Leicester stage stunning fightback to claim home win over Harlequins

A flurry of second-half tries saw Leicester stage a remarkable fightback to open their home campaign with a 29-19 victory over Harlequins.

A 52nd-minute yellow card for Quins’ Jack Walker proved the turning point as the Tigers spun around a 19-0 deficit with four tries in the final 25 minutes.

Will Wand scored two of them with Jack van Poortvliet and Ollie Hassell-Collins also crossing, while Billy Searle converted three and added a penalty.

Will Porter scored Harlequins’ only try. Jarrod Evans added the extras and kicked three penalties with Jamie Benson also adding a penalty.

A penalty from Evans gave Quins a sixth-minute lead but they soon suffered a blow when they lost flanker Jack Kenningham to a facial injury.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Leicester

29 - 19

Full-time

Harlequins

All Stats and Data

Evans added another penalty but his efforts were the only scores of a competitive but disjointed first quarter as both sides struggled to come to terms with the tricky wind.

Quins should have scored the opening try when neat footwork from Nick David saw him sail through the home defence, but the wing failed to provide the final pass and a golden chance was lost.

However they were not to be denied as Kenningham returned from the blood bin in time to see his side score 10 points within a minute.

First Benson knocked over a penalty from within his own half, and from the restart, Alex Dombrandt made a clean break before Kenningham sent Porter on a 25-metre run to the line.

Evans converted for his side to lead 16-0 at the interval.

Leicester lock Cameron Henderson failed to reappear for the second half and they were soon dealt another blow when Evans succeeded with his third penalty.

Searle, a late replacement for the injured Orlando Bailey, gave the home crowd something to cheer with a kick and chase, but Porter got back to save the day before Tigers replaced four in the hope of reversing their fortunes.

The crucial moment then arrived as the visitors lost Walker to a yellow card for a deliberate offside before their talisman and skipper, Dombrandt, departed with an injury.

Tigers had to capitalise and they did so when a neat offload from Searle provided replacement Wand with a simple task of touching down.

Walker was still absent when Leicester scored their second try, with Van Poortvliet darting over from close range, but the hooker had returned before Searle added a penalty to bring his side within two points with 13 minutes remaining.

The tide was now firmly with the home side and it came as no surprise when first they produced the best move of the match to send Hassell-Collins racing over, before a second try for Wand secured their bonus-point victory to leave a bemused Quins with nothing.