THERE’S STILL A charm to Welford Road. It’s tight, in your face, and when the Tigers are purring, it’s loud. It’s one of those grounds where the coaching boxes are not quite boxes, just a couple of benches squared off within the crowd. The type of ground where the players have to skip through a short run of the concourse as they move between the dressing rooms and the pitch. Hence Caelan Doris, among others, found himself stopped to sign a couple of jerseys for home fans as he came in from his warm-up.
Leinster were a big draw for the Leicester crowd, a team stacked full of Ireland internationals and Lions tourists. Before kick-off two members of the English media asked for clarification on the pronunciation of Diarmuid Mangan’s first name. Mangan was the only member of the Leinster 23 who is not a full international. At half time it was announced the visiting squad had signed a jersey to be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to support former Leicester player Lewis Moody, who is battling motor neurone disease.
Leicester also used to be a Champions Cup heavyweight, and while they still hold that proud history closely, the current crop are not among the frontrunners to win this competition. So imagine the feeling surging through the home crowd on this chilly Leicester evening as Geoff Parling’s men did everything Leinster knew they could. They excelled in the dirty work, the stuff that takes no talent. They tackled hard, and at times, right on the edges of the law. Cue James Lowe shoving Adam Radwan over the touchline and into the advertising boards in retaliation.
A view of a scrum. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
They made life uncomfortable for Leinster and in the first half, made the most of their limited chances. By half time the team which sit fourth in the Prem, who were missing a chunk of their own Test stars, were 15-6 up and loving it.
That opening 40 brought so many of the errors and issues the province had hoped to stamp out of their game following last weekend’s scratchy display against Harlequins. Their accuracy was off – Harry Byrne kicking out on the full, a Lowe pass to Rónan Kelleher failing to connect with space to attack. Their scrum was messy. Their defence too open.
They had started with intent, Byrne shaping a crossfield kick to Jack Conan in the opening minutes. Conan collected the ball only to be met, hard, by the onrushing Freddie Steward. Penalty, no card, and Conan off for a HIA which he would subsequently fail. Having also lost Tadhg Furlong to illness before kickoff, two minutes it, Leinster were now without two of their named starting 15.
Accuracy, of lack of, prevented them taking an early lead. A rehearsed lineout move saw Kelleher throw deep to Robbie Henshaw, who tapped down to Tommy O’Brien – a lá Jack Conan and Keith Earls. The winger went through to score but Henshaw was deemed to have been offside.
Leinster’s James Ryan with Ollie Hassell-Collins of Leicester. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Leinster then lost Jimmy O’Brien to injury, meaning Ciarán Frawley came in early at fullback. The Skerries man quickly made his presence felt with a smart break, triggering the move which ended with Lowe and Radwan getting acquainted as their teammates rushed in to break up/join in with the pushing and shoving.
Fifteen minutes in Leinster were still scoreless, and so pointed to the posts when another penalty came their way, Byrne kicking his first three of the night.
Tigers’ chances were few and far between, an early venture in the Leinster 22 ending with Leinster forcing them over the sideline. Another brought a scrum penalty against Paddy McCarthy, allowing Billy Searle level the game.
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With 20 minutes on the clock that was it, the teams trading one penalty each, a frustrating return for Leinster given they had enjoyed 61% possession and 75% territory.
Then the first move against the grain. Leinster were building play in the Tigers 22 but Robbie Henshaw lost the ball in contact. Radwan snapped onto it, three kicks and a long sprint keeping him just ahead of the chasing Lowe before the winger dived on the ball to score. Welford Road erupted, Searle added a fine conversion, and Welford Road erupted again.
Adam Radwan celebrates his try. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
The pace of the contest dropped, which suited those in green and red. Leinster won another couple of penalties and Byrne clipped over another three.
The first half was petering out before Tigers found another spark. Searle aimed a crossfield at Ollie Hassell-Collins, who met the dropping ball with his boot. Lowe couldn’t reposition himself to deal with it and instead took some of the sting out of the volley while batting the ball into Hassell-Collins path. The Leicester man did the rest. This time Searle’s conversion attempt was off target but as they teams jogged off Leicester led by nine.
Could they hold it?
Leinster refreshed their front row by sending in Dan Sheehan eight minutes after the restart. Minutes later Sheehan was in a scrum which Leicester failed to hook. The ball squirted lose and Jamison Gibson-Park was first on the scene, taking possession and slicing past a handful of defenders to score. Byrne’s conversion cut the deficit to two.
Leicester, guilty of plenty errors themselves, were fighting like dogs. Joe McCarthy was held up over the tryline by Nicky Smith. On Leinster’s next attack, Leicester won a penalty at the breakdown on the edge of their 22. The supporters at the far of the ground hadn’t seen the ball in an age.
Leinster were turning the screw, the bench making a notable impact. Rabah Slimani received the plaudits as Leicester were penalised for pulling down the scrum, and Byrne had the tee in his hand again. His kick, on the hour, pushed Leinster into a one-point lead.
Yet they never looked fully comfortable. Henshaw spilled another ball forward on first-phase. Gibson-Park and Deegan got their wires crossed and threw a pass out of play.
Entering the final 10 minutes, a penalty for offside, after good chasing by Rieko Ioane, gave the visitors a 5m lineout. James Ryan claimed Sheehan’s throw, the hooker joined the maul, and burrowed his way through to score. Prendergast converted and Leinster led by eight. A chorus of boos rumbled through the main stand. Those boos rose again, bleeding into chants of Tigers, Tigers, as Joe McCarthy collected his player of the match award.
Leicester made Leinster work their win, but for the second week running, the province walked off the pitch wondering if they could have made life a little easier for themselves.
Leicester scorers:
Tries – Radwan, Hassell-Collins
Penalties – Searle [1/2]
Conversion – Searle [1/2]
Leinster scorers:
Tries – Gibson-Park, Sheehan
Penalties – Byrne [3/3]
Conversions – Byrne [1/1], Prendergast [1/1]
LEICESTER TIGERS: Freddie Steward; Adam Radwan, Will Wand (Joe Woodward, 76), Solomone Kata (Orlando Bailey, 61), Ollie Hassell-Collins; Billy Searle, Tom Whiteley (Ollie Allan, 61); Nicky Smith (Archie van der Flier, 61), Jamie Blamire (Finn Theobald-Thomas, 67), Joe Heyes (Will Hurd, 67); Cameron Henderson, Harry Wells (Sam Williams, 67); James Thompson, Tommy Reffell (capt), Joaquin Moro.
LEINSTER: Jimmy O’Brien (Ciarán Frawley, 12); Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Harry Byrne (Sam Prendergast, 62), Jamison Gibson-Park (Luke McGrath, 76); Paddy McCarthy (Jack Boyle, 59), Rónan Kelleher (Dan Sheehan, 48), Thomas Clarkson (Rabah Slimani, 59); Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Jack Conan (Max Deegan, 2 HIA), Josh van der Flier (Diarmuid Mangan,, 76), Caelan Doris (capt).
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Leinster claw back Tigers to win fiery clash at Welford Road
Leicester Tigers 15
Leinster 23
THERE’S STILL A charm to Welford Road. It’s tight, in your face, and when the Tigers are purring, it’s loud. It’s one of those grounds where the coaching boxes are not quite boxes, just a couple of benches squared off within the crowd. The type of ground where the players have to skip through a short run of the concourse as they move between the dressing rooms and the pitch. Hence Caelan Doris, among others, found himself stopped to sign a couple of jerseys for home fans as he came in from his warm-up.
Leinster were a big draw for the Leicester crowd, a team stacked full of Ireland internationals and Lions tourists. Before kick-off two members of the English media asked for clarification on the pronunciation of Diarmuid Mangan’s first name. Mangan was the only member of the Leinster 23 who is not a full international. At half time it was announced the visiting squad had signed a jersey to be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to support former Leicester player Lewis Moody, who is battling motor neurone disease.
Leicester also used to be a Champions Cup heavyweight, and while they still hold that proud history closely, the current crop are not among the frontrunners to win this competition. So imagine the feeling surging through the home crowd on this chilly Leicester evening as Geoff Parling’s men did everything Leinster knew they could. They excelled in the dirty work, the stuff that takes no talent. They tackled hard, and at times, right on the edges of the law. Cue James Lowe shoving Adam Radwan over the touchline and into the advertising boards in retaliation.
They made life uncomfortable for Leinster and in the first half, made the most of their limited chances. By half time the team which sit fourth in the Prem, who were missing a chunk of their own Test stars, were 15-6 up and loving it.
That opening 40 brought so many of the errors and issues the province had hoped to stamp out of their game following last weekend’s scratchy display against Harlequins. Their accuracy was off – Harry Byrne kicking out on the full, a Lowe pass to Rónan Kelleher failing to connect with space to attack. Their scrum was messy. Their defence too open.
They had started with intent, Byrne shaping a crossfield kick to Jack Conan in the opening minutes. Conan collected the ball only to be met, hard, by the onrushing Freddie Steward. Penalty, no card, and Conan off for a HIA which he would subsequently fail. Having also lost Tadhg Furlong to illness before kickoff, two minutes it, Leinster were now without two of their named starting 15.
Accuracy, of lack of, prevented them taking an early lead. A rehearsed lineout move saw Kelleher throw deep to Robbie Henshaw, who tapped down to Tommy O’Brien – a lá Jack Conan and Keith Earls. The winger went through to score but Henshaw was deemed to have been offside.
Leinster then lost Jimmy O’Brien to injury, meaning Ciarán Frawley came in early at fullback. The Skerries man quickly made his presence felt with a smart break, triggering the move which ended with Lowe and Radwan getting acquainted as their teammates rushed in to break up/join in with the pushing and shoving.
Fifteen minutes in Leinster were still scoreless, and so pointed to the posts when another penalty came their way, Byrne kicking his first three of the night.
Tigers’ chances were few and far between, an early venture in the Leinster 22 ending with Leinster forcing them over the sideline. Another brought a scrum penalty against Paddy McCarthy, allowing Billy Searle level the game.
With 20 minutes on the clock that was it, the teams trading one penalty each, a frustrating return for Leinster given they had enjoyed 61% possession and 75% territory.
Then the first move against the grain. Leinster were building play in the Tigers 22 but Robbie Henshaw lost the ball in contact. Radwan snapped onto it, three kicks and a long sprint keeping him just ahead of the chasing Lowe before the winger dived on the ball to score. Welford Road erupted, Searle added a fine conversion, and Welford Road erupted again.
The pace of the contest dropped, which suited those in green and red. Leinster won another couple of penalties and Byrne clipped over another three.
The first half was petering out before Tigers found another spark. Searle aimed a crossfield at Ollie Hassell-Collins, who met the dropping ball with his boot. Lowe couldn’t reposition himself to deal with it and instead took some of the sting out of the volley while batting the ball into Hassell-Collins path. The Leicester man did the rest. This time Searle’s conversion attempt was off target but as they teams jogged off Leicester led by nine.
Could they hold it?
Leinster refreshed their front row by sending in Dan Sheehan eight minutes after the restart. Minutes later Sheehan was in a scrum which Leicester failed to hook. The ball squirted lose and Jamison Gibson-Park was first on the scene, taking possession and slicing past a handful of defenders to score. Byrne’s conversion cut the deficit to two.
Leicester, guilty of plenty errors themselves, were fighting like dogs. Joe McCarthy was held up over the tryline by Nicky Smith. On Leinster’s next attack, Leicester won a penalty at the breakdown on the edge of their 22. The supporters at the far of the ground hadn’t seen the ball in an age.
Leinster were turning the screw, the bench making a notable impact. Rabah Slimani received the plaudits as Leicester were penalised for pulling down the scrum, and Byrne had the tee in his hand again. His kick, on the hour, pushed Leinster into a one-point lead.
Yet they never looked fully comfortable. Henshaw spilled another ball forward on first-phase. Gibson-Park and Deegan got their wires crossed and threw a pass out of play.
Entering the final 10 minutes, a penalty for offside, after good chasing by Rieko Ioane, gave the visitors a 5m lineout. James Ryan claimed Sheehan’s throw, the hooker joined the maul, and burrowed his way through to score. Prendergast converted and Leinster led by eight. A chorus of boos rumbled through the main stand. Those boos rose again, bleeding into chants of Tigers, Tigers, as Joe McCarthy collected his player of the match award.
Leicester made Leinster work their win, but for the second week running, the province walked off the pitch wondering if they could have made life a little easier for themselves.
Leicester scorers:
Tries – Radwan, Hassell-Collins
Penalties – Searle [1/2]
Conversion – Searle [1/2]
Leinster scorers:
Tries – Gibson-Park, Sheehan
Penalties – Byrne [3/3]
Conversions – Byrne [1/1], Prendergast [1/1]
LEICESTER TIGERS: Freddie Steward; Adam Radwan, Will Wand (Joe Woodward, 76), Solomone Kata (Orlando Bailey, 61), Ollie Hassell-Collins; Billy Searle, Tom Whiteley (Ollie Allan, 61); Nicky Smith (Archie van der Flier, 61), Jamie Blamire (Finn Theobald-Thomas, 67), Joe Heyes (Will Hurd, 67); Cameron Henderson, Harry Wells (Sam Williams, 67); James Thompson, Tommy Reffell (capt), Joaquin Moro.
LEINSTER: Jimmy O’Brien (Ciarán Frawley, 12); Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Harry Byrne (Sam Prendergast, 62), Jamison Gibson-Park (Luke McGrath, 76); Paddy McCarthy (Jack Boyle, 59), Rónan Kelleher (Dan Sheehan, 48), Thomas Clarkson (Rabah Slimani, 59); Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Jack Conan (Max Deegan, 2 HIA), Josh van der Flier (Diarmuid Mangan,, 76), Caelan Doris (capt).
Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra).
Attendance: 18,061.
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Champions Cup Leinster Rugby Leicester Tigers