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ASM Clermont Auvergne will be looking to pick up all the spoils when they clash with Aironi in Monza in a bid to keep their Heineken Cup quarter-finals place alive. - 12/01/2012 16:51
Leicester Tigers will be looking to restore some pride after their one-sided defeat to Ulster and one eye on hopes of a place in the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
The double champions, who lifted European rugby’s biggest prize in 2001 and 2002, cannot qualify for the knockout stages of this season’s Heineken Cup but have slim chances of prolonging their euro campaign.
The Tigers, along with Pool 4 leaders Ulster and Clermont Auvergne, can still qualify for the knockout stages of the Amlin Challenge Cup if other results all go their way this weekend.
The Premiership outfit, who suffered their heaviest defeat in the tournament when they lost 41-7 to Ulster in Belfast last weekend, still have their own European ranking points for next season to play for.
Aironi, who are in only their second season of Heineken Cup rugby and have managed only one victory during that time, are looking for their first win and points in the Pool.
Leicester Tigers put their defeat to Ulster behind them to finish off their Pool 4 campaign with a comfortable morale-boosting victory over Italian outfit Aironi at Welford Road. - 21/01/2012 17:45
Leicester Tigers put their defeat to Ulster behind them to finish off their Pool 4 campaign with a comfortable morale-boosting victory over Italian outfit Aironi at Welford Road.
The former champions, who lifted the trophy in 2001 and 2002, didn’t have it all their own way against the Italian new boys but they dominated the second half and recorded a bonus point victory.
Geordan Murphy, the Tigers skipper and veteran full back, was one of the Premiership outfit’s four try scorers and crossed for his 25th try in the Heineken Cup against the Italian side.
Aironi, who caused one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament when they beat Biarritz in the Pool stages last season, lost all of their Pool 4 games in the tournament.
It was the Italians who drew first blood in the Midlands when South African fly-half Naas Olivier landed a 14th penalty to stun the home crowd into silence to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.
The Tigers dominant scrum soon rewarded when the Aironi pack were penalized in the shadow of their own posts and fly-half Billy Twelvetrees converted the three points to draw the home side level.
Olivier and Twelvetrees swapped penalties in a closely contested first half to give the Tigers a narrow 9-6 lead over a stubborn Italian side, who made the home side scrap for every point, at half-time.
After the break, the Tigers scored two early tries at the start of the second half by No 8 Thomas Waldrom and fellow backrower and flanker Ben Woods crashed over to make it 21-6 to the home side.
Murphy then got in on the act to cross for the Tigers third try to extend his record and as the club’s record try-scorer in Europe before fly-half George Ford crossed for the fourth try for the bonus point.
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