Bristol Bears scored three tries in the final 10 minutes to claim a thrilling comeback victory. Photo: Getty Images/Graham Chadwick Leicester Tigers 19 Bristol Bears 21
Leicester Tigers have warned they may take “formal action” against fans after the club became aware of a number of incidents of threats and abuse towards players and coaches following their late defeat to Bristol on Saturday.
< p>Dan McKellar's side were 19-0 up with 12 minutes remaining at Welford Road, but Bristol scored three late tries to win and retain their play-off places. off.
Leicester issued a statement on social media on Saturday evening expressing concern about the reaction to the previous result.
“While we understand the disappointment caused by today's result, personal threats or abuse towards players, coaches and/or staff on social media is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the club,” the statement said.
“We have seen and received reports from other fans with examples of abuse which, if deemed necessary, will result in formal action against season ticket holders or fans who have been found to have used abusive or threatening language towards individuals.”
For Bristol, the Bears' remarkable roller coaster took its most dizzying and sickening turn at Leicester, but it stayed the course and ended the Tigers' slim play-off hopes.
Bristol remain fourth in terms of matches won and this win could prove the most valuable in their stunning run of form. For 68 minutes, the Bears' minds and souls were still on the M5. After scoring 85 points in last week's demolition of Newcastle, Pat Lahm's side had been hopeless with the ball for over an hour and couldn't even collect it. Leicester went 19-0 ahead after a brace from Ollie Hassell-Collins and another goal from Francois van Wyk.
'Crucial for Leicester'
< br>Ollie Hassell-Collins gave himself 2️⃣ and 2️⃣ @LeicesterTigers 😬#LEIvBRI | #GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/G7VRMHjpT0
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt), April 27, 2024
Bristol, dead and buried, needed a hero. Enter Max Lahiff. If anyone had the money to replace Bristol as the Bears' leading scorer, they would win a small fortune. As Mike Brown left the field after a second yellow card for a heavy tackle on Benhard Jans van Rensburg, Lahiff's quick brace and Magnus Bradbury's late goal, converted by AJ McGinty, sealed the most improbable sell-out grab. Welford Road; It is Bristol's sixth league win in a row and, with Harlequins' bonus-point win over Northampton, it could prove their most invaluable in the race for the top four with just two matches remaining.
YELLOW TO RED 🟨➡️🟥
Mike Brown's yellow card means Leicester Tigers are down to 14 men for the rest of the game 😬🏉#LEIvBRI | #GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/ZrgrTH7wHF
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) April 27, 2024
“Lots of faith, heart and character,” said Pat Lam, Bristol’s director of rugby. “I know we can do four or five tries in 10 to 15 minutes. So I looked at the clock and thought, “Keep going, keep believing.” During the break we didn't show them mistakes, we showed them possibilities. This experience will complement what we have created over the year and will make you even more confident.”
After a restless and testy first half – both Brown and Ibitoye were sent off and referee Matthew Carley had to lecture several players on their behavior – Leicester were 7-0 up at half-time and Dan Kelly's brilliant pass sent Hassell through. attack. – Collins has arrived. The striker crossed again before Van Wyk extended Leicester's lead, but despite the skill of Ollie Chessum and Freddie Steward it was never enough. A return to Bristol, featuring former Tiger instrumentalist Harry Tucker, handed Leicester a third home defeat in a row, their worst result since 2019. B
THEY GOT IT BACK 💥 @BristolBears will get it back in seconds ⌚🤯#LEIvBRI | #GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/dPgWwFF5em
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) April 27, 2024
“I feel like I've been punched in the gut,” said Dan McKellar, Leicester's head coach. “I still find it difficult to accept that we found a way to lose this game. In the end, the second card hurt, but I'm not putting it on Brownie because he was otherwise an outstanding player. With the score 19-0 we controlled the situation well, perhaps we should have done more. We were outstanding for 70 minutes today and I can't believe I'm sitting here as a losing manager.”
The season is over for Leicester. The exciting race continues for Bristol but with the Premier League play-off race shaping up to be one of the tightest in history, a repeat of the opening 68 minutes at Welford Road could prove fatal to their hopes. However, if the last 12 is repeated, the Bears will be a force to be reckoned with.
Match Details
Scoring Sequence: 5-0 Hassell-Collins try, 7-0 Pollard try , 12-0 Hassell-Collins try, 17-0 Van Wyk try, 19-0 Pollard try, 19-5 Lahiffe try, 19-7 Williams try, 19-12 Lahiffe try, 19-14 McGinty cheat, 19-19 try Bradbury, 19-21 McGinty fraud. HT: 7-0
Leicester Tigers: F Steward; M. Brown, M. Scott (Cokanasiga 75), D. Kelly, O. Hassell-Collins; H. Pollard, J. van Poortvliet (Whiteley 61); J. Cronin (Van Wyk 55), J. Montoya (c) (Clare 58), D. Cole (Hurd 55), J. Martin (Wells 65), O. Chessum, H. Liebenberg (Cracknell, 68), T. Reffell, J. Wiese.
Unused subs: Shillcock.
Yellow card: Brown 21, 71
Red card: Brown, 71.
Bristol Bears: R. Lane (O'Conor, 65 ); S Naulago, B Jans van Rensburg (McGinty 71), J Williams, J Ibitoye; AJ McGinty (Whakatawa 61), H Randall (Marmion 69); A. Genge (Woolmore 65), G. Ogre (Tucker 65), K. Sinclair (Lahiff 65), J. Dun (Caulfield 58), J. Batley, S. Luatua, F. Harding (c) , M. Bradbury.
Unused subs: Heenan.
Yellow card: Ibitoye 15
Attendance: 25,849 p>
Judge: M. Carli
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