Valentino Mapapalangi has been likened to the escape artist Harry Houdini after his offload for the bonus-point try for Nick Malouf in Leicester Tigers’ win over Sale Sharks.
Mapapalangi’s back-of-the-hand pass helped send Malouf in at the corner for the crucial fourth try in a pulsating Aviva Premiership clash at Welford Road, that Tigers won 35-27. Scroll below to watch the try again on LTTV.
Malouf said: “Valentino is a special player. He is like Houdini. He has some tricks up his sleeve. I don’t know how he got that ball to me. It was incredible.
“I was just running, I had my hands out in front of me. It popped into my hands and I just had to put it down.”
Malouf has now scored five tries in his 10 appearances so far for the Tigers and he said it was great for the team to get the bonus-point score.
He said: “It was possibly not our most polished performance but, particularly with the internationals away, it was really important that we got those four tries. Picking up the five points is massive for us.”
Tigers are back at Welford Road this Saturday when Worcester Warriors, fresh from a bonus-point win over Northampton Saints in Round 8 of the Aviva Premiership, are the visitors. Match tickets are on sale now.
