My Quins are no door Mat
TABAI: WE’RE TOO TOUGH TO ROLL OVER FOR THE TITLE
Harlequins 26
By ADAM HATHAWAY HARLEQUINS boss Tabai Matson reckons his team passed their toughest test of the season by downing leaders Leicester and taking another step towards the play-offs.
Giant South African centre Andre Esterhuizen put in a power display and scored the game-breaking try.
Knocked out of Europe last weekend by Montpellier, reigning champions Quins proved they won’t give up their domestic title without a scrap.
The win puts Quins level on points with Saracens and keeps their prospects of having a home semi-final alive.
Esterhuizen’s 74th-minute
Leicester 20
score snatched the lead back after Freddie Burns had nailed a penalty after taking over the kicking from George Ford. Marcus Smith’s late penalty sealed it.
Matson (below) said: “You have to respect them for what they do. They won 17 games and they’ve set the way as they’re so consistent.
“Even today they were leading with a few minutes left and they just showed how difficult they are to put away.”
Ellis Genge, Jasper Wiese, Dan Cole and Chris Ashton were all benched by Tigers and although the first three swayed the game after the break they could not get the visitors home.
Matson added: “The good teams take momentum and when the bench came on they won four penalties in a row and scored a try and you knew it was coming. Stopping it is really difficult even if you know it’s coming.”
Leicester are still fighting on three fronts – the league, the Premiership Cup and the Champions Cup where they face Leinster in the quarter-finals on May 7. Stuart Lancaster, the exEngland boss who is now at the Irish province, was at the ground on a spying mission.
Boss Steve Borthwick said: “If you go back 18 months could you have possibly imagined Leicester Tigers would be in this position? You will not get one word of complaint from me. I want to play as many games as possible and give the supporters something to cheer about.”
Quins came out firing with Esterhuizen busting the defensive line twice before prop Will Collier scored after a top pick-up from Alex Dombrandt.
Tigers hit back through Nemani Nadolo’s brush off of a poor tackle by Louis Lynagh and Cadan Murley and Hanro Liebenberg swapped tries to make it 12-12 on the half hour.
Smith gave Quins a half-time lead but Tigers rolled out big guns and Wiese rolled over to score on 56 minutes. HARLEQUINS: Tries: Collier, Murley, Esterhuizen. Con: Smith. Pens: Smith (3).
LEICESTER: Tries: Nadolo, Liebenberg, Wiese. Con: Ford.
Pen: Burns.