Gloucester Rugby suffered a heavy defeat at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Friday night as Leicester Tigers overwhelmed them with a relentless attacking display, running in seven tries in a 45-14 victory in Round Seven of the Gallagher Premiership.
Leicester’s try scorers included James Thompson, Solomone Kata, Tom Whiteley, Tommy Reffell, Billy Searle, and Ollie Chessum. Additionally, they were awarded a contentious penalty try just before halftime, which resulted in Gloucester’s Charlie Atkinson being sin-binned. Fly-half Billy Searle converted three of the tries, while his substitute Orlando Bailey added two extra conversions, contributing significantly to the Tiger’s tally.
Gloucester managed tries from Josh Hathaway and Jack Clement in the second half, with Ross Byrne successfully converting both. However, by the time the visitors got on the scoreboard, Leicester had already built a commanding 31-0 lead, with a significant portion of points scored during Atkinson’s 10-minute sin-bin period.
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The night wasn’t without controversy for the hosts, with replacement hooker Charlie Clare receiving a 20-minute red card for a dangerous clear-out on Clement. Gloucester, however, faced more challenges as they struggled defensively throughout the match, failing to contain the Tigers' potent offense.
The scoring opened early for Leicester with Thompson powering over following a break by Kata, who then added his own try after exploiting a large gap in Gloucester’s defense. Gloucester’s offense faltered on several occasions, including a key moment when Ollie Thorley was held up over the try line.
The penalty try awarded shortly before halftime came after Charlie Atkinson illegally tackled Ollie Hassell-Collins while off his feet as the winger attempted to ground the ball. Referee Karl Dickson ruled it as foul play, resulting in Atkinson’s yellow card and boosting Leicester’s lead to 19-0 at the break.
Leicester quickly extended their lead early in the second half with Whiteley scoring under the posts after a brilliant run by Freddie Steward. Soon after, Reffell capitalized on a defensive error to score, deepening Gloucester’s woes.
Gloucester’s first points came through Hathaway’s skillful finish in the 58th minute, weaving through defenders to cross the line. However, defensive lapses allowed Searle to add Leicester’s sixth try with ease.
Despite being a player short after Clare’s red card for contact with Clement’s head, Leicester maintained their momentum. Chessum delighted the home fans with a comeback try before Gloucester earned a late score through Clement off a driving maul.
With injuries to Seb Blake, Rob Russell, and Seb Atkinson all impacting their squad, Gloucester faces a tough recovery as they prepare to host Saracens at Kingsholm next weekend.
Match Details:
Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Izaia Perese, 12 Solomone Kata, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Tom Whiteley; 1 Nicky Smith, 2 Jamie Blamire, 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Cameron Henderson, 5 Harry Wells, 6 James Thompson, 7 Tommy Reffell (c), 8 Joaquin Moro
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 Tarek Haffar, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Sam Williams, 21 Jack van Poortvliet, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Joseph Woodward
Gloucester Rugby: 15 Charlie Atkinson, 14 Rob Russell, 13 Will Butler, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Tomos Williams (c); 1 Val Rapava Ruskin, 2 Seb Blake, 3 Nepo Laulala, 4 Freddie Thomas, 5 Arthur Clark, 6 Josh Basham, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 8 Jack Clement
Replacements: 16 Jack Innard, 17 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 18 Afo Fasogbon, 19 Cam Jordan, 20 Harry Taylor, 21 Mikey Austin, 22 Will Knight, 23 Josh Hathaway
Officials: Referee – Karl Dickson; Assistant Referees – Ian Tempest & Neil Chivers; TMO – Andrew Jackson