Leicester Tigers have set themselves for a ‘winner-takes-all’ clash with Toulouse after securing a 15-15 draw against the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium today.
The Tigers were heading for narrow loss as the end of the game neared but two tries in five minutes from Ben Youngs, above, and Niall Morris helped them salvage a draw putting them in a very good position to qualify as group winners.
Following their 35-14 bonus-point win against Treviso, Toulouse are currently at the top of Pool 2 two points clear of the Tigers.
But, with the two teams meeting at Welford Road next week, the two-point gap means that as long as the Tigers win the game, they should win the group and qualify for the quarter-finals.
The only way Toulouse can lose and still win the group is if they lose but secure both bonus-points.
Leicester put on a typical away performance and defended for most of the first half but controlled the damage well to keep the Ospreys honest.
It was more of the same in the second half before the powerful Tigers’ bench entered the arena.
The Ospreys were dominant and looked to have the game under control but, with the likes of Martin Castrogiovanni, Logovi’i Mulipola and Thomas Waldrom bringing their bulk in the pack, they started to go on the back foot paying for their brave efforts.
Once the visitors turned the game upside down, the Welsh fought straight back with a superb try but Dan Biggar, who wasn’t on song with the boot, couldn’t convert and the game was over five minutes later.
Despite their gutsy performance, the Ospreys are out of the competition as even a bonus-point win next week in Italy wouldn’t see them qualify as best second.
After hitting the woodwork twice in his first three attempts, Biggar found his radar to put the Ospreys 3-0 in front with a penalty.
This was the beginning of a mad five minutes from the Welsh who attacked from every corner of the field and, just after the half hour mark, they went 10-0 up.
After another fine break from captain Kahn Fotuali’i, Justin Tipuric was sent clear before the flanker sent a pass out wide to see No.8 Joe Bearman wiggled his way over.
Just before the break though, Leicester got on the scoreboard as Flood kicked a penalty to see the Tigers trail by seven at half-time.
The tension was at its highest and it took nearly 30 minutes in the second half before the game was turned on its head.
Youngs first brought the Tigers back leveled on score with a try from close range before Morris’ superb finish in the corner put the English side in front for the first time of the game five minutes later.
One would have thought it would be a killer blow for the Ospreys but, following a sensational break from Eli Walker, Jonathan Spratt dived over in the corner to level the score once again.
But Biggar’s conversion flew in front of the posts and so were the Welsh’s hopes of qualification.
For Ospreys
Tries: Bearman, Spratt
Conversions: Biggar
Penalties: Biggar
For Leicester
Tries: B. Youngs, Morris
Conversions: Flood
Penalties: Flood
Ospreys: Fussell; Habberfield, Isaacs, Bishop, Walker; Biggar, Fotuali’i (capt.); Bevington, Hibbard, A. Jones; Gough, King; R. Jones, Tipuric, Bearman.
Replacements: Baldwin, D. Jones, Johnstone, Peers, Lewis/ Thomas, Webb, Morgan, Spratt.
Leicester: Tait; Morris, Tuilagi, Allen, Thompstone; Flood, B. Youngs; Ayerza, T. Youngs, Cole; Deacon (capt.), Parling; Mafi, Salvi, Crane.
Replacements: Hawkins, Mulipola, Castrogiovanni, Slater, Waldrom, Harrison, Ford, Smith.
Referee: John Lacey
Star-man: Kahn Fotuali’i – Ospreys
NICK VERDIER
You can relive all the action from the Liberty Stadium here.
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