There was a time when we would not have been surprised by Leicester dominance, but so fresh is this second coming of the Tigers that each new height reattained seems of note. Here, in the lair of the French leaders, no less, they continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 13th consecutive win in their opener in Europe against Bordeaux.
George Ford, fresh from the announcement of his imminent departure for Sale, was masterful in the first half, before subsiding into an error-strewn third quarter, but he rediscovered the best of himself when it mattered to land the winning penalty with less than five minutes remaining. “Since the day I walked in here,” said Steve Borthwick, “George Ford has been superb, every day. He has made a personal decision [to leave], but he has handled the whole process in a really respectful manner. I have no doubt, right up to the day he leaves, he will be giving everything.”
Ford was marshalling kids around him, five of them in the starting pack under the age of 23. They had generally held the upper hand, particularly in the first half, but midway through the second they were in material danger of a first defeat. That they pulled themselves together to claim a win gives notice of the renewed confidence at Welford Road.
This was not an epic, but the crunch of league leaders was more than satisfying, if not without error. Top of the Top 14 they may be, but Bordeaux, who lost their France prop and captain, Jefferson Poirot, early on, were all fingers and thumbs for most of the first half, perhaps disorientated by opposition playing in this inferno with such confidence.
They may have seen fit to rest a host of key players – no Freddie Steward, Nemani Nadolo, Ben Youngs, Julian Montoya and Hanro Liebenberg, to name just a few – but the Tigers swung their hosts this way and that. Ford continues to look a million dollars at his level, now that his international career is seemingly on hold. He exchanged penalties with Maxime Lucu in the first quarter, before springing Bryce Hegarty through the Bordeaux defence with a typically sublime delayed pass. Guy Porter was on hand to finish.
Leicester were well worth the lead they held to the brink of half-time, but they had scored their try with Bordeaux down to 14, following Kane Douglas’s yellow card for the latest failure to avoid the unavoidable, his arm making contact with the head of the dipping Ollie Chessum. Bordeaux replied with a try on the stroke of half-time, when Leicester were down to 14.
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Gruff Rees hailed a “remarkable effort” from his hastily assembled Cardiff team after a 39-7 defeat against the Champions Cup holders, Toulouse. The Arms Park game in Pool B took place against a backdrop of more than 30 Cardiff players and a number of staff – including the rugby director, Dai Young – having to isolate until next week.
Cardiff had been due to play United Rugby Championship fixtures in South Africa last month, and had already arrived there when the country was added to the UK government’s red list for travel restrictions after the discovery of the Omicron coronavirus variant. With such a large group isolating at a hotel near London, it meant a team comprising Wales internationals – who did not travel because of the autumn internationals – semi-pros and academy players was fielded against the European title holders. Cardiff are set to be in the same boat when they visit Harlequins next Saturday.
Rees, the academy manager, is heading the coaching operation in Young’s absence, and said: “Looking at the effort that went on, we were in that game for certain moments. At 20-7, there could have been a score either way, but then you are undone by three or four class moments from the world player of the year [Antoine Dupont].
“There are so many individual stories behind every player on that pitch today. It was a remarkable effort, and I am chuffed we put some good rugby on show against a team that we flustered a little bit and made it scary for them, and we can be proud of that.”
Leinster proved too strong for the Premiership strugglers Bath, winning 45-20 at the Aviva Stadium in Pool A. The 25,403 spectators were treated to a free-flowing first half, at the end of which Leinster led 31-13, with Bath’s late rally seeing Jacques Du Toit crash over from a well-worked lineout move.
The hosts had dominated up to that point, bagging their bonus point within 24 minutes as Jamison Gibson-Park (2), Tadhg Furlong, James Lowe and Hugo Keenan, with his first European try, all touched down.
Bath’s porous defence leaked two more tries – Ronan Kelleher and Josh Van Der Flier both crossing before the replacement Gabriel Hamer-Webb replied with a late consolation score.
Leinster’s victory was no surprise but Ulster had a notable Pool A victory at Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin when they defeated Clermont Auvergne 29-23.
There was a shock in the European Challenge Cup when Saracens were beaten 21-18 at home by Edinburgh in torrential rain in Barnet. PA Media
A rare tactical error saw Leicester kick penalties to the corner twice. After the second lineout, Ford put in a cross-kick, which resulted in a yellow for the chasing Hosea Saumaki. Bordeaux capitalised a few minutes later. From a second attacking scrum, with Ford covering the blindside in the absence of Saumaki, Bordeaux worked Jean-Baptiste Dubie through to the posts from a simple midfield move.
Leicester will be sick to have turned round level. Perhaps it niggled at them, because on the resumption it was they who started to make the mistakes – and Ford suddenly as many as anybody, missing a straightforward penalty a few minutes in.
Lucu punished it by landing one to take Bordeaux clear four minutes later. It was a soft penalty, but there was no doubt that it came amid a fresh onslaught from the home side. Lucu had another chance on the hour, after Callum Green came through an advancing Bordeaux maul. This time, he missed, albeit from some distance on the angle.
The turning point came deep into the final quarter. Ford kicked long, where replacement fly-half, UJ Seuteni, fumbled under no pressure. At the scrum, Thierry Paiva bored across, allowing Ford to redeem himself with a penalty to draw Leicester level.
The game was poised now, Leicester having weathered the storm of the third quarter. A routine carry by Ellis Genge coaxed a penalty from Douglas, and Ford stepped up from more than 40 metres out to land the winning penalty.
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Bordeaux had one final tilt at the death. Lucu chose to kick a late penalty to the corner, but Louis Picamoles was adjudged to have gone off his feet as Bordeaux picked and drove. Leicester had their win – and the latest level attained in their search for former glories.