Heineken Cup holders Leicester showed their champion qualities to set a
European record and complete the double over gallant Perpignan at a
near-capacity Welford Road.
The Tigers overcame the shock of conceding a try within 38 seconds to claim
their 10th straight win, eclipsing the previous best run by Brive from 1996-98,
and effectively book their place in the last eight.
Full-back Tim Stimpson, last-ditch match-winner in Perpignan a week earlier,
was once more the hero with 29 points but, instead of leaving it late, this time
he had virtually sewn the game up by half-time.
It was his try in first-half injury time that opened up a crucial 12-point
lead and effectively ended the French resistance, much to the delight of a
season's-best crowd of 15,662.
Stimpson went on to kick 10 goals, most of them long-range efforts, in an
immaculate display of marksmanship but it was Austin Healey, starting at
fly-half for the first time since March, who took the man-of-the-match award.
The early fireworks came from the visitors, who put Leicester's 12-month
unbeaten record under threat from the kick-off, with international hooker Marc
Dal Maso taking his side into dangerous territory with a couple of lively runs.
And Perpignan made a dream start when silky handling by fly-half Benoit Bellot
got right winger Farid Sid racing over for the game's opening try.
France A international Bellot was handed a starting role ahead of veteran
fly-half Thierry Lacroix, who spent most of the match on the bench after picking
up a back injury while kicking all his side's points in last week's 31-30 home
defeat.
Bellot's successful conversion made it 7-0 and gave little hint of what was to
follow.
The Tigers ought to have drawn level when the inspirational Healey combined
with skipper Neil Back to get the ever-alert Stimpson steaming onto the ball 20
metres out.
Stimpson breached the first line of defence and looked a certain scorer only
to lose the ball in full-back Frederic Cermeno's last-ditch tackle.
However, the champions drew level when second rower Ben Kay took a slick pass
from lively scrum-half Jamie Hamilton and romped through a yawning gap in the
visitors' defence for a try.
Leicester enjoyed the lion's share of possession but the visitors displayed
typical French flair on the counter-attack to keep the home side of their toes.
While Bellot's marksmanship let him down, Stimpson displayed unerring accuracy
to punish the French side's indiscipline and Leicester finished off some lively
approach play with two more well-executed tries before the break.
Centre Glenn Gelderbloom made the most of a two-man overlap to work flanker
Lewis Moody over and Stimpson crashed through after clever handling by Healey
and Rod Kafer.
But the Tigers could never relax against spirited opponents, who grabbed a
second through Cermeno following Bellot's pinpoint kick to the corner.
However the fly-half missed three of his five shots at goal to leave his side
trailing by two full scores at the break.
Leicester took control of the second half, although it took a solo effort from
popular left winger Steve Booth to break the deadlock on 62 minutes, racing
through a scattered defence for a spectacular 40-metre try.
Two further Stimpson penalties kept the scoreboard ticking over and the Tigers
finished in total command, with right winger Geordan Murphy leaping high to take
Kafer's accurate kick and touch down, while substitute Ollie Smith got in on the
scoring spree when he hacked the ball on to grab a 50-metre score.
Teams:
Leicester: Stimpson, Murphy, Gelderbloom, Kafer, Booth,
Healey,
Hamilton, Rowntree, Chuter, Garforth, Deacon, Kay, Moody, Back,
W. Johnson.
Replacements: Smith for Healey (66), Ellis for Hamilton (71),
Freshwater for Rowntree (78), Cockerill for Chuter (73),
Jelley for Garforth (73), Short for Kay (70).
Not Used: Kronfeld.
Tries: Kay, Moody, Stimpson, Booth, Murphy, Smith.
Cons: Stimpson 6.
Pens: Stimpson 4.
Perpignan: Cermeno, Sid,
Giordani, Couttet, MacDonald, Bellot,
Loustau, Meya, Dal Maso, De Besombes, Thion, Daniell,
Le Corvec, Goutta, Murphy.
Replacements: Plana for Giordani (72), Lacroix for Bellot (54),
Peillard for Meya (41), Mas for De Besombes (41),
Deroeux for Le Corvec (69).
Not Used: Koniekiewicz, Basset.
Tries: Sid, Cermeno.
Cons: Bellot.
Pens: Bellot.
Att: 15,662
Ref: Alain Rolland (Ireland).
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