Tigers finish second after dispatching Newcastle

Gallagher Premiership

Leicester Tigers (14) 42

Tries: Liebenberg, Bassett, Kata, Heyes, Rogerson, Hassell-Collins Cons: Pollard 4, Volavola 2

Newcastle Falcons (6) 20

Leicester Tigers secured a second-placed Premiership finish and a home play-off semi-final against Sale by beating Newcastle Falcons.

It took until the 17th minute for Tigers to grab their first try through Hanro Liebenberg thanks to fellow South African Pollard’s fast hands, just a minute after Brett Connon put bottom side Falcons ahead with a penalty.

Substitute Louis Brown’s sin-binning halfway through the first period did not help Newcastle but the visitors repelled Tigers’ attacks up until the 31st minute when Josh Bassett raced down to score in the corner.

Leicester needed just one point to finish in the top four and knew a win would secure second place as they faced the Premiership’s bottom side, who have won just twice this season.

Newcastle still made life difficult for Tigers in the first-half. Leicester had more than double the amount of carries and line breaks than Falcons but were unable to get any fluid attacking momentum.

Following a strong Tigers scrum, Ollie Chessum went over but was held up by Ollie Leatherbarrow’s strength to be denied the opening points.

Connon kicked over a penalty to give Falcons the match’s first points of the afternoon but South African back row Liebenberg was then given space to run in from close range to put Leicester in front.

Brown’s yellow card gave the Tigers a numerical advantage and Bassett collected a delightful pass from Liebenberg to run in his 10th try of the season unchallenged on the right wing.

Connan kicked another three points just before half-time to keep Falcons within eight points on the scoreboard and they were buoyed further after the break when full-back Freddie Steward saw a Tigers try disallowed, and Hassell-Collins was also sin binned for making an illegal fend-off.

As Tigers’ pressure heaped on the Falcons defence however, Kata burst through to extend their lead.

Replacement prop Heyes barged over to stretch the lead to 28-6 and while Leatherbarrow pulled one back for the Falcons, it proved a blow-out towards the end as Rogerson scored Leicester’s fifth.

Leicester Tigers: Steward; Bassett, Kata, Woodward, Hassell-Collins; Pollard, Youngs; Smith, Montoya, Cole, Henderson, Chessum, Liebenberg, Reffell, Cracknell.

Replacements: Clare, Cronin, Heyes, Rogerson, Ilione, van Poortvliet, Volavola, Brown.

Sin bin: Hassell-Collins (50)

Newcastle Falcons: Obatoyinbo; Redshaw, Hearle, Arnold, Pepper; Connan, Stuart; McCallum, Blamire, de Bruin, Hawkins, de Chaves, Neild, Gordon, Lockwood.

Replacements: Byrne, Rewcastle, Hancock, Usher, Leatherbarrow, Davis, Spencer, Brown.