Leicester Tigers played their way out of "a difficult situation” to secure a bonus-point victory over visitors Connacht Rugby on Sunday.
Second-half tries from Freddie Steward and Hosea Saumaki helped to secure at 29-23 triumph after Tigers trailed 12-17 at half-time and then 12-20 with 30 minutes to play, and head coach Steve Borthwick said: “In that second half, I thought the players managed a difficult situation really well.
“In the first half, Connacht came with a plan and played very well. We gave away too many penalties and made too many errors which put pressure on.
“But the players found a way to rectify that and gained control in the second half, and I thought the last 30 minutes were very good.”
The replacements, including front-rowers Dan Cole, Julian Montoya and James Whitcombe, played their part and Borthwick added: “The players coming on to the field added a huge amount of energy and intensity to the game.
“I am always looking for the best 80 minutes in every position and the players delivered that.
“It wasn’t always pretty, but it is a win and there is plenty for us to learn from it.”
After a 16-13 win away to Bordeaux-Begles in Round 1, Tigers have nine points from the opening two rounds of the Heineken Champions Cup. They sit in third place in Pool B, level with leaders Harlequins and Munster, though three games in Round 2 were affected by Covid and travel restrictions in France.
“We’ve had two very different challenges against Bordeaux and Connacht, but we’ve won both games and with that have been able to play some players in different combinations,” added Borthwick who teams return to Gallagher Premiership duties with a Boxing Day trip to Bristol Bears and then host Newcastle Falcons at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Sunday, January 2.
