Tigers finally turn
ENGLAND STARS MAKE A SUPERB IMPACT AS LEICESTER SEE OFF BRIVE IN CHALLENGE CUP
LEICESTER Tigers left it late to secure a bonus-point victory over lowly French visitors Brive at Welford Road last night.
Steve Borthwick’s side were priced at 1/250 on to win the game but were only eight points up at the break courtesy of Tom Youngs’ try and three penalties from Joaquin Diaz Bonilla.
After the break, the returning Test stars of Ellis Genge, Ben Youngs and George Ford were summoned from the bench to devastating effect as scrum-half Youngs scored a try with 16 minutes remaining.
Wesley Douglas’ reply for Brive threatened to make a game of it before Cyle Brink’s close-range effort and a surging run from Nemani Nadolo, fresh from scoring a hat-trick on his international return for Fiji, secured the bonus point to start Tigers’ European Challenge Cup on a winning note.
Having endured a shaky start to life in Tigers colours in Gallagher Premiership action, Bonilla gave them a third-minute lead with a looping penalty from 45 metres out.
It was a strong start but not one the hosts would build upon as errors mounted and Brive’s slick line-out allowed the platform to attack in the right areas.
Twice Tigers gave away penalties under the posts in the 10th and 18th minutes which Enzo Herve confidently struck to give Brive a lead that was cancelled out by Bonilla’s second effort from
the tee. Through the powerful ball carrying of Jasper Wiese and Jordan Taufua, Tigers were making in-roads as Ben White and Bonilla continually punted kicks into the dark sky that proved increasingly
effective as Brive struggled to deal with them efficiently.
Eight minutes from the break, Tigers turned down a third kick at goal and opted to go for the corner.
It proved to be a shrewd decision as captain Tom Youngs peeled off a powerful maul to score near to the corner flag.
Bonilla hit the woodwork with the conversion but was successful with a third penalty as Tigers took a 14-6 lead into the break.
A Ford penalty and two more successful kicks from Herve kept the game in the balance before Tigers began to turn the screw.
Ford’s pass tight to the line saw Hanro Liebenberg break free as debutant Matias Moroni cut a diagonal line before offloading sublimely to Ben Youngs to score in the corner.
It wasn’t to be a cruise home at that stage as impressive young full-back Freddie Steward fumbled a high kick and Brive pounced for Wesley Douglas to score and reduce the deficit to eight points.
But with Genge and South African debutant tighthead prop Luan de Bruin on the pitch either side of replacement hooker Charlie Clare, Tigers dominated the scrums, earning a succession of penalties.
Genge tapped a close-range effort going inches from the line before Brink spotted a gap to pounce over.
Then, with the last play of the game, Ford returned a kick down the blindside and there was no stopping Nadolo from 20 metres out to earn maximum points for his side.