| Harlequins: (7) 19 |
| Tries: David, Walker, Inexperienced Cons: J Evans 2 |
| Leicester: (10) 20 |
| Tries: Wiese, Brown Pens: Pollard 2 Cons: Pollard 2 |
Mike Brown scored a decisive attempt as Leicester beat his outdated facet Harlequins to cease them going prime of the desk.
Tigers’ Handre Pollard kicked a penalty and transformed a Jasper Wiese attempt earlier than Quins hit again by Nick David to path by three factors on the break.
A Jack Walker rating edged Quins forward earlier than Brown crossed below the posts.
One other Pollard penalty proved key, as Jarrod Evans didn’t convert a last-gasp Tyrone Inexperienced attempt that will have gained it for the hosts.
The dramatic ending lifts Tigers into the Premiership’s prime six for the primary time this season, giving their semi-final aspirations an enormous increase earlier than a two-month break in league motion to accommodate the Six Nations.
With each side making quite a few modifications due to the unavailability of worldwide gamers, there have been various debuts and firsts throughout the park at Twickenham Stoop.
Joe Launchbury led Quins as captain for the primary time, whereas fourth-choice tight-head Dan Richardson began within the league for the primary time for Tigers.
After a stuttered and at occasions low-quality begin in London, two-time World Cup-winning South Africa fly-half Pollard put Tigers forward with a Sixteenth-minute penalty.
A wonderful break from Ollie Hassell-Collins from the midway line was instrumental in turning that right into a 10-point lead quickly after.
Whereas the preliminary raid on the road ended with a attempt being chalked off for a ahead cross, a penalty benefit saved Leicester on the assault with a line-out.
And Wiese took full benefit with a strong end within the nook as he peeled off the maul.
Quins, nonetheless, hit again with their first and solely critical assault of the primary 40 minutes, as David completed a breakaway that was began by Evans in his personal half.
Andre Esterhuizen scythed by Tigers’ defence and appeared to place the hosts forward early within the second half, just for his effort to be disallowed for offside.
It was an early trace of the stress Quins would pile on Tigers, who finally buckled on their line as Walker crashed over from a maul.
Their benefit was short-lived, as former Quins favorite Brown – who gained a Premiership title and European Problem Cup throughout his 16 years with them – completed one other explosive transfer instigated by Hassell-Collins.
Pollard slotted his fourth kick of the night time to provide Dan McKellar’s Tigers a six-point lead late on, however when Inexperienced managed to cross to euphoric scenes with simply seconds remaining it appeared Evans would seal victory with the boot.
However he made a large number of a seemingly easy conversion, leaving all at Twickenham Stoop surprised as second-placed Quins didn’t make it 5 consecutive wins in all competitions.
‘Tigers stay effectively and really in hunt’ – response
Harlequins teaching coordinator Danny Wilson informed BBC Radio London:
“I commend the muse of our effort, struggle and spirit to get again into the sport and to get ourselves right into a place the place we might have gained it on the finish.
That’s the constructive, however the damaging is that we made too many errors in a bunch of areas the place, maybe, we now have been much more strong.
“We clearly lacked a little bit of cohesion with a whole lot of combos in key positions that have not performed any rugby collectively, not to mention a lot rugby collectively. So I feel that, in these key positions, with the expertise that maybe that they had in these game-controlling positions led to them commanding the kicking recreation.
“It was a irritating night time, however like I stated it was various new faces which have proven the identical Harlequins spirit and struggle that’s essential to us, and we are going to construct on that going into the subsequent video games.”
Leicester Tigers head coach Dan McKellar informed BBC Radio Leicester:
“It was nervous, undoubtedly, and disappointing that it needed to come all the way down to that kick as a result of I assumed we performed very well tonight for lengthy intervals of time.
“We must always have had it wrapped up earlier. However I am simply wrapped for the boys that after 23 weeks on the trot they will go right into a 10-day break feeling fairly good about themselves and we’re nonetheless effectively and really within the hunt.
“It will have been shattering to have needed to stroll down and decide the boys up if we did lose that recreation, however typically you do want a little bit of luck. And we had been most likely due just a little, to be sincere.”
Harlequins: Inexperienced; David, Joseph, Esterhuizen, Lynagh; Evans, Inexperienced; Baxter, Walker, Collier; Launchbury (capt), Herbst, Hammond, Evans, Chisholm.
Replacements: Riley, Garcia Botta, Lewis, Clark, White, Gjaltema, Edwards, Murley.
Leicester Tigers: Shillcock; Brown, Kelly, Kata, Hassell-Collins; Pollard, Whiteley; Cronin, Montoya (capt), Richardson; Wells, Hatherell, Liebenberg, Cracknell, Wiese.
Replacements: Theobold-Thomas, Whitcombe, Hoyt, Carter, Rogerson, Carnduff, Youngs, Scott.
Referee: Tom Foley.
