Leicester Tigers 22-19 Harlequins

Leicester Tigers 22-19 Harlequins: Tigers late try secures narrow win against Quins

  • Leicester edge past Harlequins 22-19 after Laurence Pearce’s late try 
  • Win means Tigers have won two out of two in the Aviva Premiership
  • Quins almost got a winning try in the final minutes, but their pack were held up 
  • Jack Clifford’s try for visitors had given them a 12-13 lead at half-time
Laurence Pearce’s late try completed Leicester’s victory as they came from behind to overcome Harlequins by the narrowest of margins on Sunday at Welford Road. 

The win means the Tigers have now lost just one of their last 19 games on home turf while Harlequins problems on the road continue with the London-based club winning just one of their previous six away trips.

Tommy Bell kicked four penalties for Leicester, and Nick Evans landed two for Quins in a tight first half before the visitors capped a sustained period of pressure with a try from Jack Clifford, which Evans converted to give the visitors a narrow lead at the break, 12-13.

They then traded penalties after the break with Quins leading 19-15 after 70 minutes.

But the Tigers with one final roar managed to touch down the winning score via replacement Pearce. The huge 6ft 4in back-row was forced over from close range by the Leicester pack to touch down what proved to be a winning try. And replacement Owen Williams converted to finish the games scoring, 22-19.

The victory lifts Leicester up to second in the Premiership table behind only Saracens while Harlequins drop down to sixth place.


MAN OF THE MATCH

Leicester Tigers: Tom Youngs

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 11: Tom Youngs of Leicester lines up a throw during the Aviva Premiership semi final match between Leicester Tigers and Harlequins at Welford Road on May 11, 2013 in Leicester, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Tom Youngs at hooker particularly impressed for the Tigers, performing to an excellent standard both in the tight and the loose. His throwing at the lineout was also steady and accurate while his scrummaging was excellent.


Leicester: 15 Mathew Tait(c), 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Peter Betham, 12 Seremaia Bai, 11 Vereniki Goneva, 10 Tommy Bell, 9 Karl Dickson, 8 Lachlan McCaffrey, 7 Tom Croft, 6 Mike Williams, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 4 Mike Fitzgerald, 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Logovi’i Mulipola
Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Riccardo Brugnara, 18mDan Cole, 19 Laurence Pearce, 20 Opeti Fonua, 21 Ben White, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Matt Smith

Harlequins: Mike Brown, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 George Lowe, 12 Harry Sloan, 11 Charlie Walker, 10 Nick Evans (C), 9 Karl Dickson, 8 Mat Luamanu, 7 Luke Wallace, 6 Jack Clifford (c), 5 Sam Twomey, 4 James Horwill, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Dave Ward, 1 Mark Lambert
Replacements: 16 Joe Gray, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Charlie Matthews, 20 Nick Easter, 21 Danny Care, 22 Ben Botica, 23 Ollie Lindsay-Hague


Date: Sunday, October 25
Venue: Welford Road
Kick-off: 15:00 local (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Tom Foley
Assistant Referees: Nigel Carrick, Paul Dix
TMO: Rowan Kitt