Tigers go top of Gallagher PREM with bonus-point win at Bristol

Leicester Tigers are top of the Gallagher PREM table after a 22-16 win away at Bristol, with a bonus point for scoring four tries. Sky Sports reports it was an error-ridden game at Ashton Gate.

Two yellow cards swing it

Bristol had two players in the sin-bin for dangerous challenges, centre Mathias Moroni and full-back Tom Jordan. Leicester scored 10 points while they were short-handed, and that proved the difference in the end.

Bristol led early. Louis Rees-Zammit took the ball 35 metres out in the sixth minute, skipped past two defenders and ran in under the posts. Leicester hit back when a cross-field kick from Billy Searle let Freddie Steward score. Captain Ollie Chessum later went over, but the TMO ruled the ball had gone forward in the build-up and the try was disallowed.

Adam Radwan then got to a long Searle kick first to score, and Leicester led 12-7 at half-time.

Second half

Just ninety seconds after the restart, another cross-field kick found Ollie Hassell-Collins in plenty of space for the third try. Bristol, back to full strength, pulled back points through James Williams penalties. Basic handling errors from Radwan and replacement Will Wand gave the home side chances, but they were too frantic to make the most of them until Williams kicked a second penalty.

Jamie Blamire then scored from a line-out drive to secure the bonus point. Searle missed the conversion, which kept Bristol in the contest. Williams kicked a third penalty seven minutes from time to make it tense, but Leicester held on. Searle hit a post with a last-minute penalty.

Rees-Zammit scored Bristol’s only try. Williams added three penalties and a conversion, which earned the Bears a losing bonus point.

Source: Sky Sports