Leicester Tigers player ratings vs Leinster | Investec Champions Cup
Leicester Tigers player ratings: Leicester started much the brighter of both sides in this Champions Cup clash, but Leinster’s turgid opening quarter wasn’t to last.
15. Freddie Steward – 6/10
Provided reliable defensive work and his usual prowess under the high ball. Despite the team’s struggles, Steward remained a steady presence in the backfield, even if he didn’t offer much by way of an attacking threat.
14. Harry Simmons – 4
Simmons had a challenging day, often getting outpaced and struggling to make a significant impact on the wing, his involvement in the game was largely limited. His missed tackle on James Lowe paved the way for a Leinster try in the 34th minute. He was taken off a few minutes later, apparently injured.
13. Matt Scott – 7
Scott put in a hard-fought performance in the centre, the Scottish international holding up Caelan Doris for what looked like a sure try just before halftime, before sparking a Leicester attack just moments later.
12. Dan Kelly – 6.5
Kelly put in a gritty performance, displaying moments of creativity, not least putting teammate Hanro Liebenberg in early doors with a sublime pass. He was a steady presence in the midfield, even if he struggled to fully unlock Leinster’s defence in the second 40.
11. Ollie Hassell-Collins – 7
Hassell-Collins was active on the wing, constantly seeking opportunities. He showed his potential but needed more ball to make a significant impact. Got flat-footed by some Jordan Larmour magic for Leinster’s second try.
10. Handré Pollard – 5
‘Polly’ had a challenging day at Welford Road, marked by a mixture of errors and missed opportunities. His most notable lapse was a failed kick to touch, which proved costly. While he had his moments, showing glimpses of his playmaking ability, these were overshadowed by unforced errors and some pretty meh tackling.
9. Tom Whiteley – 6
His yellow card aside, Whiteley delivered decent service from the scrum-half position but was hampered by Leinster’s aggressive defensive strategies. He showed glimpses of quality but was outshone by Jamieson Gibson-Park.
1. James Cronin – 6.5
Cronin was steady in the scrum and made his presence felt in open play. His breakdown smarts in particular stood out.
2. Julián Montoya – 6
Montoya led from the front, combining leadership with strong set-piece work. The Puma’s influence around the park was most keenly felt in first half, even if it tapered off in the second 40.
3. Joe Heyes – 6
The England rookie struggled at times in his scrummaging battle against Andrew Porter, getting pinged a few times against the outstanding Irishman. Strong elsewhere.
4. Harry Wells – 5
Wells faced challenges in the lineout, struggling to maintain his usual standard in this crucial area. His timing and coordination were not as sharp as expected, which led to some key turnovers for Leinster.
5. Ollie Chessum – 5
Chessum worked hard throughout the game but couldn’t make a defining impact. His contributions were solid, yet the England lock lacked the dynamism to turn the game in Leicester’s favour and was outmuscled at times by James Ryan and the beastly Joe McCarthy. Went off with a HIA and didn’t return.
6. Hanro Liebenberg – 7
One of two changes for Leicester, Liebenberg put in an impressive shift, blasting over with just seven minutes on the clock. He was a constant nuisance at the breakdown and carried well.
7. Tommy Reffell – 6
Reffell was a standout while on the pitch, showing his usual tenacity at the breakdown. He didn’t return after halftime however due to a head injury.
8. Jasper Wiese – 6
Wiese brought his usual physicality with multiple strong carries. He tried to impose himself but found the going tough against a disciplined Leinster pack. A distant second best to Doris though.
REPLACEMENTS:
16. Archie Vanes – 6
Super-sub Vanes was solid in set-pieces after coming on but couldn’t change the game’s direction.
17. Francois van Wyk – 6
Van Wyk was solid in the scrum where he was expected to make an impact. His performance in open play was bright too.
18. Will Hurd – 5
Hurd had a limited impact during his time on the pitch. He couldn’t find the opportunity to make a notable difference in the game.
19. Sam Carter – 6
The Aussie lock brought some physicality into the encounter after coming on for the off colour Cheesum.
20. Kyle Hatherell – 8
Another player who took the fight back to Leinster for Wales flanker Tommy Reffell. Bundles of enthusiasm and nearly grabbed a try in the 65th minute.
21. Ben Youngs – 7.5
The England veteran added a spark off the bench, with Leicester visibly improving following his introduction. His experience and game-reading skills were evident, as he injected pace and direction into the Tigers’ play.
22. Jamie Shillcock – 6
Coming on for Harry Simmons after just 35 minutes, Shillcock made the most of his extended game time.
23. Solomone Kata – 6
Kata showed eagerness after coming on but couldn’t find the breakthrough Leicester needed. His attempts to invigorate the attack were commendable but his handling let him down on occasion.
Comments on RugbyPass
Why cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
31 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
31 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
31 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
31 Go to comments