Leicester Tigers have claimed a convincing 42-19 victory over Munster in a fast-paced, physical encounter at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. A dominant first half set the foundation, and despite a spirited Munster fightback early in the second period, Tigers pulled away to secure the win.

First Half

Tigers struck first through Joseph Woodward, the centre showing great strength to spin out of contact and score under the posts in the seventh minute. Handré Pollard converted with ease to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.

Momentum stayed with Leicester, and they doubled their advantage in the 14th minute when Olly Cracknell finished off a flowing move, with fullback Mike Brown providing the crucial offload. Pollard’s conversion made it 14-0. Just three minutes later, Woodward grabbed his second of the afternoon, bursting down the right after slick hands from Adam Radwan and Brown (21-0).

A fourth try would follow in the 26th minute. A strong break from Woodward set the stage before Tom Whiteley’s vision and captain Hanro Liebenberg’s offload sent lock Cameron Henderson through to score. Another successful Pollard kick extended the lead to 28-0 at halftime.

Second Half

Munster came out firing after the break, and number eight Brian Gleeson got the visitors on the scoreboard in the 43rd minute, with the conversion making it 28-7. They struck again three minutes later through Conor Ryan, closing the gap to 28-14. A third Munster try followed in the 54th minute, with Seán Edogbo powering over to make it 28-19.

Tigers needed a response to stem the flow, and replacement Ben Volavola provided it with a moment of magic in the 57th minute. His pinpoint grubber kick sat up perfectly for Solomone Kata to finish, and the Fijian fly-half added the conversion to restore Leicester’s cushion at 35-19.

With the game firmly in their grasp, Tigers finished with a flourish. Their dominant scrum paved the way for academy scrum half Charlie Bemand to snatch a close-range try in the 70th minute, and Volavola’s conversion took the score to 42-19, sealing the win.