Leicester Tigers beaten yet again as Racing 92 win 34-11 at Welford Road
Leicester's hopes of reaching the knockout phase of the Champions Cup are all but over following a 34-11 defeat by Racing 92 at Welford Road.
The Tigers were overwhelmed in a blistering first quarter from Racing with tries by Teddy Iribaren, Juann Imhoff and Virimi Vakatawa sweeping the Pool Four leaders out of reach.
Scotland's Finn Russell showed class at fly-half to orchestrate Leicester's eighth successive defeat and finished with a 14-point haul comprised of four conversions and two penalties.
Full-back George Worth crossed on the half-hour mark but it was a weak display from the Tigers, who barely fired a shot apart from the odd burst by Manu Tuilagi.
Having accumulated only six points from four games, progression to the quarter-finals is a highly unlikely prospect while Racing's imposing performance confirmed their status as a leading contender to win the tournament.
Two defensive errors by Leicester helped Racing into an early lead with Iribaren the first over, waves of strong carries ending when the scrum-half touched down with an outstretched arm.
Next over the line was Imhoff, who benefited from Adam Thompstone's poor positioning that enabled Simon Zebo to sprint free from a line-out.
And the Tigers were carved open far too easily again in the 21st minute as Racing staged an attack from inside their own 22, the ball passing through several pairs of hands before Vakatawa crossed.
The one-way traffic was brought to a halt when Tuilagi ran an arching line and although Thompstone was halted by a high tackle, Worth was on hand to gather and touch down.
Leicester trailed 24-11 at half-time but their opportunities to cut the deficit dwindled as they lost a second line-out from close range.
Russell landed a penalty as Racing continued to dominate, a 58th-minute counter from inside their own half scattering the Tigers just as the home side were beginning to build some momentum.
Dan Cole was sent to the sin-bin for leading with elbow when he carried into skipper Henry Chavancy to place another dent in Leicester's hopes of staging a comeback.
A dour second-half provided few thrills with Racing already out of sight and Leicester incapable of making any impression on their defence.
Russell showed his electric running skills to slice Leicester open and the bonus point was sealed when Imhoff plundered his second try with a minute left.
Also on Sunday...
Edinburgh tightened their grip on top spot in Heineken Cup Pool Five with a second successive victory over Newcastle.
A cracking second-half display from Richard Cockerill's side saw them turn an 8-6 deficit into a 21-8 win with tries from James Johnstone and Durham van der Merwe, silencing the Kingston Park crowd.
Montpellier kept their Heineken Champions Cup flame burning with a 34-13 victory over Toulon.
Tries from Jan Serfontein, Henry Immelman, Vincent Giudicelli, Ruan Pienaar and Levan Chilachava ensured a bonus-point success for the home side in the clash of the Top 14 rivals. Pienaar converted three of the tries and kicked an early penalty.
Mamuka Gorgodze crossed for the visitors, who led early on through a Francois Trinh-Duc penalty. He kicked another just before half-time.
The result leaves Montpellier four points behind pacesetters Edinburgh, with two group matches to play. Toulon, who now have just one win from four games, prop up the table.
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