Tigers edge Gloucester after second-half fightback

Gallagher Premiership

Leicester (8) 29

Tries: Hassell-Collins, Pollard, Bassett, Kelly Cons: Pollard 3 Pens: Pollard

Gloucester (19) 26

Tries: Llewellyn 3, Thomas Cons: Carreras 3

Leicester Tigers overturned an 11-point half-time deficit to squeeze past Gloucester at Welford Road despite a hat-trick of tries from Max Llewellyn.

Centre Llewellyn’s first two tries, sandwiching another from Freddie Thomas, gave the Cherry and Whites a 19-8 advantage at the interval despite a superb finish by Leicester’s Ollie Hassell-Collins.

But it was a different story in the second half, with the Tigers fighting back to lead with scores from Handre Pollard – who added three conversions and a penalty – as well as Josh Bassett and Dan Kelly.

Llewellyn went over again eight minutes from time to complete his first Premiership hat-trick, but Leicester held on for the bonus point win that lifted them to third place in the table, while Gloucester remain eighth.

It was the Tigers’ third successive victory and ensured they reclaimed the Ed Slater Cup – contested in honour of the former Leicester and Gloucester captain, who is battling motor neurone disease.

Leicester drew first blood when Pollard kicked a routine penalty, but they were stunned when Gloucester capitalised on their first real attacks of the game to score twice in quick succession.

Charlie Atkinson’s cleverly-timed pass sent Llewellyn clear to burst through the Tigers’ defence before Arthur Clark set up Thomas, who slid in across the greasy turf to extend the visitors’ advantage.

Leicester struggled to gain momentum until Kelly’s sweeping pass to the left picked out Hassell-Collins, who wriggled past two tackles to crash over and reduce the deficit, although Pollard’s conversion rebounded off a post.

The Cherry and Whites regained the initiative just before the break as Tomos Williams’ deft chip punched another hole in Leicester’s back line and the ball was recycled for Llewellyn to race across in the corner for his second try.

But the Tigers, playing with the wind in their favour after the turnaround, began to dominate in the lineout and swiftly wiped out the arrears within eight minutes of the second half.

Pollard bundled his way over from close range and converted his own try before Freddie Steward’s storming run and pass teed up Bassett, who marked his 150th Premiership start with a score to edge the home side back in front.

Persistent pressure on the Gloucester line finally told as Kelly barged over to seal a bonus point, but the visitors narrowed the gap once more through Llewellyn’s hat-trick try and Santi Carreras’ third successful kick.

Surging forward again in search of a winning try, Gloucester’s hopes finally evaporated as Josh Hathaway spilled a crucial pass and they were then penalised in the scrum as the home side clung on for victory.

Leicester: Steward, Bassett, Kelly, Woodward, Hassell-Collins, Pollard, Van Poortvliet, Smith, Montoya, Heyes, Wells, Chessum, Liebenberg, Reffell, Cracknell.

Replacements: Clare, Cronin, Cole, Manz, Ilione, Youngs, Shillcock, Wand.

Gloucester: Carreras, Hathaway, Llewellyn, S Atkinson, Jones, C Atkinson, Williams, Knight, Singleton, Gotovtsev, Clark, Thomas, Clement, Ludlow, Mercer.

Replacements: Blake, Ruskin, Fasogbon, Alemanno, Tuisue, Taylor, Englefield, Hillman-Cooper.

Referee: Hamish Smales