for England head coach Steve Borthwick ahead of the forthcoming autumn internationals.

Newcastle made changes to their management structure during the week, including promoting Alan Dickens from senior coach to head coach, with director of rugby Steve Diamond leaving the club.

However, it was the same old story on the field as the Red Bulls were largely swept away by a team who finished one place above them at the foot of last season’s table.

Chiefs picked up where they left off in their impressive second-half showing at Northampton last Sunday, and had a try bonus point in the bag after only 35 minutes.

South African hooker Joseph Dweba forced his way over from a catch-and-drive for his first Prem try to register Exeter’s bonus-point score to put Chiefs firmly in the driving seat at 24-3 up.

However, Newcastle gave themselves a glimmer of hope right on the stroke of half-time when skipper George McGuigan was on the end of their own driving maul, and Red Bulls fly-half Brett Connon added an excellent conversion.

The second half was largely uneventful until Harvey Skinner’s crossfield kick found Feyi-Waboso in acres of space to cross the line and run in towards the posts, with Slade converting to put the game almost out of Newcastle’s reach at 31-10.

Skinner scored the try his performance deserved when he broke away and dotted down under the posts for a sixth of the game for Chiefs, for whom England under-20 back rower Greg Fisilau was outstanding.

Newcastle, though, managed a late consolation through Alex Hearle to give the scoreline a touch more respectability.

Willis inspires classy Saracens to big win over Bristol

Owen Farrell made a triumphant return to StoneX Stadium but it was the rampaging Tom Willis who starred in Saracens’ 50-17 Gallagher Premiership victory over Bristol.

Farrell made his first appearance at the north London ground for 504 days, having returned from a season-long spell at Racing 92 during the summer and he finished with a 13-point haul.

Saracens plundered seven tries with wing Jack Bracken pouncing twice and on a day when most elements of their game fired beautifully, man of the match Willis emerged as the standout performer.

The England number eight’s muscular carrying was a key difference between the rivals as time and again he propelled his team on to the front foot, while he was also a rock in defence.

It was a highly impressive performance from Saracens and they ruthlessly dispatched a Bristol side that are reeling from the loss of the influential AJ MacGinty, Harry Randall and Gabriel Ibitoye to long-term injuries.

In another blow to the hapless Bears, wing Louis Rees-Zammit had to be helped off in the second half because of injury. Centre Joe Jenkins had already departed with a knock.

Farrell kicked a penalty to accompany his two conversions and then Saracens engineered an eye-catching third try that began with a poor Bristol kick when they had run out of ideas in attack.

Compounding errors for the Bears was a high tackle by Viliame Mata on Noah Caluori, resulting in a yellow card, but they at least started the second half with a fine try by Kieran Marmion made possible by Rees-Zammit’s power in the carry.

It was only a temporary halt to the flow of Saracens points with wing Bracken crossing twice in quick succession, the second a display of his speed from a standing start.

Rees-Zammit teed up Marmion’s second try and the scrum-half then scampered over for his hat-trick, but inevitably Saracens had the final say with Hugh Tizard powering his way across the line.