Leicester Tigers beat Gloucester 36-17 in Slater Cup

Gloucester 17-38 Leicester Tigers, Kingsholm

Leicester Tigers claimed the Slater Cup with a 36-17 victory over Gloucester at Villa Park, spoiling the Cherry and Whites’ first home big game in front of a crowd of more than 24,000.

Played in honour of Ed Slater, the occasion carried huge emotional weight, but on the field it was Leicester who handled the moment far better, building a commanding first-half lead and never allowing Gloucester close enough to seriously threaten a comeback.

The Tigers were clinical from the opening minutes and made Gloucester pay for a slow start. By halftime, the visitors had already scored five tries and taken firm control of the contest.

Tigers Fly Out Of The Blocks

Leicester opened the scoring inside the first five minutes when Will Wand broke a tackle down the left touchline and crossed in the corner. Billy Searle added the conversion to give the Tigers an early 7-0 lead.

The pressure continued soon after as Gabe Hamer-Webb went over on the right wing for Leicester’s second try. Searle’s conversion attempt struck the uprights, but the Tigers had already established control.

Gloucester’s difficult start worsened when Jamie Blamire struck twice in quick succession, both tries coming from rolling mauls. Neither conversion was added, but Leicester had surged into a 22-0 lead and looked far more powerful and organised.

Gloucester Respond But Bailey Strikes Before Break

Gloucester eventually found a way back into the match as Max Llewellyn produced strong carries to get the hosts close to the Leicester line. After several phases of pressure, Matías Alemanno forced his way over for the home side’s first try. Charlie Atkinson could not add the conversion, leaving Gloucester trailing 22-5.

Any hopes of real momentum before the interval were then checked by Leicester’s response. Just before halftime, Orlando Bailey crashed over for another Tigers try, with Searle converting to send the visitors into the break with a commanding 29-5 lead.

Gloucester Show More Fight In Second Half

The home side were much improved after the restart. Deian Gwynne carried strongly into space before Caolan Englefield and Will Joseph combined well on the short side, allowing Joseph to score. Atkinson converted and reduced the deficit to 29-12.

The second half became more open, but Gloucester’s handling let them down during several promising attacks. They did manage another score with nine minutes remaining when quick thinking from Englefield and Seb Atkinson helped create the opening for Dian Bleuler to force his way over. The conversion was missed, leaving the score at 29-17.

Leicester Finish Strong

Any late hopes of a Gloucester comeback were ended when Leicester struck again near the finish. Harry Wells reacted quickest around the ruck and grounded the ball after pressure close to the line. James O’Connor added the conversion to complete a 36-17 victory.

Team line up:

Gloucester: Redshaw, Joseph, Llewellyn, S Atkinson, Thorley,C Atkinson, Englefield, Rapava-Ruskin, Innard, Fasogbon, Clark, Alemanno, Gwynne, Ludlow, Clement.

Reserves: Blake, Beuler, Knight, F Thomas, Trenholm, Price, Barton, Edwards-Giraud.

Leicester: Steward, Hamer-Webb, Wand, Bailey, Hassell-Collins, Searle, Van Poortvliet, N Smith, Blamire, Hayes, Liebenberg, Chessum, Moro, Watson, Cracknell.

Reserves: Theobald-Thomas, Van der Flier, Hurd, Wells, Palmer, Whiteley, O'Connor, Radwan.