Player-coach Pat Howard inspired Leicester to Heineken Cup victory against Pau
at Welford Road on Saturday to end their recent barren run.
The French side lived up to their dubious reputation by having prop Pierre
Triep-Capdeville sent off for a stamp barely two minutes after returning from
the field from an earlier yellow card.
But despite drizzly conditions which were clearly against them, Pau were
eating into Leicester's lead when Howard burst through a gap 15 minutes after
the interval to snuff out any hopes of a revival.
With Tim Stimpson booting home 23 points and referee Rob Dickson awarding
Leicester a controversial penalty try, it gave the dual English champions the
perfect platform from which to attack a competition that they failed to get out
of the group stages of last term.
On a grey afternoon, England's Austin Healey was forced to watch from the
stands after sustaining a hamstring injury at Sale last week.
But after just one win in their last four games, Healey would at least have
been pleased to see the Tigers settle into an early rhythm through two early
Stimpson penalties.
Fly-half Andy Goode increased the advantage with a drop goal after 20 minutes,
with Stimpson landing his third penalty shortly afterwards flanker Lionel
Mailler was yellow-carded for handling in a ruck in front of his own posts.
Having made the long trip from the tropical temperatures of the south of
France, Pau were unlikely to be at their best with a wet ball in drizzly
conditions.
Any attempt at running rugby brought immediate errors and fly-half David
Aucagne hardly aided his side's cause by missing a relatively easy penalty
attempt.
Stimpson, who had also failed earlier on, didn't repeat his error after half
an hour though Aucagne showed he could kick with two penalties in as many
minutes just before the break.
After a mundane start, the game burst to life in the opening seconds of the
second half when Xavier Cambres failed to collect a Howard grubber kick behind
his own line and was forced to concede a five-metre scrum.
The Leicester pack dug their heels in and pushed. The Pau pack buckled and
Jamie Hamilton touched down with the home scrum still intact.
Sixteen points in arrears, Pau looked a beaten side but a rare venture forward
brought them a try when Philippe Carbonneau's long pass exposed gaps in the home
defence and Damien Traille cut through to score.
Pascal Bomati pounced on Aucagne's inspired crossfield kick to grab another
five minutes later and suddenly the beads of sweat were beginning to reappear on
director of rugby Dean Richards' brow.
But Howard's experience on the pitch is invaluable in a crisis and the
Australian centre eased his side out of their vulnerable position and Pau were
unable to respond.
Neil Back grabbed his customary try four minutes from time by which time the
visitors were ragged and Triep-Capdeville about to lose his senses.
Leicester
Tries: Hamilton, Howard, Penalty, Back.
Cons: Stimpson 4.
Pens: Stimpson 5.
Drop Goals: Goode.
Leicester: Stimpson, Murphy, Lloyd, Howard, Stanley, Goode,
Hamilton, Jelley, West, Garforth, M. Johnson, Kay, Gustard,Back, Corry.
Not Used: Grindal, Smith, Balding, Rowntree, Short, Cockerill,Nebbett.
Pau:
Tries: Traille, Bomati.
Cons: Aucagne.
Pens: Aucagne 2.
Pau: Cambres, Bomati, Cistacq,
Traille, Arbo, Aucagne,Carbonneau, Triep-Capdeville, Dal Maso, Laperne, Charron,
Lagouarde, Mallier, Agueb, Harinordoquy.
Not Used: Bria, Rey, Cleda, Combes, Bacque, Guilhem, Arrieta.Att: 12,331
Ref: Rob Dixon (RFU).
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