Leicester Tigers were left reeling after a dramatic comeback from Leinster saw the visitors surge back into the Champions Cup pool stage. The Irish side fought hard to overturn a nine-point deficit at half-time, with tries from Adam Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins putting Leicester in the lead before Gibson-Park and Dan Sheehan sealed a hard-fought 23-15 victory for Leinster.
A talented Leicester squad, featuring several Ireland internationals, were forced into a pre-match change due to illness, as well as losing flanker Jack Conan and full-back Jimmy O'Brien to injuries in the first 20 minutes. However, Leinster's star-studded team, including Rieko Ioane making his first start, eventually overcame those setbacks and their first-half deficit.
The match saw several key moments of drama, with James Lowe taking exception to being tackled in the air by Radwan, whose sensational length-of-the-field try followed soon afterwards. However, Leinster showed great composure to come away with a win, as they capitalised on sustained pressure to get crucial scores at important times.
Leicester captain Tommy Reffell acknowledged that his team were unlucky not to take advantage of their territorial advantage, which stood at 37%. The Tigers will now face Bayonne and Stormers in their final two pool matches.
A talented Leicester squad, featuring several Ireland internationals, were forced into a pre-match change due to illness, as well as losing flanker Jack Conan and full-back Jimmy O'Brien to injuries in the first 20 minutes. However, Leinster's star-studded team, including Rieko Ioane making his first start, eventually overcame those setbacks and their first-half deficit.
The match saw several key moments of drama, with James Lowe taking exception to being tackled in the air by Radwan, whose sensational length-of-the-field try followed soon afterwards. However, Leinster showed great composure to come away with a win, as they capitalised on sustained pressure to get crucial scores at important times.
Leicester captain Tommy Reffell acknowledged that his team were unlucky not to take advantage of their territorial advantage, which stood at 37%. The Tigers will now face Bayonne and Stormers in their final two pool matches.
! Leinster's comeback was insane 
! They just wouldn't give up, even when they were down by 9 points 
. And can we talk about Rieko Ioane making his first start? 
The kid's got skills for days 
! I love how he and the rest of the team just kept pushing forward, despite all those injuries 
. And that try from Adam Radwan? Wow, what a length-of-the-field attempt 
! Too bad it didn't count as a foul... still so hyped about Leinster's win 
. Bayonne and Stormers better watch out for them in their next two matches 
!
they outplayed Leicester despite being down by 9 points at half time, talk about composure 
rieko ioane made an awesome start for them too 
and james lowe's reaction after that tackle was epic 
I feel bad for leicester tho, losing so many players to illness and injuries 
bayonne and stormers better watch out, leinster's gonna crush them 
. Anyway, gotta give credit to Leinster for pulling off the win - they're definitely in it to win it now! 
. Losing key players due to illness or injury could have crippled them, but they showed great depth and adaptability 
. The fact that Leicester's squad featured so many Ireland internationals doesn't necessarily explain the outcome, as Leinster's star-studded lineup was still on full display 
️. It'll be interesting to see how the Tigers regroup for their next matches - a 37% territorial advantage is definitely something they should have capitalized on 
. Nonetheless, this loss should serve as a valuable learning experience for the team, particularly in terms of managing adversity and capitalizing on opportunities 
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i wonder if jack conan's injury will be a major factor for them against bayonne and stormers? 
but u gotta give them credit for composure under pressure... tbf radwan's try was insane though 
and i'm surprised leicester didn't capitalize on that first-half deficit 
bayonne is gonna be a tough one now, fingers crossed tigers pull thru 