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May brace helps Leicester down Bristol to clinch second win of season
Jonny May scored two tries as Leicester claimed only their second Gallagher Premiership win of the season with a 31-18 victory over Bristol.
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Winger May scored once in each half, while his fellow England internationals Ellis Genge and George Ford also crossed the whitewash at Welford Road.
Leicester looked to be cruising as they led 21-6 at half-time but quickfire tries from flanker Dan Thomas and centre Piers O’Connor soon after the restart brought Bristol back into it.
However, May’s second score with six minutes remaining settled the match to help 11th-placed Leicester close the gap between them and the pack above.
The Tigers made an impressive start and put points on the board early thanks to Genge’s third-minute try.
A knock-on within the opening seconds put Leicester on the front foot and sustained forward pressure allowed a quick ball from scrum-half Ben Youngs to Genge and the prop powered over the line.
Ford successfully added the conversion, as he did for all four of Leicester’s tries, en route to a personal match haul of 16 points.
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Bristol responded instantly when Callum Sheedy kicked a penalty following an offside against May.
The opening 10 minutes were capped off when referee JP Doyle went to the TMO and sent Bears prop Jordan Lay to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Telusa Veainu.
Despite that, Sheedy closed the lead to one point, taking advantage of a penalty after 13 minutes. However, moments after scoring Bristol were reduced to 13 men when Doyle sent Alapati Leiua to join Lay in the sin-bin following a deliberate knock-on.
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Lay returned to the fray soon after but Tigers took advantage of the extra man, swiftly moving the ball from deep within their own half before Veainu broke away and found May, who easily scored.
Ford added a try of his own and his team’s third after 26 minutes, breaking through Bristol’s defence and racing away to score. His conversion extended the lead to 15 points at the interval.
The Bears roared back at the start of the second half, though, and scored twice inside the opening seven minutes.
Their opening try came through Thomas and straight from the kick-off they crossed again, O’Connor latching onto a kick from midfield and drove away from the chasing Tigers defenders.
Sheedy was only able to convert one of those tries but the Bears were suddenly within three points of their hosts.
The Tigers, after a sluggish start to the second half, gained a little more breathing space when Ford slotted over a penalty to make it 24-18.
The game was still in the balance until the closing stages, until May went over for his second try in the 74th minute.
Leicester moved the ball from left to right and the deadly combination of Veainu and May down the right wing led to the latter touching down.
With four minutes left, the Tigers introduced replacement Sam Harrison and he received a standing ovation on his final appearance before leaving for a new life in Australia.
May’s late try ensured Bristol would slump to a fourth Premiership defeat of the season and their afternoon only got worse when fullback Charles Piutau limped off in the last 30 seconds.
Press Association
Match in images:
Comments on RugbyPass
Hey. Stay home and play for Mooloo.
1 Go to commentsTighthead was always going to be our weakness this year with Ryan going home to Ireland and the Cashed Up Blues taking a third All Black prop from us - nobody else in SR does that. Numia is the exciting one. He used to be a lightweight but he's really improved. Do you have stats on the All Black hookers’ lineouts for the game? I seem to remember a few misses.
2 Go to commentsFergus Burke isn't tier 1 player quality…but guess what, he'll be playing amongst them for Saracens…. all going well and Steve Borthwick is still the head coach, England...Scott Robertson’s hint of amending NZRU’s offshore AB eligibility clause, would mean that players like Josh Moorby who show potential might get a call…
4 Go to commentsThe movement of quality players back to SA is remarkable.
2 Go to commentsInteresting article, Nic. Am enjoying seeing the Rebels doing well, partly just to spite those who are working to wipe them off the face of the Australian rugby planet. But it is also good to see a team with somany good players beginning fire. LSL has benefitted so much from his move up to Northampton for the one year. I wonder why he did not stay on for another year. Does he now looks north and see his teammates of last year now doing so well, and have some regrets.
44 Go to comments“Over 80% of the World Cup squad are over 30” No it isn’t lol
2 Go to commentsTyrel Lomax the best AB prop since Carl Hayman. Absolutely destroyed the Boks in RWC Final and is monstering allcomers in Super this season. Should be a monster battle vs touring Poms, always deliver a power pack.
2 Go to commentsEye gouging seems like such a strong term for what can only be described as a poke in the eye. When I think of eye gouging I think of someone trying to intentionally pop someone’s eyeball out. it’s like calling a high-tackle attempted decapitation.
3 Go to commentsGreat article. No insights to add, just wanted to say that. :)
1 Go to commentsLeinster are going to win the world cup.
13 Go to commentsSuper Rugby desperately needs to lose at least 2, but up to 4 teams. Rebels quietly going bankrupt would have made that a bit easier. Teams like the Rebels and Force serve only to weaken Australian Rugby and Super Rugby more widely. In 13 years in the comp the Rebels are yet to win more games than they lose in a season, have never finished in the top half of the competition, and have come dead last a number of times. The Western Force, barring a brief stint of mediocrity under John Mitchell from 2007-2009 have been even worse. Sadly it’s hard to see a future for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. Likewise I think the writing is on the wall for the Highlanders, it’s hard to see how NZ rugby can continue to support 5 SR teams, and population distribution suggests one team in the south island would make the most sense.
44 Go to commentsNice that Connor Evans is happy to stay on here, that JD Schikerling is returning and Steven Kitshoff. Dobbo is careful to bring back just anybody but having a new financial lease of life, it has made the Stormers a more attractive club. On top of being good quality, having the financial backing helps a lot
1 Go to commentsEngland-qualified too, I believe.
1 Go to commentsThis might turn out to be emblematic of a real issue in Irish rugby. Ireland have one of the best -if not the best - senior sides in the world, and one of the best under 20s sides as well, but don’t seem to be giving graduating under20s players many opportunities to break through into URC starting lineups. There is a risk that a lot of the junior talent they are developing will either be wasted, or lost to other nations.
1 Go to commentsYou ask good questions, Nick. The group who have put together the proposal to play out of Tarneit and participate in the growing of the ground’s capacity are not a bunch of white knights who have been dragged in post-crisis; they were around whilst the Rebels accummulated $23m in debt. Why do we come up with ideas that might make the franchise affordable after it’s broke and not when it might have prevented the trainwreck this offseason was? As for Gordon/Kellaway v Lolesio/Wright, they are both good options. I think the former are better rugby players but the goal kicking of Noah may be decisive when Schmiddy makes his choices. I know Harry Jones has the hots for Edmed but I think it’s one of his few poor choices and he and Jorgensen aren’t close to the other pairs. By coincidence, the wife and I went into town over the weekend to watch Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson in Long Day’s Journey into Night. Beautifully acted but it was 3.5 hours in the chair and very hard work. Like the Rebels, there were only small bursts of joy to go with a lot of bad news and a depressing story line. In the end, I was hoping it would end and I could give my sore butt a break. Again, familiar.
44 Go to commentsGood decision, very good player but not international quality. But so was Jamison Gibson Park …..
4 Go to commentsLoose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
8 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
44 Go to commentsGood summary. As said, Sevu Reece has been electrifying for the Crusaders. Great try and he has been everywhere. Amazing he is now equal with Caleb Ralph , club record of 52 tries for the Crusaders. That record beckons. Good to see Dallas McLeod getting regular starts at last. A big few weeks are ahead.
8 Go to commentsGood article/interview.As was said Christian Lio-Willie was barnstorming when he came on for the Crusaders. What happened at the end, self-explanatory.Captain fantastic Scott Barrett is due back soon as well, once they are back from Aussie. Great to see Ethan Blackadder back last week.
1 Go to comments