The afternoon started well for the Ospreys with a penalty after just 35 seconds after Shane Jennings was penalised for not rolling away from the tackle. Jams Hook comfortably completed the kick from 45 metres.
After Paul Burke had missed a long-range penalty for Tigers, Hook had the opportunity to double the advantage from exactly the same spot in the eighth minute when Tuilagi was punished for holding on at a ruck, but this time the kick went wide of the left-hand post.
The escape lasted less than a minute as Hook was given another opportunity, again from 45 metres but this time closer to the left-hand touchline. He connected cleanly and Tigers were 6-0 down after 11 minutes..
Referee Alan Lewis was busy in the opening stages as he next awarded Tigers a penalty in a similar position. Burke put the ball into the corner and the decision paid off when Varndell ran in the opening try in the 13th minute.
Harry Ellis passed to Burke and his clever kick over the Ospreys defence was caught by Justin Marshall but Varndell snatched the ball and dived over the line to score. Burke completed the conversion from in front of the posts to put Tigers ahead.
The noise from the Leicester sections of the crowd increased from the restart as the forwards pushed on and Burke had the time to go for a cross-kick to the left touchline. Croft tapped it back to Dan Hipkiss, then accepted the return pass and the England U-21 cap ran 50 metres along the left touchline to score a memorable try. Burke made the conversion 15 metres in from the touchline and Tigers stretched the lead to 14-6.
After 25 minutes, Kay produced a magical moment of his own as Tigers notched a third score. Leicester stole the ball at a ruck and World Cup winner Kay threw a dummy 30 metres out and then ran through the gap, with the defence in his wake. Burke added the conversion as Tigers led 21-6.
Five minutes later and the Tigers supporters were on their feet again when Tuilagi ran in the fourth try of the opening half-hour. Sam Vesty’s grubber kick was deflected off an Ospreys leg but picked up by Ellis, who passed to Tuilagi and he shrugged off a tackle to run in close to the left-hand post. Once again Burke added the close-range conversion to increase the lead to 22 points at 28-6.
Ospreys gained some respite in the 37th minute when Hook put over a penalty kick from 30 metres to make the score 28-9.
Andy Goode entered the fray at the start of the second half, but it was Ospreys who opened the scoring. Full-back Lee Byrne fielded a Tigers clearance on halfway and, then, after some neat play by centre Andrew Bishop and wing Shane Wiliams, he got on the end of the move to score in the left corner,. Hook added a well-struck conversion to bring the Welsh region within two scores at 28-16.
In the 49th minute, the Ospreys edged closer with Williams getting on the end of a sweeping move and diving over on the right after some sustained Tigers pressure had broken up on the edge of the Welsh 22. Hook’s conversion drifted left, though, and Tigers still led by seven points at 28-21.
Goode steadied the ship with his first penalty of the afternoon in the 54th minute after Ospreys had been penalised at a scrum. Goode made no mistake from the 22 on the right.
Williams, though, got his second try of the day and brought Ospreys within striking distance after Hook set up another attack in midfield and the Welsh winger escaped Daryl Gibson’s clutches to score 15 metres in from the left corner. This time Hook stayed calm to add the extras and bring his side back into it at 31-28 down.
Varndell made the most of his next chance, Man-of-the-match Hipkiss putting him in space in the 63rd minute and the Tigers winger left Nikki Walker trailing as he ran in on the right. Goode’s conversion made the gap 10 points at 38-28.
It looked like another try beckoned as the game entered its final 15 minutes when Hipkiss made a sensational break from his own half. Ellis arrived in support but was tackled 10 metres short of the line.
Tigers stayed on the attack, though, and although a charge by Gibson was halted, Goode was given the opportunity to grab his second penalty after a block on Tuilagi inside the Ospreys 22. Goode duly knocked over the kick to stretch the lead to 13 points at 41-28 with just 10 minutes remaining.
With Martin Castrogiovanni leaving the field, Ospreys scored their fourth try with seven minutes to go when winger Walker reached out to touchdown to the left of the posts. The Hook conversion had the Welsh voice turning up the volume as they came within six points of Tigers.
A grandstand finish ensued, but the Tigers defence stayed firm to complete a memorable victory in front an ecstatic Leicester following.
