Debutants shine in winning start for Tigers
SCRUM-HALF WIGGLESWORTH SCORES ONE TRY AND MAKES TWO WHILE WIESE ALSO IMPRESSES
VETERAN Richard Wigglesworth scored one and helped create two other tries as Leicester Tigers made a winning start to life without Geordan Murphy.
The Premiership’s record appearance maker provided a welcome shift of the doom and gloom narrative surrounding the fallen giants of English rugby.
In little over a week, Tigers saw Murphy’s 23-year association with the club end with immediate effect before training could finally resume on Tuesday after a 12-day break due to Covid-19 reasons.
But their cohesive performance defied logic given their chaotic preparations.
First half tries from Kobus van Wyk, Tom Youngs and Wigglesworth established a lead that lacklustre Gloucester never looked like wrestling back, despite scores either side of half-time by James Hanson and Joe Simpson.
Forward dominance and keeping the scoreboard ticking over through Henry’s accurate boot kept Tigers on top before hooker Charlie Clare drove over for a deserved bonus point-sealing score late on.
Tigers’ first try of the season is one that will take some beating.
Wigglesworth fed Australian wing wizard Harry Potter down the blindside but inside his own 22.
With the freedom of penalty advantage, Henry launched a looping wide pass which van Wyk advanced into the Gloucester half.
More magic from Wigglesworth exposed a numbers advantage in a narrow channel allowing van Wyk to waltz home almost apologetically to open his Tigers’ tryscoring account.
The second score that swiftly followed was from a more familiar method for Tigers supporters as Youngs drove over with force in front of the terraced Breedon Stand.
Former Tigers back Billy Twelvetrees got Gloucester on the scoreboard with a routine penalty but it didn’t wrestle back any momentum.
Buoyed by the back row brilliance of Tommy Reffell and Jasper Wiese, the home side were repelling Gloucester’s advances and looked dangerous on the counter.
Henry was influential again, attacking the gainline and offloading to Jaco Taute to free Potter down the left wing.
His grubber was pure footballing brilliance, allowing Wigglesworth time and space to scoop up for his first Tigers try.
Henry’s penalty stretched the lead further before Gloucester hooker James Hanson scrambled over in the corner to narrow Tigers’ lead to 22-8 at the break.
Joe Simpson’s converted try after the restart closed it to a onescore game and created tension within the Tigers ranks that was eased as the forwards turned the screw with Freddie Clarke being yellow carded for an offence close to his own line.
Henry’s two successful penalties kept Gloucester at an arm’s length before Clare’s score ensured maximum points and Argentinian Joaquin Diaz Bonilla landed the game’s last points with a penalty to stretch the winning margin to a rather handsome 23 points.
Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick praised the character of his players for overcoming adversity to kick off their 2020/21 season with a bonus point victory.
He said: “I’m obviously pleased. Pleased with the result. There’s plenty of things there for us to build upon. I think there’s also plenty there for us to improve upon as well.
“I am pleased with the start. There’s plenty of areas there within the game we need to manage and there will be lessons for us.
“I will make sure we will look at the tape and study it very, very closely. I am very pleased with the victory.
“I am always adamant, whether it’s a victory or a defeat or a draw, we’ve got to understand that there’s lessons in there and I certainly don’t accept in a victory what I wouldn’t accept in a defeat.
“So we will build upon the things we can build upon and we will learn the lessons from it as we move forward this next week.”
Borthwick said he was proud of his players’ performance after the disruption to their preparations caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
“The players have had plenty of challenges put towards them over the last few weeks and never once has any player shied away from those challenges.
“The character of the players shone through.
“Once you’ve got players with that type of character, it means an enormous amount for this club going forward.”