Tigers thrash Harlequins 40-7 with contrasting play-off ambitions on full show

Leicester Tigers produced a dominant display at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, dismantling Harlequins 40-7 in a performance that underlined their growing momentum heading into the business end of the Premiership season.

In contrast, Harlequins were undone by poor discipline, injuries, and a ruthless Leicester side who made the most of every opportunity.

The game started brightly for Leicester, and it didn't take long for Harlequins to hand them an advantage.

Winger Cameron Anderson was shown a yellow card early on after clattering into Freddie Steward while contesting a high ball. Down to 14 men, Harlequins struggled to contain Leicester’s sharp attack.

From a scrum near the Quins' line, Jack van Poortvliet spotted space down the blindside and exploited it beautifully, setting up Ollie Hassell-Collins for the opening try of the match. Handré Pollard converted to make it 7-0.

Leicester kept the pressure on and were rewarded again shortly after. Another well-orchestrated move ended with Hassell-Collins grabbing his second try, giving the Tigers a 14-0 cushion.

Despite the setbacks, Harlequins managed a response before halftime. Luke Northmore picked off a telegraphed pass from Pollard, intercepting deep in his own half before racing away to score under the posts.

Marcus Smith slotted the easy conversion, trimming Leicester's lead to 14-7 at the break.

Harlequins' hopes of a comeback were dashed almost immediately after the restart. Cameron Anderson, already on thin ice, was involved in a second aerial collision with Freddie Steward and was shown a red card.

After a lengthy delay for medical attention, Harlequins were reduced to 14 permanently, and it got worse.

Moments later, Tyrone Green deliberately knocked down a pass and was sin-binned, leaving Harlequins down to 13 men. Leicester wasted no time exploiting the numerical advantage.

From the resulting penalty and scrum platform, van Poortvliet again marshalled the attack brilliantly, sending Adam Radwan over for his first try of the afternoon. The floodgates were open.

Radwan soon added two more tries, completing a sensational hat-trick and turning the game into a rout. His blistering pace and clinical finishing ripped through a depleted and disorganised Quins defence.

Leicester weren't finished either. Hassell-Collins added his second try of the day, and Hanro Liebenberg crossed late to hammer the final nail into Harlequins' coffin. The conversion brought the score to a commanding 40-7, sealing an emphatic bonus-point win.

The result lifts Leicester Tigers into second place in the Premiership standings, strengthening their hold on a home playoff semi-final.