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Swapping the bright Saturday night lights of the Stade de France for the rusty old Crumbie Stand can be a real mental challenge. There is certainly less demand for foie gras in Aylestone but for certain people nothing beats a constant diet of rugby. England’s Ollie Chessum did occasionally look a tad weary during another selfless 80-minute shift but a vital 33-19 Leicester win made all those hard yards worthwhile.
The result not only hoists the Tigers into third place in the Prem table but Gabriel Hamer-Webb’s spectacular last-gasp try earned what could prove a vital extra point when the playoff maths are totted up. Bristol, who had been pressing for a couple of bonus points of their own, were ultimately left empty-handed and down in fifth place after a game that was never less than intense and absorbing.
It was certainly an indicator of the fixture’s significance for the hosts that Chessum, named the player of the match, and Joe Heyes were invited to strap back on their battle armour with Jack van Poortvliet coming off the bench. The selection strategy ultimately paid off, helped by another influential display from the fly-half, Billy Searle, with the final try exemplifying the Tigers’ growing confidence.
Even the head coach, Geoff Parling, was shouting at Freddie Steward to kick the ball off rather than risk handing a turnover to Bristol and allowing the visitors to claim a couple of points. Instead his players backed themselves from deep in their own half and Parling could not have been happier afterwards.
“I’ve been trying for a long time to get them to play what they see and that’s what they did,” said Parling, also quick to praise Chessum’s contribution. “The Six Nations is physical but there’s also an emotional toll. It’s always a challenge for those guys when they come back after being away for eight weeks. Ollie was outstanding. He’s a big emotional leader for us.”
Two no-nonsense tries within three minutes midway through the first half also helped; when they get themselves into the killing zone the Tigers are looking hungry and the Bears, with Ellis Genge rested and injuries nibbling away at their resources, had no answer to the close-range power of first Joaquín Moro and then Hanro Liebenberg.
Bristol, though, are a hard team to subdue indefinitely. First their industrious captain, Fitz Harding, also the league’s top tackler this season, rewarded a prolonged period of ball-in-hand possession before Kalaveti Ravouvou escaped past Steward and Chessum to score down the right. The Fijian seems to enjoy playing the Tigers, having scored two tries in his side’s 54-24 win in the corresponding fixture last season.
The Bears’ other first-half highlight came courtesy of their hooker, Gabriel Oghre, who threw in to a defensive lineout, accepted an immediate return pass and then drilled a fabulous 45-metre touchfinder close to halfway with a cultured left boot. When people talk about England’s options at hooker it is curious that the multi-talented Oghre is not mentioned more often.
It was also good to see Hamish Watson out there in a Leicester shirt, the Scotland international flanker having signed for his boyhood club on a two-month loan from Edinburgh after 14 years north of the border. In a parallel universe he could easily have become a Tigers legend but, even at 34, he will have relished trotting out to the traditional strains of Smoke on the Water.
Romantic back stories, though, tend not to win tight Prem games on their own. Bristol kept coming and Harding burrowed over for his second, with Jimmy Williams’ conversion making it 20-19. Tigers needed to find another gear and almost did so when Searle helped to launch a vivid attack which might have yielded a spectacular try of Moro clung on to the final pass.
While it wasn’t long before Izaia Perese plunged over for his side’s third try, Leicester could not fully relax until the final seconds. Steward’s cross-kick launched a daring raid up the right touchline and Hamer-Webb diving exuberantly over to seal the deal. “We wanted to take Leicester out of their comfort zone and we did that at times,” lamented Bristol’s director of rugby Pat Lam. “We just need to finish more of our opportunities. You have to be at your best to win here and we weren’t at our best.”
This coming weekend will be another interesting one, with Bristol hosting Harlequins at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and Leicester facing Gloucester at Villa Park in the latest edition of the Slater Cup. Seven regular-season rounds still remain to be played but, as this match underlined, the stakes are steadily rising.
