Flawless Burns puts Leicester in play-offs

Leicester’s chaotic season is not over yet. Victory here maintained their 100 per cent record of qualifying for the Premiership play-offs and they will make the short trip down the M69 to play Wasps in two weeks’ time.

Leicester’s top-four finish was achieved against considerable odds, having made life complicated for themselves by chopping and changing their coaching team in the second half of the season. Since Richard Cockerill was axed as director of rugby following a home defeat by Saracens on New Year’s Day, Leicester have been coached by Aaron Mauger, Geordan Murphy – a brief interim appointment – and now by Matt O’Connor.

It is hardly a formula for success but Leicester have muddled through, winning the Anglo Welsh Cup and securing fourth. Despite the off-field distractions, Leicester’s players have remained focused on their rugby and they deserve credit for turning around a season that was threatening to disintegrate around them.

More will be required if Leicester are to reach the final for the first time in four years and they cannot expect Wasps to be as profligate in attack as Worcester were here. Worcester outscored Leicester three tries to one but they squandered several more scoring opportunities and allowed Freddie Burns to kick Leicester to victory by scoring 23 points, including six penalties, in a flawless display.

“If you don’t tackle against Wasps you don’t win,” said O’Connor. “There have been a couple of really good examples where teams have shut them out with a massive defensive effort.

“That’s what it’s going to take. They have got as good as there is in the game in certain positions. You’ve got two very good nines, you’ve got Gopperth, you’ve got Beale, you’ve got Daly and Wade.”

Despite their lowly position, Worcester stretched Leicester, a reflection of how far they have progressed since Gary Gold arrived as director of rugby in January. “We could have won the game, no doubt about that. We didn’t but the next best prize is to put in a performance that we can be proud of,” Gold said.

“We needed to put in a strong performance and that was a strong performance against a top-four team.”

Leicester breached Worcester’s defence only once when Tom Youngs was driven over from a line-out but Burns’ kicking helped them to recover from a rocky period either side of half time when Worcester’s backs clicked and Chris Pennell and Bryce Heem crossed.

Burns kept finding the target, including a dropped goal, but Ryan Mills missed two penalties and a conversion before Worcester handed the kicking duties to Ryan Lamb, who was unable to convert Wynand Olivier’s try.

There was an emotional farewell for Worcester’s former England flanker Phil Dowson in his 262nd and final Premiership appearance before taking up a coaching role with Northampton.