TIGERS WIN IN THE RAIN: Leicester 22 - 16 Harlequins

A close game in adverse weather conditions left Harlequins trailing 22 – 16 to Leicester Tigers at Welford Road and fortunate to come away with a losing bonus point and retain sixth place in the table.

A substantial downpour of rain before the game ensured a wet pitch and ball and the rain resumed from the start of the second half. The Quins’ forwards were under pressure at the set piece and the penalty count rose steadily against the visitors. An early Leicester counter attack, started by Tait and quick passing eventually creating an overlap on the right wing allowed Scully to run in a try in the fourth minute and open a lead that Quins were never able to wrest back.

A penalty allowed Nick Evans to open Quins’ score but almost immediately that was countered by Owen Williams’s successful kick from halfway. Each succeeded with a further kick, making the score 13 – 6 as the first quarter ended. Worse might have followed as Quins lost a lineout and then Browne failed to control a high ball and there was Goneva sprinting for a certain try in the corner only for a superb tackle by Matt Hopper to take him into touch just a yard short of the line,

In what remained of the half Williams missed twice from the tee and Evans too missed once. Finally Williams added a further three points to the Leicester total to bring the score to 16 – 6 at the interval.

The second half saw the welcome return to rugby of George Lowe after an absence of a year through injury, in place of Casson. An early exchange of successful penalties moved the score to 19 – 9 before Williams first missed and then scored again. With ten minutes remaining Quins kicked a penalty to the corner to give them a five metre lineout and effectively their first real attacking position inside the Leicester twenty-two.

There followed a determined period of pressure on the Leicester line with the almost inevitable result of a try when Karl Dickson dived through a gap from close quarters/ Evans added the extras and Quins were left to defend the losing bonus point. Williams had a penalty that might have deprived them, but missed. Quins saw time out.

“We didn’t play the game in the right part of the pitch and we didn’t deal with their kicking game,” Harlequins’ director of rugby Conor O’Shea said. “That is the disappointing thing because in conditions like that, your set-piece has to function. It is pretty patent that we are not playing as well as we can but we will work hard until we turn it around and we will.”

Leicester Tigers Tait; Scully, Tuilagi, Williams, Goneva; Burns, Youngs (Mele, 71); Rizzo (Ayerza, 46), Ghiraldini, Balmain, Thorn, Kitchener, Gibson, Salvi, Crane.

Harlequins Brown; Yarde, Hopper, Casson (Lowe, 40), Tikoirotuma; Evans, Dickson; Marler, Ward (Gray, 19), Collier (Sinckler, 66), Matthews, Robson, Wallace, Robshaw, Easter.

Referee T Wigglesworth (RFU). Attendance 21,510