Pollard scores as Tigers boost Premiership play-off bid

MATCH REPORT: Leicester Tigers bolstered their bid to reach the English Premiership play-offs by routing Bristol 36-19 at Ashton Gate on Sunday.

The Tigers climbed above Bristol, Sale and Saracens into second place, with four matches left in the regular season.

Bristol failed to collect a Premiership try-scoring bonus point for the first time since December after Leicester successfully stalled their free-scoring machine.

Adam Radwan, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Jack van Poortvliet, Freddie Steward and Cameron Henderson scored Leicester’s tries, with Handre Pollard kicking three conversions and a penalty and Jamie Shillcock slotting one conversion.

Bristol trailed by 17 points at the interval, and while they rallied after the break, the home side’s try-count stopped at three after Gabriel Ibitoye, Kalaveti Ravouvou and Harry Randall touched down, while AJ MacGinty added two conversions.

It was an outstanding performance on the road by Leicester, one that was underpinned by an impressive display up-front, with skipper Julian Montoya, lock Ollie Chessum and flanker Tommy Reffell among those to the fore.

The scorers

For Bristol Bears
Tries: Ibitoye, Ravouvou, Randall
Cons: Ravouvou, MacGinty

For Leicester Tigers
Tries: Radwan, Hassell-Collins, Van Poortvliet, Steward, Henderson
Cons: Pollard 3, Shillcock
Pen: Pollard

Yellow card: Solomone Kata (Leicester Tigers, 70)

Teams

Bristol Bears: 15 Rich Lane, 14 Jack Bates, 13 Kalaveti Ravouvou, 12 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Harry Randall, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Fitz Harding (captain), 6 Steven Luatua, 5 Joe Batley, 4 James Dun, 3 George Kloska, 2 Gabriel Oghre, 1 Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Max Lahiff, 19 Josh Caulfield, 20 Jake Heenan, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 James Williams, 23 Joe Jenkins.

Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Solomone Kata, 12 Joseph Woodward, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Olly Cracknell, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Hanro Liebenberg, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Cameron Henderson, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Julián Montoya (captain), 1 Nicky Smith.
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 James Whitcombe, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Matt Rogerson, 20 Emeka Ilione, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Jamie Shillcock, 23 Dan Kelly.

Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant referees: Christophe Ridley, John Meredith
TMO: Dean Richards