Lamb boots Exiles to table top

And while no classic as a spectacle, the game was hard, fast and at times furious with Irish deserved winners over the 80 minutes.

Jeremy Staunton responded with three penalties for the Tigers, with replacement Ben Youngs adding a further three-pointer.

Bath's season is going from bad to worse after a 27-16 defeat at home to Newcastle - which was their sixth loss in eight matches in all competitions.

Kiwi fly-half Jimmy Gopperth tormented the home defence with his kicking out of hand, setting up the clinching try for full-back Charlie Amesbury to score his second of the game with a clever dink off the outside of his foot. Half-back partner Micky Young was just as much of a handful, scoring on the hour with an 80-metre intercept and James Hudson also crossed for the visitors.

Sale paid a heavy price for the sin-binning of Andy Tuilagi - conceding two tries while the Samoa international was off the pitch and slumping to a 21-16 defeat to Northampton at Franklin's Gardens.

Full-back Ben Foden and Bruce Reihana scored the tries in a decisive three-minute period at the end of the first half, forcing Sale to play catch-up in a scrappy encounter.

Sale gave themselves a glimmer of hope when flanker James Gaskell stole over from the blindside of a second-half scrum - but they had to settle for a losing bonus point, sealed by a Charlie Hodgson penalty with the last kick of the match.

Danny Care and Mike Brown scored tries as Harlequins recorded a deserved 26-22 victory over Worcester at Sixways.

Mark Van Gisbergen scored two tries as Wasps cruised to a convincing 35-6 victory over Gloucester.