Epic second-half comeback gives Leicester the victory against Gloucester
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A tactical change by Tiger's Director Michael Cheika to play to Leicester's 'DNA', more territory and physicality based, helps them get over the line. A hattrick from centre Max Llewellyn gives Gloucester two losing points on the road.
BY Thomas Harrington
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Leicester kept up their streak of opening the scoring first, the fourth week in a row, through a penalty from South-African Handre Pollard inside five minutes.
Minutes later Gloucester hit back with points of their own, a try from Max Llewellyn set up by ex-Leicester man Charlie Atkinson, a great line and step by the centre to get closer to the posts for the conversion. The cherry and whites doubled their try-tally only minutes later, Freddie Thomas sliding over the Welford Road paint to the dismay of a defending Ollie Chessum whose efforts proved not enough.
Ollie Hassell-Collins clawed one try back for Tigers. A heavy carry by Nicky Smith put the host onto the front foot, making noticeable ground with leg drive. Centre Dan Kelly fired his side's back three into action with a direct, long pass into Ollie Hassell-Collins who stepped past his opposite wing Josh Hathaway to score the host's first try.
The visitors extended their lead with a Max Llewellyn brace, another end-to-end Gloucester try. Santiago Carreras got on the end of a box-kick from Tomos Williams, the pair then linked up again, Williams running a support line for the Argentine before the first phase. Quick ball combined with offloads put Gloucester onto the opposite wing, where a Llewellyn dummy left Dan Kelly and Freddie Steward marking the same man on the outside. The visitors with an 8-19 lead at the break.
Déjà vu at Welford Road, a free kick in the same position as last week against Northampton this time around going right with Julian Montoya tapping the ball on the floor before popping the ball to Handre Pollard who spun through one tackle to score for the hosts.
A momentum change as Tigers really turned up the heat, Josh Bassett scoring this time for Leicester. Handre Pollard kickstarting the move with a sensational pass along a sea of cherry and white, picked out by Freddie Steward and a simple score for winger. Pollard added the extras giving his side a three-point lead, 22-19.
Dan Kelly scored Leicester's bonus point try in the 65th minute, a classic Leicester score. Lineout five metres out paired with five phases by Gloucester's sticks, Kelly stretched out and landed on the line in front of the Mattioli Woods stand.
Heartbreak for substitute Seb Blake as he dropped the ball while inside Leicester's try-zone. The hosts causing their own problems as James Cronin is penalised for going across the scrum. Gloucester's number 8, Zach Mercer, taking charge as he sets up the tap and go coming away with fruition through Max Llewellyn for his first Gallagher Premiership hattrick and Gloucester's try bonus point. Full-time Leicester Tigers 29-26 Gloucester.
LEICESTER TIGERS: 29
TRIES: 4 (Hassell-Collins 22', Pollard 42', Bassett 48', Kelly 66')
CONVERSIONS: 3 Pollard (42', 49', 66')
PENALTIES: 1 Pollard (5')
YELLOW CARD: 0
RED CARD: 0
Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward 14 Josh Bassett 13 Dan Kelly 12 Joe Woodward 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins 10 Handre Pollard 9 Jack van Poortvliet 1 Nicky Smith 2 Julian Montoya 3 Joe Heyes 4 Harry Wells 5 Ollie Chessum 6 Hanro Liebenberg 7 Tommy Reffell 8 Olly Cracknell
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare 17 James Cronin 18 Dan Cole 19 Tom Manz 20 Emeka Ilione 21 Ben Youngs 22 Jamie Shilcock 23 Will Wand
GLOUCESTER: 26
TRIES: 4 (Llewellyn 9', 37', 71', Thomas 12')
CONVERSIONS: 3 Carreras (9' 13' 72')
PENALTIES: 0
YELLOW CARD: 0
RED CARD: 0
Gloucester: 15 Santiago Carreras 14 Josh Hathaway 13 Max Llewellyn 12 Seb Atkinson 11 Ioan Jones 10 Charlie Atkinson 9 Tomos Williams 1 Ciaran Knight 2 Jack Singleton 3 Kirill Gotovtsev 4 Arthur Clark 5 Freddie Thomas 6 Jack Clement 7 Lewis Ludlow 8 Zach Mercer
Replacements: 16 Seb Blake 17 Val Rapava Ruskin 18 Afolabi Fasogbon 19 Matias Alemanno 20 Albert Tuisue 21 Harry Taylor 22 Caolan Englefield 23 Louis Hillman-Cooper
MOTM Olly Cracknell
TOTW: Olly Cracknell, Tomos Williams, Max Llewellyn
FIVE MAIN TALKING POINTS:
Michael Cheika's half time talk- Leicester looked a different side after the half-time break, playing to Tigers 'DNA' with more set-pieces and more physicality.
Cheika said: "Running harder, tackling harder, finishing on-top they (Gloucester) can play Footie if you give them the room to do it and then we started to shut them down a little bit and then the game came to us."
Leicester in the red-zone- Michael Cheika's side were clinical in the red-zone especially in the second period ultimately winning the game.
He said: "Getting on the front foot with our physicality to be able to slow Gloucester down legally because the half-back a fine player and he'll torture you if you cant dlow them down enough."
Gloucester's second half errors- Tigers scored twice early in the second half which gave them the grounds to build and build, getting them over the line by the end of the match. Gloucester had their chances on the contrary but knock-ons and simple errors cost them the full five points.
Fifth straight try bonus for Gloucester- With a new brand of attacking rugby, George Skivington's side have scored 17 tries in the opening five rounds of the 24/25 season, with a try-bonus point in every round.
Skivington said: "With all the mistakes we made in the second half I think we were only a couple of plays away from winning that game. I'm pleased with it, we'll keep with it, we let Leicester off a couple times very easily and that's what we have to get better at."
The wind plays a major role- High wind speeds caused some minor errors for both teams but forced Michael Cheika to play a more typical Leicester playstyle, through territory. Cheika said: "Even Polly (Pollard) misjudged one, he thought was going out."
ENGLAND- Will Wand- coming on in the 51st minute the 22-year-old impressed on the wing, normally a centre, with quick acceleration he put Tigers on the front foot every time the ball came his way.
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