Leicester Tigers left London with three competition points after a 34-34 draw with Harlequins in Round 9 of the Gallagher Premiership season.
The teams couldn't be split after 80 minutes in a high-scoring, entertaining affair in front of a packed Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
Leicester were the first to register points, soon enough after the game getting underway that the smoke from the pre-game entertainment was still present in the air.
After patiently working their way into the Harlequins half, Tigers were gifted three points when the home side were penalised well within Handré Pollard’s range and the fly-half landed his first attempt to make it a three-point lead after as many minutes.
However, the lead was short-lived after Harlequins regathered the restart and went on the attack. While their first attempt was shut down, the clearing kick from Leicester was taken on the fly by Marcus Smith down the left-hand touchline.
The Harlequins fly-half stepped his way through the broken Tigers defence and found Jack Walker on the inside to offload to and the hooker had a clear run to the line. Smith converted the try to see his side lead 7-3 after just six minutes.
Neither side showed signs of slowly working their way into the contest and Leicester hit back soon after to take back the lead when Ollie Hassell-Collins scored in the 12th minute.
The opportunity arrived after a tackle bust from Olly Cracknell was followed up with an offload to his fellow back rower Tommy Reffell and the Welshman found himself in space before being tracked back and taken down deep inside the ‘Quins half.
Tigers moved the ball wide to the right, where Hassell-Collins nearly stepped his way over out wide only to be brought down short but the outside back reloaded to the midfield, and two phases later, Pollard found him with a long pass to give him a free run in under the posts.
Pollard converted the score to make it a three-point game once again, 7-10, after just 14 minutes in Twickenham.
Harlequins continued to show their attacking approach only to be sent away on successive occasions by the visitors, who then turned defence into attack for their second.
An attacking bomb from ‘Quins ended up in the hands of Freddie Steward at the back who, with a dummy kick and step, burst into space and popped a pass inside to Cameron Henderson in support.
The second rower went on a galloping run before being taken to ground and Hanro Liebenberg, deputising at scrum-half, quickly shifted the ball into Pollard’s hands before he looped the ball over to Solomone Kata and the Tongan did the rest to dive over out wide.
Pollard was again on target from the tee to make it 7-17 after 21 minutes.
Leicester looked likely for a third just four minutes later with a kick to the corner and line out taken but, after losing possession at the set piece, Harlequins swooped and two quick passes saw the ball into the hands of Cadan Murley.
The speedster did the rest himself, running it in from his own half to cut the gap to five points, which turned into three with Smith’s second conversion to make it 14-17.
On the half hour mark, Pollard extend the lead to six points, 14-20, with a second successful penalty goal attempt.
The fast-paced start to the fixture began to take its toll in the final stages of the first half, with the attack from both sides tightening up and it looking likely to stay a six-point game at the break. However, with only two minutes left, Solomone Kata was ruled to have made contact with the head in a tackle attempt and shown a yellow card for the incident.
Harlequins kicked for the corner from the resulting penalty and set up a maul from the lineout to follow. Danny Care broke away from the back and found a rampaging Luke Northmore with a short pass and the centre barged over to score.
Marcus Smith converted the try to see his side into the lead by a lone point, 21-20, at the break.
Neither team added to their tallies during a frantic first ten minutes of the second half, which included Kata returning from the sin bin, before ‘Quins were the first to add points with a penalty goal for Smith in the 51st minute taking the score to 24-20.
Tigers hit back just minutes later to take back the lead when Steward scored his side’s third on the end of some impressive hands and Pollard converted the score to take Leicester three points ahead, 24-27, with 25 minutes remaining at Allianz Stadium.
TMO intervention in the 63rd minute saw Harlequins awarded a penalty for what was deemed contact without the ball from Pollard, which allowed his counterpart - Smith - to level it up at 27-27.
As the clock ticked over into the final ten minutes in Twickenham, Harlequins took back the lead and secured a bonus-point with their fourth try.
Quick hands to the left in attack, including a dubious last pass for try-scorer Murley, sent the wing into space and the speedster ran it in. Smith converted and ‘Quins lead was 34-27 with just nine minutes remaining.
Tigers refused to lay down and, with less than sixty seconds remaining, it was Dan Cole who got across the chalk to set Pollard up with a chance to level the scores.
Cole’s try came on the back of patient, phase after phase, attack from Leicester, up against a ‘Quins side looking to spoil every ruck and the tighthead prop managed to push his way over with just inches to move.
Pollard, from the sideline, delivered the crucial conversion to make it level, 34-34, where it remained to see both teams leave with three competition points.
Start 2025 at home with Tigers Family and friends for the New Year Double Header on Saturday, February 4.
Mattioli Woods Welford Road hosts a Gallagher Premiership game against Exeter Chiefs (3.05pm) before a Premiership Women's Rugby showdown with Sale Sharks Women (5.50pm) next Saturday, January 4.
Be there to cheer on both sides in the first fixture of 2025 as the second half of the campaign officially gets underway!
