Leicester completed their expected drubbing of Calvisano with a 10-try
Heineken Cup demolition job at Welford Road.
Calvisano, last season's runners-up in the Italian Championship final, have
never won away from home in four Heineken Cup campaigns and despite a spirited
opening spell they never looked capable of ending that record today.
They were totally outclassed by a rampant Tigers side looking to clinch top
honours in Europe's premier club rugby competition for a third successive year.
Former Huddersfield rugby-league outside-half Steve Booth was the star of the
show, using his speed and guile to run-in a hat-trick - the second of which saw
him outwit two Calvisano players who were left for dead.
There were also braces for England flanker Neil Back and Geordan Murphy, the
Ireland full-back making his first appearance of the season after a lengthy
spell on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.
Perry Freshwater, Tom Tierney - his first for the club - and Martin Corry also
crossed with Sam Vesty, Austin Healey and substitute Tim Stimpson sharing the
kicking duties - to little effect as they only managed five conversions between
them
Leicester met Calvisano in the pool stages of the Heineken Cup last season and
they obviously knew what to expect from the Italians as they dominated the
opening 10 minutes, denying their opponents any possession.
Their impatience was proving their undoing however as they tried to ship the
ball wide at every opportunity, resulting in a hatful of handling errors as the
long-range passes failed to hit their targets.
But the Tigers were threatening to cut loose and in the 14th minute they
finally strung-together a mistake-free passage of play.
Murphy made the initial break, tearing down the left wing before off-loading
to Back who fed winger Booth for a try in the corner.
Booth looked dangerous every time he touched the ball and made one slicing run
which nearly ended in another score but Leon Lloyd, the recipient of his final
pass, had run out of space.
Leicester's efforts were being hindered by Calvisano's stout defence, and it
was just as well that the Italian rearguard was in fine form because they had
hardly laid a hand on the ball.
Healey, who had taken over the kicking duties after fly-half Vesty missed two
shots at goal, slotted a 27th minute penalty before the Tigers notched their
second try.
They were helped by the 29th minute sin-binning of prop Giampiero De Carli and
took full advantage a minute later, scoring a pushover try through Back.
Freshwater and Murphy added first-half injury-time touch downs - both tries
involving several players in the build-up - with Healey booting a conversion.
Tierney and and Back both crossed in the four minutes immediately after the
break as Leicester began to hit top-gear, with Murphy adding one of the
conversions in the absence of Healey who had limped off moments earlier.
A brilliant change of speed from Booth in the 60th minute saw the winger coast
home in the right corner, pushing the Tigers into a 42-0 lead.
And touch downs from Murphy, Martin Corry and Booth completed the rout, with
Tim Stimpson kicking all three conversions.
Leicester:
Tries: Booth 3, Back 2, Freshwater, Murphy 2,
Tierney, Corry. Cons: Healey, Murphy, Stimpson 3. Pens: Healey.
Leicester: Freshwater,
Chuter, Tournaire, Deacon, Corry,
Kronfeld, Back, W. Johnson, Tierney, Vesty, Booth, Kafer,
Lloyd, Healey, Murphy.
Not Used: Stimpson, M. Johnson, Garforth, Balding, J. Hamilton,
Gelderbloom, West.
Calvisano: Davo, Moretti, De Carli, Mastrodomenico, Boardman,
Mayerhofler, Mandelli, De Rossi, Dragotto, Muliero, Raineri,
Zanoletti, Gabba, Vaccari, Ravazzolo.
Not Used: Bocca, Griffen, Purll, Ciampo, Roux, Varella.
Att: 14,525
Ref: Nigel Owens (WRFU).
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