Leicester hopes in the balance after Stormers loss

Investec Champions Cup

Stormers (15) 39

Roos, Venter, Zas, Schickerling, and Khan Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 3, Khan Pens: Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Khan.

Leicester (14) 26

After falling 39-26 to the Stormers in Cape Town, Leicester are anxious to find out if they will make it to the Champions Cup last 16.

A Tigers side without many of their international debutants put on a strong performance that appeared to earn them two extra points, but a late Imad Khan try saw them score only one point after scoring four tries.

Leicester are now fourth in Pool Three, but if La Rochelle earns at least one point in Sunday’s home game against the Harlequins, they will leave.

If La Rochelle wins, the Stormers will be able to play at home in the knockouts after winning.

Evan Roos and Andre-Hugo Venter gave the hosts a 14-point lead in the first quarter of an hour before George Pearson and Will Wand’s tries helped the Tigers regain the lead.

As the game remained in the balance, the Tigers’ hooker Jamie Blamire and the Stormers’ wing Leolin Zas traded tries early in the second half.

After five minutes, the Tigers immediately made the most of the extra man when eighth-round Roos crashed over from close range after losing prop Will Hurd to a yellow card for a high tackle on opposite number Ntuthuko Mchunu.

On 15 minutes, hooker Venter, who had a maul-eared effort, peeled off a maul to score the second Stormers try.

A chance that helped Tigers get going led to a line-out for full-back Pearson, who scored from the opening play that struck the corner flag and bounced off Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s leg.

After 26 minutes, Searle’s conversion made it 14-12 before Wand picked a fantastic line to cruise through.

Before Feinberg-Mngomezulu showed him how to do it, the hosts had a slim half-time lead, but Searle missed a straightforward penalty in front of the posts.

With just under an hour to go, Zas grabbed the hosts’ third try, which put the Tigers up 21-21. Hooker Blamire scored from a driving maul, but the Tigers won the match again after 46 minutes.

The impressive Feinberg-Mngomezulu blotted his copybook with a forearm to the head of Wand as the Flyhalf attacked the Tigers line, causing the influential Springbok to be sin-binned as the Stormers pressed for the bonus point try.

With 13 minutes left, Stormers made light of being a man down by forcing a turnover that caused Schicklerling to scurry in from distance for the bonus point score. Khan added the extras to extend the lead to 29-21.

Before Khan saw a kick run down by Manz, who collected the ball to cross for a Tigers try-bonus point, Khan added a penalty.

Kotze, Matongo, Porthen, Evans, Theunissen, Khan, Burger, Mars, and others.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu 62, Yellow card

Leicester: Hamer-Webb, Wand, Woodward, Hassell-Collins, Searle, Whiteley, Haffar, Blamire, Hurd, Thompson, Wells, Moro, Williams Cracknell (capt.)

Replacements: Crowley, van der Flier, Loman, Manz, Ilione, Allan, Allan, and Theobald-Thomas.

Referees’ assistants: Benjamin Hernandez (Fra), and Pierre Brousset (Fra).