Report: Tigers triumph in 22-25 comeback at Irish
A late Handre Pollard penalty secured a 22-25 comeback victory for Leicester Tigers over London Irish in a thrilling Gallagher Premiership battle in Brentford.
Three tries in the opening eight minutes saw Olly Cracknell’s score for the visitors cancelled out by tries from Tom Pearson and Joe Powell. Leicester scored their second through Jasper Wiese yet the Exiles’ kept their noses in front with a 17-14 lead at the break.
But it was Leicester’s ‘Dad’s Army’ that prevailed in the second half as they made their experience count. Harry Potter’s try and three points from Pollard’s boot was enough to overcome a try from Chandler Cunningham-South and move the reigning champions to within a point of the playoff spots.
In their first ever first Saturday night clash under the lights in Brentford, Irish were keen to make the most of the occasion against the defending champions. As the teams entered the fray the floodlights descended and the music boomed. To steal a phrase from David Croft: lights out and away we go.
You could be forgiven for thinking the game was destined to see Leicester dominate after the first two minutes. The visitors were clinical as they flew out the blocks to thunder over through flanker Cracknell for the opening score.
The spirits of the Exiles crowd were dampened, yet this didn’t last for long. As one 7 went over at one end, Irish’s Tom Pearson was next on the scoresheet. A break from Lucio Cinti down the right wing was offloaded to Rory Jennings, his pass to the supporting Ben Loader getting Irish with touching distance. A switch of direction and Pearson found the gap to match Leicester’s electric start.
The hosts kept the pressure going and with some accurate and clinical attacking shapes from the set piece. Slick interplay between Jackson and Rory Jennings allowed the ball to swing from touchline to touchline, a Benhard van Rensburg line cutting back unlocking the the Leicester defence for Joe Powell’s first try for the club.
However, the reigning champions refused to let the game get away from them. Jasper Wiese bundled his way over in the 18th minute, and despite Irish looking far more settled Leicester levelled the scores at 14-14.
Harry Potter’s yellow card for a deliberate knock on 20 minutes gave Irish a window. They caused Leicester’s defence plenty of problems through their set piece attack with Jennings pulling the strings at second receiver, yet with only three extra points on the board it was an opportunity missed.
Tigers ended the half on the ascendency with two disallowed tries, a knock on running up to Mike Brown’s touchdown and Cracknell’s double movement preventing the visitors soaring ahead and deepening their first-half frustrations.
After the break the tides turned once again as Irish prowled the visitors line. There was ten minutes of consistent pressure from the host’s but Leicester refused to crack, the eventual holding on penalty won under their own posts met with ferocious roars of celebration.
After that Leicester set up camp in the Irish half and began to take control. George Turner and company forced two charge down’s on Powell’s box kicks in the 52nd minute to press home their advantage.
They eventually prevailed in the 56th minute through Harry Potter, the winger finishing a slick Leicester move in the left corner to add five points to their scoresheet and nudge themselves back ahead.
Leicester tried to take full control of the game yet Irish were unrelenting as they unleased their bench. There was an immediate impact with the introduction of youngster Cunningham-South, his aggression in defence winning an Irish penalty before a pick and go from the scrum, brushing aside Handro Liebenberg to reply for the hosts in the 61st minute.
The score put Irish 22-19 ahead, but a succession of Pollard penalties soon reversed this once again. Three points in the 66th minute and another three five minutes later gave the visitors a slender lead with a little time left on the clock.
The Exile crowd were vociferous in support of the host’s, but a Leicester side packed with experience were not going to let their lead slip with ease. An Irish driving lineout inside the Tigers 22 promised one final chance, but the Leicester pack scurried away with the ball as the clock went red.
In a constantly changing table tonight’s result means Leicester leapfrog Irish into 5th, trailing 4th place Gloucester by a single point with five games left in the regular season. Irish sit in 6th on 36 points, yet the five teams below them each have at least a game in hand.
