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Leicester Tigers captain Tom Youngs is determined to turn the tables on Munster at Welford Road on Saturday. - 14/12/2016 12:27
Leicester Tigers captain Tom Youngs is determined to turn the tables on Munster at Welford Road on Saturday.
The Tigers were powerless to stop Munster from cruising to a bonus-point 38-0 triumph to take control of European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 1. The men from Thomond Park sit top, despite playing a game less than Glasgow Warriors and Leicester.
But Leicester are out for revenge in-front of their home support on Saturday. But they will have to do out without Freddie Burns, who will miss the game with a head injury, though Manu Tuilagi is fit to start. And Youngs is relishing their shot at redemption this weekend.
He said: “In professional sport we are used to playing back-to-back rugby. There are weeks when you have a bad game or the scoreline says something but then you have a week to get it right and have a think about it and look forward to the challenge.
“The difference is that we get to play Munster again, which doesn't happen in the Premiership. We are looking forward to it and we have to put some pride back in the jersey and work a bit more for each other. It's not all broken, I'm sure we can pull it out.”
A third successive victory for Munster would make them favourites to qualify as Pool 1 winners. And they will be confident of victory having win their last seven matches – two in the Champions Cup, four in the PRO12 and the victory against the Maori All Blacks. But skipper Peter O’Mahony is wary of the wounded Tigers.
He said: “Because it's so close I think it makes the second week probably more difficult. Especially given the club Leicester are and the quality they have, they will be hurting after that. They'll be waiting for us over there, and we have to have a big week. We have to recover well, and have a big training week, and probably have the biggest European week of this current team's history so far. They'll be mad to get us over there and get stuck into us.
“Europe is very important to us and we have a history of making Thomond Park special. You always want to go out and honour it and honour the crowd and the effort they put in to show up and cheer us on like they always do. It was nice to be able to put in a good performance for them.”
Owen Williams was the hero for Leicester Tigers after his long-range penalty snatched a famous 18-16 European Rugby Champions Cup triumph over Munster. - 17/12/2016 17:22
Owen Williams was the hero for Leicester Tigers after his long-range penalty snatched a famous 18-16 European Rugby Champions Cup triumph over Munster.
The Irish province had inflicted a record 38-0 defeat on Leicester in round three, but the wounded Tigers came out fighting to earn their second victory in this season’s competition. Munster looked to have snatched a second successive victory when Tyler Bleyendaal converted Niall Scannell’s drive over score to make it 16-15 with three minutes remaining.
But outside-half Williams rose to the occasion to send a penalty through the uprights from 52 metres out to claim a revenge triumph. Glasgow Warriors are now out in-front in Pool 4 after four rounds of Champions Cup action.
It was end-to-end stuff in the opening exchanges at Welford Road, but Munster made the most of their first opportunity to get points on the scoreboard. Simon Zebo chipped ahead but was taken out by George Worth and Bleyendaal made no mistake with the long-range kick.
Bleyendaal added a second penalty to make it 6-0, before Manu Tuilagi opened the door for Munster when he was shown yellow for a shoulder charge on Rory Scannell. But instead, it was the 14-men of the Tigers who roared back into the game.
Ellis Genge and Luke Hamilton combined to take Leicester deep into Munster territory, before Peter O'Mahony gave a penalty away in-front of the posts. And Owen Williams made no mistake from the tee to cut the gap to 6-3. The Welshman added a second penalty moments later to level the scores at 6-6 at half-time.
It was more of the same after the interval as both sides fought to gain the ascendancy. Much like the first-half, it was Munster who hit the front with a Bleyendaal penalty after Brendan O’Connor went off his feet at a ruck.
But Williams levelled once again with his third penalty, before Leicester snatched the lead for the first time. Munster infringed again at a ruck and Williams made no mistake to make it 12-3 with 25 minutes remaining.
Munster looked to be building up a head of steam ten minutes later, but the ball went loose and Adam Thompstone went on the attack. Zebo dragged him down moments after he had put boot-to-ball, and earned a yellow card. Williams landed the resulting penalty to earn a vital six-point lead.
But Munster were not dead and buried. Scannell crashed over at the back of a maul, before Bleyendaal converted, despite a slip, to put the Irish province 16-15 ahead. But Williams showed nerves of steel to land the long-range penalty in the dying moments.
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