Gallagher Premiership
Updated 22/03/2024 at 20:51 GMT
20:49
TRY! LEICESTER 13-17 GLOUCESTER (KATA)
It’s old-school Leicester as they bag a pushover try straight after the interval to draw themselves right back into the game.
Two rolling maul scores either side of the break have put the Tigers back in it, although the conversion attempt is not good.
WATCH MERCER’S CLASSY FINISH
Zach Mercer helped put Gloucester ahead at half-time, and you can watch his try right here:
WATCH BRISTOL’S EXCELLENT SECOND TRY
Here’s how Harry Randall bagged Bristol’s classy second of the night:
HALF-TIME: BOTH MATCHES BEAUTIFULLY POISED
It’s been a fascinating first-half in both matches tonight, with each game still very much alive at the midway point.
Leicester’s try just before the break means they trail 17-8 to Gloucester despite struggling to get going for much of the half. The Tigers faithful will be hopeful of better after the break.
Bristol looked to be on their way to a stunning win over Northampton when they raced into an early lead, and their defence has been impressive to ensure the Bears remain in charge at half-time. But Naulago’s yellow card for an intentional knock-on was punished by Sleightholme’s absurd show of strength to reduce the deficit to 17-7.
20:30
TRY! LEICESTER 8-17 GLOUCESTER (REFFELL)
It’s Leicester pedigree as they get the rolling maul going and force their way over for the try, with Reffell the player to get it. Shillcock’s conversion comes back off the upright so the deficit will be nine points going in at the break.
Bristol miss the opportunity to stretch their lead going into the break as MacGinty slides a penalty narrowly wide.
20:27
TRY! LEICESTER 3-17 GLOUCESTER (HARRIS)
Leicester need to wake up or they will be out of this game before they know it. Gloucester spread it wide from a lineout and Harris spots that Shillock is slightly out of style in the defensive line and blasts over the top of him with a powerful run, crossing under the posts for his side’s second try of the night and setting up a simple conversion.
20:24
PENALTY! LEICESTER 3-10 GLOUCESTER
The visitors extend their lead with a simple enough kick for the posts as Leicester’s are pinged deep in their own territory.
20:22
TRY! BRISTOL 17-7 NORTHAMPTON (SLEIGHTHOLME)
Wow, what a try that is. Sleightholme is a man possessed as he pumps his legs and shrugs off tackles right the way through the 22, stretching out a long arm to score. That is a phenomenal show of strength and the Saints are up and running. The conversion is good too.
20:21
Northampton have finally hit their straps and now have a man advantage too. It’s a deserved yellow for Naulago, who knocked on as he looked to stop the final pass from finding a two-man overlap that would almost certainly have led to a try.
20:20
TRY! LEICESTER 3-7 GLOUCESTER (MERCER)
It’s Gloucester who bag the first try of the night in Leicester and it’s Zach Mercer who gets it. It was a long and flowing move from the Cherry and Whites, finished in style by Mercer who spots some overzealous defending and steps inside to finish.
MASSIVE DEFENCE FROM BRISTOL
Bristol survive on their own line as Saints go through phase after phase but can’t find the score. The key moment in the resistance comes when Luatua absolutely smashes Ludlam with a massive hit, leading to the penalty that Bristol’s efforts deserved. That’s as good as a try for the Bears.
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20:11
PENALTY! LEICESTER 3-0 GLOUCESTER
Shillcock was a late addition to the Tigers XV in place of Pollard and he slots the first points of the night at Welford Road.
Referees have been tasked with speeding things up during the run-in and both matches have been played out to a chorus of shouts of ‘use it’ from the officials. It’s forcing scrum-halves to get a bit of a wriggle on, and may also have led to that initial charge-down try in the Bristol game.
20:06
TRY! BRISTOL 17-0 NORTHAMPTON (RANDALL)
Bristol are rampant. They break straight from the first breakdown after the restart, putting MacGinty into space as he sears through a gap. Randall gets up on his shoulder and the pass comes, with the scrum-half just having enough pace to cross under the posts. The Saints are shell shocked.
20:03
PENALTY! BRISTOL 10-0 NORTHAMPTON
Saints are struggling to get into the game in Bristol and are pinged at the breakdown to gift the home side a relatively simple penalty. MacGinty slots it and the lead grows.
HIGHS AND LOWS FOR STEWARD
Freddie Steward makes a superb line break for Leicester and draws the covering winger towards him. It only needs one final pass to set up the score, but Steward gets it slightly wrong and the ball goes to ground. That probably should have been the first score of the night for the Tigers, but Steward’s break is a promising sign at least.
It’s still 0-0 between Leicester and Gloucester as the two teams test each other out early on. It’s physical and tight, while the ball has been given plenty of air in the opening minutes.
19:50
TRY! BRISTOL 7-0 NORTHAMPTON (BATLEY)
It’s the first score of the night and a big charge down punishes Saints hard. It was Batley who stretched out his sizeable limbs to charge McParland’s box-kick down, and the second row collected the ball himself to cross for the score. The conversion was simple and good and it’s an early lead for the bears.
