Leicester rise from their sick beds to floor Quins
From the jubilation at the end of Leicester’s bonus point win, it was hard to believe that the hosts had begun the game just three points from the bottom of the Premiership table.
The atmosphere was intensified by a dash of festive spirit mixed with relief from the Welford Road faithful who had seen their side put an end to their worst run of defeats since 1975.
A brace from newly capped Wales wing Jonah Holmes, who looked dangerous throughout the game, also added gloss to a display which, Paul Gustard, Harlequins head of rugby, described as having all the hallmarks of “old school Leicester”.
Going into the fixture much of the debate had been surrounding the Leicester board’s decision to appoint Geordan Murphy as head coach on a permanent basis after he had stepped in following the exit of Matt O’Connor.
As well as the poor run of results, the Irishman did not have the easiest week in his new role after half the squad and much of the back room staff went down with a bug. Even more remarkable was how Manu Tuilagi and Jonny May, both try scorers, had been struck down with illness. The centre had been bedbound all day on Friday.
With a touch of gallows humour fitting with Leicester’s recent fortunes, Murphy admitted the risk he had taken in cancelling training after Wednesday due to the squad being under-the-weather.
“Thankfully it paid off or it might have been the shortest head coaching role ever,” he admitted. “We needed to get a result.”
Leicester’s England contingent all stepped up considerably on recent club performances with the half-back axis of Ben Youngs and George Ford marshalling the play well. Dan Cole, at tighthead, proved himself as important in Tigers gaining ascendancy at the scrum.
Cole’s work was not lost on Gustard. “There was a bit of skulduggery going on. Particularly Coley’s side. He’s a wise old player, isn’t he? But we’ve got Joe Marler. I expect Joe and Kyle [Sinckler] to solve problems,” Gustard said. “We didn’t always get the rub of the green there and we didn’t always get the rub of the green at the breakdown, either. They were old school Leicester; lying on the wrong side and slowing the ball down.”
Gustard also went so far as saying it was his side’s weakest performance this season and bemoaned Quins’ poor away form. “That was our worst performance by a long way. Leicester were a team who couldn’t win a game and we are a team that can’t win away from home,” he said. “The players have locked themselves in the changing room and talked about what they want to put right.” Ford opened the scoring with a penalty and then looked composed in setting up Holmes for his first try after 13 minutes. However, Harlequins stayed in touch through the boot of Scottish fly-half James Lang who kicked two penalties. Leicester looked to turn the screw after Holmes went over for his second after a lung-busting run from Australian hooker, Tatafu Polota-Nau.
Harlequins looked jaded at times in the second half and Leicester’s pack was superior leading to sustained periods of attack which eventually led to Tuilagi crashing over.
At the hour mark, Quins looked like they might get some return from the game as 19-year-old wing Cadan Murley sprinted over but any hopes of a losing bonus point faded minutes later as Jonny May’s try put his side 16 points ahead. But the visitors received late consolation as Alex Dombrandt went over with just seconds left. Scores 3-0 Ford pen; 8-0 Holmes try; 10-0 Ford con; 10-3 Lang pen; 10-6 Lang pen; 13-6 Ford pen; 18-6 Holmes try; 20-6 Ford con; 20-9 Lang pen; 23-9 Ford pen; 23-12 Lang pen; 28-12 Tuilagi try; 28-17 Murley try; 28-19 Lang con; 33-19 May try; 35-19 Ford con; 35-24 Dombrandt try. Leicester G Worth; J Holmes, M Tuilagi, M Toomua (J Olowofela 75), J May (G Owen 74); G Ford (captain), B Youngs (B White 68); E Genge (C Ma’afu 68), T Polota-Nau (J Kerr 53), D Cole (J Heyes 68), H Wells, W Spencer (M Williams 24), M Fitzgerald, G Thompson (B O’Connor 43), S Kalamafoni. Harlequins M Brown; C Murley, J Marchant, P Lasike (A Alofa 40), N Earle; J Lang (M Smith 69), C Mulchrone (D Lewis 2); J Marler (L Boyce 57), D Ward, K Sinckler (W Collier 57), M Symons, G Merrick (B Glynn 50), A Dombrandt, J Clifford (R Bothma 57), J Chisholm (captain). Referee L Pearce.