Red card mayhem as three sent off in Leicester victory over Wasps
Leicester recorded a convincing 27-8 victory over Wasps at Welford Road in a Gallagher Premiership match that had three red cards.
The Tigers led 11-3 when their try-scorer Jacob Wiese was dismissed after 26 minutes but the hosts extended their advantage by another three points before Wasps prop Kieran Brookes saw red to even up the numbers.
Julian Montoya and Tommy Reffell crossed for further tries either side of Tom Cruse’s effort for Wasps before Leicester back-rower Hanro Liebenberg was sent off with two minutes left.
It was a landmark afternoon for three visiting players, with Welsh international Will Rowlands making his 100th Wasps appearance while James Gaskell and Josh Bassett both reached a century of Premiership appearances for the club.
However the game did not start well for Wasps as they fell behind to a third-minute try when Wiese finished off a driving line-out.
Zack Henry missed the touchline conversion and then a straightforward 45-metre penalty but Tigers continued to dominate the opening period as Wasps were penned in their own half.
Henry was presented with another 45-metre opportunity and this time he made no mistake before Jimmy Gopperth responded with a simple penalty to leave the visitors trailing 8-3.
Henry kicked his second penalty in the 22nd minute before turning down another simple kick at goal in favour of an attacking line-out.
The decision proved to be unwise as Wiese charged into the resulting maul with his shoulder catching the head of Wasps flanker Ben Morris and, after TMO replays, was sent off.
Wasps temporarily lost Morris to a head injury assessment and they suffered a further setback when Henry knocked over a long-range penalty to give Leicester a thoroughly merited 14-3 interval lead.
Soon after the restart, Brookes was sent off for a head-high challenge on Tigers lock Tomas Lavanini, and Tigers were quick to capitalise when Montoya finished off a driving line-out.
Kieran Brookes is off for a collision with Lavanini.
That's our FOURTH red of the weekend. ?
We're 14v14! #GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/m6iBlziZQU
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) February 20, 2021
Wasps brought on backs Jacob Umaga and Michael Le Bourgeois in an attempt to reverse their fortunes but their lightweight pack – that was missing Joe Launchbury, Jack Willis and Thomas Young – were no match for their counterparts.
They were battered in the scrums and second best in the loose and should have fallen further behind but Henry missed an angled penalty.
However a superb touch-finder from Umaga secured his side a rare platform, five metres out from the opposition line from where Cruse forced his way over.
Speechless. ?
Hanro Liebenberg picks up the third red of the game and our fifth of the weekend. ?#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/Ct3uhjzeJh
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) February 20, 2021
Umaga missed the conversion before a Henry penalty and a close-range try from Reffell rewarded Leicester’s limited but effective game-plan, before Liebenberg became the third red card in the 78th minute for taking a man out in the air.
Comments on RugbyPass
Speell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
6 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
5 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
6 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to comments