Handrè Pollard edges Leicester past Gloucester despite Llewellyn hat-trick

10/20/2024 12:29 PM

• Leicester 29-26 Gloucester
• Pollard contributes 14 points to guide Tigers to win

Sometimes it helps having a double World Cup winner in your side. There are numerous reasons why Leicester Tigers overturned an 11-point deficit to win a thrilling contest against Gloucester under blue skies and swirling winds. Their experienced bench played a role, as did greater accuracy in the backline after a disjointed opening. They rode their luck on occasion and it did not hurt playing against the most porous defence in the league. But a key factor was the presence of Handré Pollard at fly-half who scored a crucial try at the start of the second half while kicking nine points in a three-point win.

The Springbok pivot missed for the first time this season on 23 minutes when he failed to convert Ollie Hassell-Collins' wonder finish. But that miss felt costly at the time as a little while later Max Llewellyn bagged his second and Gloucester's third to take a healthy 19-8 lead into the break. This was not what an expectant home crowd had anticipated.