Leicester Tigers earned a first win in the Premiership Rugby Cup with a 38-17 bonus-point victory over Wasps at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Tuesday evening.
Wasps were in front from the 10th minute and held a 10-point lead in the first half before Tigers secured a Pool 2 victory with tries from Sean Jansen, Emeka Ilione, Hosea Saumaki, Sam Edwards and Archie Vanes.
After taking one point from defeat at Sale Sharks in Round 1, Tigers added Cameron Henderson to the forward pack, joining Lewis Chessum in the second row, with James Whitcombe again named as captain among 12 graduates of the club’s academy in the matchday squad.
After fly-half Jed Walsh got the game started, kicking towards the Beehive Money Stand, a chargedown from Chessum momentarily held up Wasps’ exit, though the visitors did have the first scoring opportunity when a lineout drive ended with them held up over the tryline.
Wasps returned immediately to that corner and this time Ilione was able to step in and earn a penalty for Tigers, not for the last time in his evening’s work.
Tables were turned moments later, though when Ilione was penalised in possession and, when Wasps attacked down the left, full-back Olly Hartley prodded a kick perfectly down the touchline and wing Ollie Dawkins won the race to score. Will Haydon-Wood added the conversion for a seven-point lead.
A 50-22 kick from Walsh, spotting some space on the left, gave Tigers set-piece ball five metres from the tryline and they made the most of the platform as the lineout drive set up No8 Jansen to score. Walsh’s touchline conversion levelled the scores.
But Wasps quickly built a lead with a converted try from Hartley, who broke two tackles on his way to the line on the left, followed by a Haydon-Wood penalty to move 10 in front.
Ilione then produced a reply, showing his strength to beat the final defender on the line and, when Walsh added the extras, the gap was cut to three points before half-time.
Lachlan Shelley was denied a try at the start of the second half when Hartley chased back to win the chase to a clever kick to the corner by Sam Edwards.
Jansen’s physical carry was at the heart of the next attack, which brought a penalty 30 metres out which Walsh landed to level the scores at 17-17 on 50 minutes.
In defence, Joseph Woodward made a low tackle on Will Simonds and then recovered to get over the ball and win a penalty. When Walsh kick into Wasps territory, the lineout drive charged forward, followed by another whistle. Play stayed close in on the left and, after another push and another carry from Tom Horton, then Josh Manz, it was wing Saumaki who picked up and pushed his way over to give Tigers the lead for the first time.
Walsh added the conversion to make it 24-17 before being replaced by Morgan Meredith.
Tigers then produced a huge spell of goalline defence, making tackle after tackle just a metre in front of the tryline under their own posts and three times they held up opposition in a massive show of defiance.
Ilione won another penalty in defence as Tigers stood up to as fresh charge and, when play reached the opposition half, a sweeping attack involving Meredith and Jacob Cusick was finished by scrum-half Edwards for the bonus-point score.
Meredith kicked the conversion for his first senior points and moments later he was back on the tee after a score from hooker Vanes to take the lead to 21 points.
It was an Edwards 50-22 kick that put Tigers into the corner and Vanes was at the back of the maul which almost reached the line, then spun and went on his own over the final couple of metres.
Wasps had one final chance with a set-piece in the left-hand corner but Ilione again swooped over a tackle to win a penalty and close out the game.
Commentary
CUP WIN
Leicester Tigers 38-17 Wasps with tries from Jansen, Ilione, Saumaki, Edwards and Vanes.
Meredith kicks the conversion, Tigers are 38-17 in front, 75min.
Archiue Vanes adds try No5 for Tigers who now lead 36-17.
Morgan Meredith adds his first points for Tigers with the conversion, 31-17 on 71min.
Superb bonus-point try finished by Sam Edwards after build-up by Meredith and Cusick, puts Tigers 29-17 in front with 10min to play.
Walsh adds the kick from out wide on the left to put Tigers 24-17 in front on 58mins.
Hosea Saumaki over from close range after two big drives from the forwards to give Tigers the lead for the first time at 22-17 on 57 mins.
Penalty by Walsh, levels the scores at 17-17 on 51min.
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Back underway at Mattioli Woods Welford Road with Tigers trailing 14-17 against Wasps.
HALF-TIME: Tigers 14-17 Wasps
Walsh adds the conversion, 14-17 on 35min.
Emeka Ilione forces his way through a tackle to score for Tigers. 12-17.
Haydon-Wood adds a penalty to stretch the Wasps lead to 17-7 on 31min.
Conversion makes it 14-7 to Wasps on 28min.
Second try for Wasps, Olly Hartley scores, they lead 12-7.
Jed Walsh lands a perfect kick from the touchline to level the scores at 7-7 on 23min.
Sean Jansen scores for Tigers from a lineout drive on the left, 5-7 on 23min.
Wil Haydon-Wood converts the try to give Wasps a 7-0 lead on 11min.
Ollie Dawkins wins the race for a kick through in the left corner to open the scoring for Wasps on 10mins. 0-5.
KICK-OFF | Leicester Tigers v Wasps
Jed Walsh will get the action started for Tigers, playing towards the Beehive Money Stand.
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WEATHER CHECK
It’s been a chilly and damp afternoon, but rain has held off as we approach kick-off at 7.00pm.
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Wasps: 15 Olly Hartley, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Paolo Odogwu, 12 Will Simonds, 11 Ollie Dawkins, 10 Will Haydon-Wood, 9 Harry Craven; 1 Rodrigo Martinez, 2 Michael van Vuuren, 3 Elliot Millar-Mills, 4 Cam Dodson, 5 Theo Vukasinovic, 6 Fyn Brown, 7 Kieran Curran, 8 Greg Fisilau
Replacements: 16 Corbin Thunder, 17 Archie McArthur, 18 Robin Hardwick, 19 Alfie Bell, 20 James Tunney, 21 Mason Winterburn, 22 Reikiti Maasi-White, 23 Luke Mehson
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HOW TIGERS LINE-UP
STARTING XV: 15 Lachlan Shelley [1], 14 Joe Browning [3], 13 Jacob Cusick [6], 12 Joseph Woodward [3], 11 Hosea Saumaki [14], 10 Jed Walsh [1], 9 Sam Edwards (vc) [5]; 1 James Whitcombe (c) [24], 2 Tom Horton [1], 3 Will Hurd [10], 4 Cameron Henderson [21], 5 Lewis Chessum [3], 6 Josh Manz [1], 7 Emeka Ilione [3], 8 Sean Jansen (vc) [5]
REPLACEMENTS: 16 Archie Vanes [4], 17 Dan Richardson [6], 18 Nephi Leatigaga [69], 19 Tom Manz [1], 20 Finn Carnduff [2], 21 Josh Goodwin, 22 Morgan Meredith [2], 23 Marcus Ramage [1]
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MATCH PREVIEW | Leicester Tigers v Wasps
Leicester Tigers host neighbours Wasps in the second round of the Premiership Rugby Cup at Mattioli Woods Welford Road this evening (7.00pm).
Tigers opened the campaign with a losing point in a 26-19 defeat at Sale Sharks last week while Wasps scored a bonus-point win in Pool 2 against Newcastle Falcons.
Brett Deacon, who leads the Tigers coaching team in this competition, said: “I said post-match last week that at this club we fight for everything, whatever the game, and you could see that in their performance at Sale.
“We’ve kept a similar squad for this game and that will build confidence and continuity around those guys who get an opportunity again this week.”
Cameron Henderson comes into the Tigers second row, partnering Lewis Chessum in the only change to the starting line-up from the trip to Sale Sharks last week. James Whitcombe is again named as captain.
Wasps include former Tigers wing Paolo Odogwu and hooker Michael van Vuuren in their 23.
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Keep up to date with the action from Leicester Tigers v Wasps in the Premiership Rugby Cup with Matchday Live on the Tigers App and website at www.leicestertigers.com. Kick-off is at 7.00pm.