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Report | Late score sets up Tigers victory

Leicester Tigers staged a late fightback to snatch a 29-28 victory and the bonus point against Connacht in the third round of the Heineken Champions Cup on Saturday.

The victory, achieved with two tries in the last eight minutes including one in the closing seconds from replacement Hosea Saumaki, secured progress to the Round of 16 with 14 points from the opening three games in Europe’s premier cup competition.

It also meant three wins in a row in the competition for the first time since 2015/16 on the club’s first visit to The Sportsground in Galway since a pre-season fixture in 2005.

Tigers won the first meeting of the teams 29-23 at Christmas and the rematch was just as much of a rollercoaster as they raced into a 10-point lead in the opening 10 minutes but then conceded 28 unanswered points before finally wrestling back control in the late stages.

Jasper Wiese returned to the Tigers forward pack following a two-match ban and Fiji international Kini Murimurivalu was given a start on the wing – where he scored two crucial tries – after providing cover in the back row in recent weeks. Academy graduate Tom Manz was included as second-row cover on the bench for the first time.

The opening score came after just three minutes, with Tigers kicking off and penning their rivals back before Heyes forced his way over for his first try in his 87th appearance for the club.

Connacht had already been penalised twice as Tigers mauled towards the tryline and, with the referee signalling advantage again, prop Heyes picked up and drove over for the score.

Play remained in and around the Irish 22 and, even when they had put-in ball at a scrum and a chance to play out, they were whistled at the set-piece. The free-kick went Tigers’ way and skipper Ellis Genge had no hesitation in calling for the teams to pack down again.

On a cloudy and cold but calm Galway afternoon, Tigers used that scrum to create try number two, Freddie Burns measuring the crosskick to Murimurivalu and he powered over despite the tackle attempt from full-back Tiernan O’Halloran.

Burns was just off target with the conversion before Connacht got their first attack going down the right and, although flanker Conor Oliver could not find his support, they had a penalty but Jack Carty kicked wide.

Connacht had a stroke of fortune moments later as a chip through was deflected in flight – as it had been in Wasps’ score in Coventry last weekend – to play everyone onside and they made best use of the situation to set up a forward drive and then, with referee signalling a penalty, putting O’Halloran in space to run in under the posts for their opening points.

Carty added the conversion to bring it back to 7-10 with a quarter of an hour played.

An error allowed Connacht forward again and they continued to build pressure through the forwards on the left, using a couple of penalties to build set-piece play in the corner and, although Tigers forced one maul into touch 10 metres out and then wrapped up possession at the next, they still could not get out cleanly.

A scrum was greeted with another whistle, the verdict going against the Tigers front row, and when Connacht kept the ball tight with the forwards, they eventually found a position for flanker Cian Prendergast to score near the posts from a popped pass by Bundee Aki. Carty added the conversion to make it 14-10 as the Irishmen got in front for the first time.

Murimurivalu was among Tigers’ most prominent carriers, taking play 50 metres up the left and leaving two defenders on the floor, before showing similar strength out of defence after ball had been hacked ahead.

But Tigers failed to build on some promising field position as Genge was met by a group of defenders near the posts and then successive passes in the backs missing the man out wide.

Three minutes from the break, Tigers attacked on the left and twice had set-piece position but made a misjudgement at a lineout and Connacht survived a final scrum to get the ball out and head for the dressing rooms 14-10 in front.

An offside penalty within 90 seconds of the restart had Tigers back in their 22 again and it quickly turned into a third conceded score after a yellow card for Tommy Reffell for offside just in front of the tryline.

Connacht kept ball there and worked it to scrum-half Kieran Marmion who found his way to the line and Carty’s conversion stretched the lead to 21-10.

They threatened again with John Porch on the right wing and the territory-gain was rewarded with a fourth score after quick ball across the backline gave O’Halloran his second try. Carty’s extras made it 28-10 with 48 minutes gone.

A scrum penalty to Tigers signalled a flare-up among the forwards and referee Raynal spoke to both captains before play restarted with Tigers set-piece ball midway inside their rivals’ 22 but they lost control again and were soon pushed back downfield.

Tigers produced their best spell in attack since the opening stages on the 55-minute mark to bring a second score of the day for Murimurivalu.

Dan Kelly made the initial break on halfway and Murimurivalu linked with Bryce Hegarty and Richard Wigglesworth to take play up towards the tryline. Then Freddie Steward got close on the opposite side before ball came to the left again and the Fijian wing forced his way in. The extras from Burns brought it back to 28-17 with 20 minutes still to play.

It was Murimyurivalu’s final contribution as Saumaki joined Charlie Clare, Kelly and Jack van Poortvliet in making an appearance off the bench around the hour mark.

Positive carries from Genge and Jasper Wiese drove Tigers forward again and they almost found a way through as Kelly attacked through the middle but his team-mates were held up over the tryline.

The drop-out kick from Connacht brought Wiese and Genge back on to the ball and Reffell then went agonisingly close to a rty as he charged down a clearing kick, only for the ball to squirm out of his grasp on the floor within five metres of the whitewash.

The flanker recovered to then rip ball out of the hands of Connacht back-rower Paul Boyle as he ran off the back of the scrum and then heard the whistle in Tigers’ favour at the breakdown.

The position was a perfect one for Harry Wells to set up the lineout drive and his colleagues responded with a big push for Clare to score. It not only provided at least one point but, with Burns adding the conversion from out wide, brought them to within four points on the scoreboard at 28-24.

The bounce of the ball from a chip from Burns beat defender Tom Farrell but a relieved O’Halloran recovered to put into touch with Tigers chasing another score and a remarkable climax to the action.

Clare steered another strong maul forwards, Genge carried again and, with a penalty advantage in front of the posts, Tigers played their hand and spread play quickly to the left where Kelly threw a long pass for Saumaki to hit the line at pace and provide an incredible finish for the winning score.

The home crowd, restricted to an attendance of just 3,064 by the government's Covid guidelines on gatherings and with just a handful from Tigers, did not like it, and neither did a number of their players but the referee checked replays to confirm the wing’s foot had stayed infield as he planted the ball one-handed into the corner.

Burns was unable to add the conversion but it did not matter with time up and the points on the board which ensured progress in the competition and a bounce-back from a first defeat of the season last weekend.

Match Details

HT ScoreHalf Time Score

CON 14-10 LEI

FT ScoreFull Time Score

CON 28-29 LEI

Attendance

3,064

Referee

Mathieu Raynal

Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby
28

Full Time

Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
29
Connacht Rugby
C
T
T
C
T
C
T
C
KOHTFT
Leicester Tigers
T
T
T
C
T
C
T

Match Stats

Connacht Rugby
Leicester Tigers
Possession
46%
54%
Territory
45%
55%
Penalties Conceded
10
12
Yellow Cards
0
1
Red Cards
0
0
Tackles Won
109/131 83%
119/127 94%
Scrums Won
3/5 60%
8/9 89%
Lineouts Won
15/17 88%
13/15 87%

Player Stats

Connacht Rugby
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
TCDP
15Bryce Hegarty
14Freddie Steward
13Matt Scott
12Juan Pablo Socino
11Kini Murimurivalu2T
10Freddie Burns2C
9Richard Wigglesworth
1Ellis Genge
2Nic Dolly
3Joe Heyes1T
4Harry Wells
5Calum Green
6Ollie Chessum
7Tommy Reffell
8Jasper Wiese
16Charlie Clare1T
17James Whitcombe
18Nephi Leatigaga
19Tom Manz
20Francois van Wyk
21Jack van Poortvliet
22Dan Kelly
23Hosea Saumaki1T

Commentary

Incredible finish for Tigers to take a bonus-point 29-28 win and guarantee a place in the Round of 16 with a game to spare.

In front by 10, behind by 18, win it by 1.

Tries by Murimurivalu 2, Heyes, Clare and Saumaki. Well done all.

80

Referee checked the finish, confirms Saumaki does not touch the touchline in plating the ball down. Burns off target with conversion but that's the end of the game. Connacht players still talking to the referee. 

TRY for Saumaki, amazing finish in the left corner. Power and precision from the wing in the final minute of the game.

80

IS IT? Hosea Saumaki thinks he has scored in the corner.

Freddie Burns adds the conversion to bring Tigers back within range at 28-24. About 7 minutes left on the clock.

72min | Lineout drive and CHARLIE CLARE is there to provide the bonus-point score for Tigers. It's 28-22 to the hosts.

Burns kicks the conversion, Tigers are 28-17 behind with a quarter of the game still to play.

55min | A big attack from Tigers, starting with Kelly and Murimurivalu on the left, then Steward on the right, finally brings a try for MURIMURIVALU in the left corner. 28-15.

48min | Carty adds the conversion kick to make it 28-10 to Connacht.

47min | Connacht have their bonus-point score as O'Halloran grabs his second of the afternoon. 

Carty conversion for Connacht makes it 21-10.

43min | Third try for Connacht as scrum-half Kiernan Marmion wriggles free to the tryline. 19-10.

Tommy Reffell yellow-carded in defence just in front of the tryline.

41

Game restarts after the break with Tigers 14-10 down in Galway. No changes to the teams so far. 

40

An opening half in Galway comes to a close. Tigers raced into a 10-0 lead with scores from Joe Heyes & Kini Murimurivalu before two converted tries from Connacht put the hosts 14-10 in front.

Connacht 14-10 Tigers, 2 tries each in the opening half.

30

Big carry from Murimurivalu leaves two defenders on the floor but Tigers cannot build on the field position and Connacht evcentually able to play out after a scrum penalty in their favour. 

Carty adds the conversion for Connacht and they lead 14-10 approaching half-hour mark.

27min | Try for flanker Cian Prendergast puts Connacht in front for first time. Tigers warned about penalty count to. 12-10

22

The whistle now going against Tigers. 

They defend well at a lineout in the corner to eventually force their rivals into touch just 10 metres out, but are penalised again in meeting Connacht at the next breakdown.  

16min | Try for full-back Tiernan O'Halloran. It starts with a deflected chip ahead which plays everyone onside - remember last week! - but Connacht drive forward on the left and create space for the No15 to score under the posts. 5-10.

Carty adds conversion to bring Connacht back into the game, it's 10-7 to Tigers with 16 minutes played.

14

Jack Carty pushes a penalty wide from 30 metres and Connacht miss their first scoring opportunity, Tigers still 10-0 ahead.

11

Burns just off-target with the conversion kick from the left side, but Tigers are 10 points in front.

10min | KINI MURIMURIVALU is over in the corner, taking the crosskick from Burns and taking on the full-back to score.

4

Tigers are 5 points up thanks to a try from Joe Heyes - his first for the club! Two penalties against Connacht in opening 3 minutes, Tigers in the right-hand corner and advantage again as Heyes drives over. Burns misses conversion.

BIG START

3min | JOE HEYES scores!

2

Connacht penalised twice in opening two minutes in defence...

OFF WE GO

We are under way, with Freddie Burns kicks off. Tigers are in white, orange and black change colours, against Connacht in black.

0

WARM-UP DONE

BST_0544a.jpg

0

WEATHER CHECK

We are counting down to kick-off on a cloudy and cold January afternoon.

GettyImages-1364771998 connacht.jpg

0

TODAY’S OPPOSITION

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 John Porch, 13 Sammy Arnold, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty (c), 9 Kieran Marmion; 1 Matthew Burke, 2 Shane Delahunt, 3 Finlay Bealham, 4 Oisín Dowling, 5 Niall Murray, 6 Cian Prendergast, 7 Conor Oliver, 8 Jarrad Butler
Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 Tietie Tuimauga, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Ultan Dillane, 20 Paul Boyle, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Conor Fitzgerald, 23 Tom Farrell

0

HOW TIGERS LINE-UP

STARTING XV [with Tigers appearances]

15 Bryce Hegarty [5], 14 Freddie Steward [46], 13 Matt Scott [35], 12 Juan Pablo Socino [5], 11 Kini Murimurivalu [31], 10 Freddie Burns [85], 9 Richard Wigglesworth [23]; 1 Ellis Genge (c) [100], 2 Nic Dolly [14], 3 Joe Heyes [86], 4 Harry Wells [139], 5 Calum Green [74], 6 Ollie Chessum [22], 7 Tommy Reffell [61], 8 Jasper Wiese [27]

REPLACEMENTS

16 Charlie Clare [38], 17 James Whitcombe [11], 18 Nephi Leatigaga [54], 19 Tom Manz [0], 20 Francois van Wyk [7], 21 Jack van Poortvliet [33], 22 Dan Kelly [32], 23 Hosea Saumaki [5]

0

MATCH PREVIEW | Connacht Rugby v Leicester Tigers

Tigers are at The Sportsground in Galway for the first time in competitive action to face a Connacht side who are in their seventh season of Champions Cup rugby.

Tigers’ only previous trip to Connacht’s home was in a pre-season fixture in 2005.

Club captain Ellis Genge, who made his 100th appearance for Tigers last weekend, said: “Playing in the Champions Cup is special for everyone. There is a different feel to it.

“We had never played at Bordeaux before, we’ve never played at Connacht. So they are two brilliant new challenges for us.”

Both teams started the Heineken Champions Cup campaign with victory over French opposition, Connacht beating Stade Francais while Tigers beat Bordeaux-Bègles away.

In the Round 2 meeting of the two teams, Tigers recorded a 29-23 win at Mattioli Woods Welford Road before Christmas with tries from Nic Dolly, Bryce Hegarty, Freddie Steward and Hosea Saumaki.

Referee today is Mathieu Raynal of France, who was also in charge of that meeting of the teams in Round 2.

0

WELCOME TO MATCHDAY LIVE!

We are LIVE as Leicester Tigers take on Connacht Rugby in Galway in the third round of the Heineken Champions Cup this afternoon. Kick-off is at 3.15pm.

You can keep up to date with Matchday Live on the Tigers App and website at www.leicestertigers.com


Opposition Lineup

Starting XV

15
Tiernan O'Halloran
14
John Porch
13
Sammy Arnold
12
Bundee Aki
11
Matt Healy
10
Jack Carty
9
Kieran Marmion
1
Matthew Burke
2
Shane Delahunt
3
Finlay Bealham
4
Oisin Dowling
5
Niall Murray
6
Cian Prendergast
7
Conor Oliver
8
Jarrad Butler

Replacements

16
Dave Heffernan
17
Tietie Tuimauga
18
Jack Aungier
19
Ultan Dillane
20
Paul Boyle
21
Caolin Blade
22
Conor Fitzgerald
23
Tom Farrell

Team News | Tigers side to play Connacht

Figure image

Steve Borthwick has named the Leicester Tigers matchday squad for the Heineken Champions Cup fixture away to Connacht Rugby on Saturday.

"Connacht are a dangerous side and play some excellent attacking rugby, which causes issues for their opposition when they move the ball around"

Up front, Nic Dolly is the hooker alongside props Ellis Genge and Joe Heyes in the starting front row.

Harry Wells and Calum Green are the locks, with Ollie Chessum and Tommy Reffell joining the returning No8 Jasper Wiese in the back row.

Charlie Clare, Nephi Leatigaga, Tom Manz, James Whitcombe and Francois van Wyk are the replacement forwards on the Tigers bench.

If used, Tigers Academy graduate Manz will make his senior debut for the club.

Richard Wigglesworth and Freddie Burns are partnered as the starting half-backs, while Juan Pablo Socino comes into the starting line-up alongside Matt Scott in the Leicester midfield.

In the Tigers back three, Kini Murimurivalu and Freddie Steward are the wings and Bryce Hegarty named as the starting full-back.

Jack van Poortvliet, Dan Kelly and Hosea Saumaki are the replacement backs on the Leicester bench.

Previewing the European trip, Borthwick said: “We know Connacht are a good side, with quality players throughout their team who are very well led by an experienced coach in Andy Friend.

“They have a tough forward pack, with a hard-working back row, and some exceptional players in their backline with pace out wide.

“Connacht are a dangerous side and play some excellent attacking rugby, which causes issues for their opposition when they move the ball around.”

Due to Government enforced restrictions on attendances in Ireland, Tigers supporters are unable to travel to Galway for the fixture which the Leicester Head Coach admitted was disappointing for the group.

“Our fans have been incredible so far this season, home and away, so we are very disappointed that we won’t have any in the Sportsground stands on Saturday afternoon,” added Borthwick.

“Wherever they are watching on from this weekend, I want to thank them ahead of time for their support from afar and reassure them we know they are behind us.”

STARTING XV
15 Bryce Hegarty [5]
14 Freddie Steward [46]
13 Matt Scott [35]
12 Juan Pablo Socino [5]
11 Kini Murimurivalu [31]
10 Freddie Burns [85]
9 Richard Wigglesworth [23]
1 Ellis Genge (c) [100]
2 Nic Dolly [14]
3 Joe Heyes [86]
4 Harry Wells [139]
5 Calum Green [74]
6 Ollie Chessum [22]
7 Tommy Reffell [61]
8 Jasper Wiese [27]

REPLACEMENTS
16 Charlie Clare [38]
17 James Whitcombe [11]
18 Nephi Leatigaga [54]
19 Tom Manz **
20 Francois van Wyk [7]
21 Jack van Poortvliet [33]
22 Dan Kelly [32]
23 Hosea Saumaki [5]

** denotes senior Leicester Tigers debut

posteamteam namepldwdlfadifftftatblbpts
1
Leicester Tigers
Leicester TigersLEI440010264381473019
5
Connacht Rugby
Connacht RugbyCON41031181041416143310
Form Guide
Form
LLLLW
Last Match
Beat Bristol Bears 27-10
Past Meeting
Lost 28-29
Form
Last Match
Past Meeting
Form
LWWLL
Last Match
Lost to Gloucester Rugby 25-27
Past Meeting
Won 29-28

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Connacht Rugby
Leicester Tigers29
Leicester Tigers
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