Tigers slay Dragons in warm up for new season
VISITORS FIGHT BACK TO RUN THE HOSTS CLOSE
LEICESTER Tigers claimed their second pre-season victory by overcoming the Dragons 35-28 in an entertaining clash at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Fresh from defeating Jersey Reds eight days previously, Tigers moved 21 points ahead at the break as Freddie Steward, Nic Dolly and Jack van Poortvliet all landed tries.
Former British and Irish Lions hooker Richard Hibbard got the Dragons’ first points after the break and was followed over the line by Sam Davies as both sets of coaches rotated their squads.
Despite a second score from Steward, the Dragons levelled the scores with two more in the final quarter before Nemani Nadolo dived in for the last of the day’s nine tries.
Hanro Liebenberg, Dan Kelly and Steward were among the players given a first run of the summer while Dragons, who begin their season a week later than Tigers and were having their first warmup game, including on-loan Jordan Olowofela and fellow Tigers academy graduate Joe Maksymiw among their matchday 29 selected by boss Dean Ryan.
The first real opening of the afternoon came when Hosea Saumaki kicked ahead on the left but the bounce beat him and Dragons soon showed their pace on a counter-attack which took full-back Jordan Williams almost to the tryline.
Tommy Reffell, though, backed up the scrambling defence and snuffed out the threat as he got over the ball in front of the posts.
The breakthrough came after a break by scrum-half van Poortvliet took Tigers forward again and when he then wriggled free in attack moments later, he had support
with him which allowed Freddie Burns to find Steward who scored on the right.
The fly-half added a perfect conversion for a seven-point lead on 20 minutes.
Harry Potter almost instantly added a second and, although Tigers lost possession in the try zone, it was the replacement wing who reacted quickest to win a penalty as he contested possession.
This time the forwards kept ball and hooker Dolly was able to find the tryline.
Burns added a second kick as Tigers doubled their advantage.
They had a fortunate break from the restart as Dragons attacked down the left, only to be called for an accidental offside as space opened up, and the response came quickly as van Poortvliet picked his way to the try line close to the same touchline.
A third successful kick from Burns made it 21-0 and it stayed that way up to half-time as Tigers successfully defended a Dragons set-piece just five metres out.
Eli Snyman joined the Tigers pack for the start of the second half, with the front row of Tom Youngs, Francois van Wyk and Dan Cole soon joining him.
By that stage, though, Dragons had claimed a try from hooker Hibbard, converted by Sam Davies, to trail 21-7.
Dan Kelly thought he’d scored a fourth try for Tigers, only to be called back for an offence in the build-up, and it was the visitors who celebrated moments later when fly-half Davies intercepted near halfway to run clear and score before adding a conversion to cut the score to 21-14.
Steward broke clear on the left wing to get Tigers rolling again with his second try of the day and Burns added the kick for a 28-14 lead.
Dragons’ replacement scrumhalf Lewis Jones then finished an enterprising attack with their third try and quickly put Olowofela in to score the fourth with the conversion from Davies levelling the scores.
Juan Pablo Socino showed his strength on the ball in fending off a trio of defenders as Tigers looked to get forward again.
When the hosts were awarded a penalty, the set-piece ball gained on the right was finally finished in the left-hand corner by Nemani Nadolo and the touchline conversion from Dan Lancaster took the lead to a decisive seven points.