Leicester Tigers

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A stunning comeback by Wasps at the Causeway Stadium was held at back by Leicester.

The Tigers were 22-6 ahead within the first 20 minutes with tries from Lewis Moody, Geordan Murphy and Martin Corry.

European Champions Wasps fought back with a Josh Lewsey try and Mark van Gisbergen’s boot, they were 31-31 with five minutes to go!

Andy Goode kept his cool and kicked the Tigers to victory with a penalty and a drop goal.

The closing minutes saw Leicester desperately defending as Wasps aimed for the try they needed, as Williams controversially blew the full-time whistle.

John Wells:

To score three tries against the European champions at home was also something I am pleased about.”

Wasps: Van Gisbergen; Lewsey, Erinle, Abbott, Voyce; King, Dawson; Dowd, Greening, Green; Shaw, Birkett; Worsley, O’Connor, Dallaglio (capt).
Replacements: Gotting, McKenzie, Lock, Hart, Biljon, Brooks, Hoadley.

Leicester: Murphy; Rabeni, Smith, Gibson, Healey; Goode, Ellis; Rowntree, Chuter, White, M Johnson (capt), L Deacon; Moody, Back, Corry.
Replacements (from): Buckland/Cockerill, Morris, Kay, W Johnson/B Deacon, H Tuilagi, Bemand, A Tuiliagi, Lloyd, Vesty.

Wasps: 31 (19)
Tries: Lewsey
Cons: Van Gisbergen
Pens: Van Gisbergen (8)

Leicester: 37 (25)
Tries: Moody, Murphy, Corry
Cons: Goode (2)
Pen: Goode (5
Drop: Goode

Att: 10,000

Leicester stayed top, maintaining their unbeaten home record with a victory over Saracens at a packed Welford Road!

Tigers fell behind early on, but Andy Goode, Sam Vesty and Dan Hipkiss combined to free Tom Varndell who slid in the corner.

Sarries kept in touch after the break, Simon Haughton wasting his burst with a sloppy pass that Robbie Kydd spilled.

Replacement Ollie Smith made sure for Leicester with a late try.

Leicester: Vesty; Varndell, Hipkiss, Gibson, Healey; Goode, Bemand; Holford, Cockerill, Morris; Johnson, L Deacon; B Deacon, Back, Tuilagi
Replacements: Buckland, Hampson, Hamilton, W Johnson, Broadfoot, Smith, Lloyd

Saracens: Kydd; Haughton, Johnsont, Sorrell, Vaikona; Bartholomeusz, Williams; Yates, Cairns, Visagie; Fullarton, Raiwalui; Randell, Skirving, Vyvyan
Replacements: Ibanez/Kyriacou, Lloyd, Chesney, Seymour, Rauluni, Jackson, Castaignede

Leicester: (8) 21
Tries: Varndell, Smith
Cons: Goode
Pens: Goode (3)
Saracens: (6) 9
Pens: Kydd (2), Jackson

Martin Johnson has called on Tigers fans to recreate Welford Road’s “fortress” atmosphere at the Walkers Stadium.

Johnson said:

It’s a wrench. Leaving Welford Road with all its years of tradition and history won’t be easy.

But it’s the right move for the club and if everyone gets behind it, it is possible to recreate the atmosphere.”

Welford Road consistently sells out (for those that know the ground that comes as no surprise – squeezed between two of Leicester’s busiest roads) as a 16,800 capacity ground – but the Walkers Stadium holds 32,500 people.

Welford Road has become a very intimidating place for opposition teams.

But we need the new stadium to feel like home and that’s the challenge that the club and its supporters face – we need to get it right from the start and make Walkers Stadium our new ‘fortress’ from the word go.

Neil Back added:

It’s a very emotive issue, but if you look at it from a business, commercial and logistical sense – it’s a no-brainer. The fans’ support over the years has been fantastic. I hope that wherever Leicester plays, the fans will follow.

That’s a challenge to the fans, really, to make the new stadium a cauldron as well.

I think there will be a lot of emotion initially, but I believe it’s the right thing to do for the club to push forward and become the best in the world.

As a professional player, you want to play at the best possible facilities.

In terms of training, we’ve got the best training facilities of any club side in the world, but we haven’t as a ground and the pitch is vital.

Everyone at Welford Road knows that the pitch cuts up a bit and, as a player, you always enjoy playing on a football pitch as it’s a great surface to play on.

The City’s football and rugby teams plan to join forces and move in to the Walkers Stadium….

The move isn’t popular among a large amount of fans on both sides, but talks are underway for Tigers to move from 16,800-capacity Welford Road, to the Walkers Stadium in a link-up “unique in British sport”.

The Tigers consistently sell out Welford Road, while the Walkers Stadium holds 32,500 fans.

The Stadium would be re-branded inside and out, with a new playing surface for both sports and will also be used to host international football and rugby matches, other sporting fixtures, concerts and special events.

It could be ready for the start of next season!

A Leicester rally denied Wasps a victory in the tight game in High Wycombe.

Wasps led 17-7 in the final quarter – but, an Andy Goode penalty and an Austin Healey try three minutes from time, converted by Goode, levelled it.

Wasps were 6-0 up early on with Ed Thrower penalties before Tom Varndell’s converted try put Leicester in front!

Mark van Gisbergen’s try gave Wasps an 11-7 half-time lead but two more Thrower penalties were not enough. Especially when Thrower missed a further penalty with 10 minutes to go.

The game lacked many of the regulars on International duty, but former England captains, Dallaglio and Johnson kept the fight going!

Wasps: Van Gisbergen; Thrower, Richards, Erinle, Voyce; Brooks, Dawson; Dowd, Greening, Green; Shaw, Birkett; Hart, Rees, Dallaglio (capt).
Replacements: Leota, McKenzie, Lock, Haskell, Biljon, Priscott, Hoadley.

Leicester: Vesty, Varndell, Cornwell, Gibson, Healey, Goode, Bemand, Holford, Buckland, Morris, M Johnson (capt), L Deacon, H Tuilagi, Back, W Johnson.
Replacements: Taukafa, Hampson, Hamilton, Montagu, Skinner, Dodge, Broadfoot.

Referee: Ashley Rowden (RFU)

Wasps: (11) 17
Try: Van Gisbergen
Pens: Thrower 4
Leicester: (7) 17
Tries: Varndell, Healey
Cons: Goode 2
Pen: Goode

Three tries from Tom Varndell helped Leicester to a victory at Sixways.

Worcester had taken an early lead after two penalties from Tommy Hayes.

Scott Bemand, Austin Healey and Neil Back all went over the line to put the Tigers firmly in charge by half-time.

Varndell added three more after the break, despite a late consolation try from Paul Sampson.

The Tigers led 7-6 by half-time and Varndell, playing only his second match for the club, then took over with three tries in 12 second-half minutes.

Worcester: Thinus Delport, Daren O’Leary, Dale Rasmussen, Gary Trueman, Ben Gollings, Tommy Hayes, Clive Stuart-Smith, Drew Hickey, Pat Sanderson, Leon Greeff, Craig Gillies, Tim Collier, Chris Horsman, Ben Daly, Tony Windo
Replacements: Phil Murphy, Andre Van Niekerk, Neil Lyman, Matt Powell, Mark Gabey, Paul Sampson, Duncan Roke

Leicester: Sam Vesty, Austin Healey/Alesana Tuilagi, Seru Rabeni, Daryl Gibson, Tom Varndell, Andy Goode, Scott Bemand, Michael Holford, James Buckland, Darren Morris, Martin Johnson (capt), Louis Deacon, Brett Deacon, Neil Back, Henry Tuilagi.
Replacements: Richard Cockerill, Matt Hampson, Colin Noon, James Hamilton, Will Johnson, Will Skinner, Matt Cornwell, Ross Broadfoot.

WORCESTER: (6) 11
Tries: Sampson
Pen: Hayes 2
LEICESTER: (16) 38
Tries: Bemand, Back, Healey, Varndell 3
Cons: Goode 3