After their 40-38 PREM Rugby defeat to Saracens at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, here’s how the Leicester Tigers team performed on Sunday.
15 Freddie Steward: The England full-back proved a real handful with ball in hand as he constantly tested Saracens‘ defence with several fine attacking runs from the back. Steward finished with 127 metres gained and was solid under the high ball. 8
14 Adam Radwan: Another England international who did well on attack, Radwan crossed for a deserved try in the 54th minute and eventually gained 31 metres. 6
13 Solomone Kata: Did brilliantly to shrug off the attentions of Tobias Elliott before racing away to score Leicester‘s first try in the opening half and continued to do well on attack as the match progressed. Kata finished with 76 metres gained while also making seven tackles before being replaced by Ollie Hassell-Collins in the 74th minute. 7
12 Joseph Woodward: Not much to report here as he had little influence on proceedings. Was quiet on attack and defence and was replaced by Orlando Bailey early in the second half. 5
11 Gabriel Hamer-Webb: The Wales flyer’s efforts might have been in vain, but he can hold his head high as he was arguably the best player on the field. Hamer-Webb made a big impact on attack as he finished with a match-high 132 metres gained and he was rewarded with a hat-trick of tries on the day. 9
10 Billy Searle: The Leicester Tigers fly-half missed a couple of shots at goal, which proved crucial in the grander scheme of things, but he had some good attacking moments as he got the ball out to his outside backs, who eventually scored five of their six tries. 6
9 Jack van Poortvliet: The England star provided a slick service to his outside backs and did his bit with ball in hand as he finished with 30 metres gained. Also did well on defence with eight tackles made. 7
The forwards
8 Olly Cracknell: One of three Wales internationals in Leicester’s back-row, the 32-year-old came to the fore with a superb all-round display. Cracknell was solid with ball in hand, gaining 47 metres and impressed on defence where he made 12 tackles. 7
7 Tommy Reffell: He was his usual, busy self on defence as he made 12 tackles but much less prominent at the breakdowns and made little impact with ball in hand. 5
6 Aaron Wainwright: The Tigers’ new signing was one of their best players as he got through plenty of work on either side of the ball. Wainwright was involved in the build-up of several of his team’s tries and gained 33 attacking metres. He also made his presence felt on defence where made 10 hits. 8
5 Cameron Henderson: He was a valuable source of lineout possession, impressed with some fine carries in general play and caught the eye with a high work-rate on defence where he made nine tackles. 7
4 Finn Carnduff: Combined well with Henderson in the second-row as he also did well in the lineouts and did his bit as a ball carrier but made his biggest impact on defence where he completed 12 hits. Replaced by James Thompson after 65 minutes. 7
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3 Joe Heyes: The England star was on the field for 65 minutes and put in a big shift at the coalface of Leicester’s forward effort. Heyes stood up well in the scrums, was a willing ball carrier as he gained 16 metres and did his bit on defence with eight tackles made. 7
2 Samiuela Moli: One of the Tigers’ best players on the day, the Tonga international got through plenty of work either side of the ball. Moli finished with a match-high 17 tackles made and also won the most turnovers (2) while also doing his bit as a ball carrier. 8
1 Mako Vunipola: The former England international did what was expected of him as he stood up well in the scrums during his initial 47 minutes on the field. Was replaced by Tarek Haffer early in the second half but came back on in the dying moments when his replacement was in the sin bin and was backpedalling at a scrum. 6
Replacements: There were few standouts amongst the Tigers replacements as they could not provide the spark which would allow them to finish off the game. There were good efforts from Thompson, who scored one of their tries, and Bailey who looked dangerous on attack. 6