Steward steers Leicester to victory at Bristol to boost title push

In theory it was a day for Bristol to consolidate second place and reaffirm their Premiership title credentials. The sun shone, the pitch was hard and fast and the free-scoring Bears welcomed back the inspirational wing, Gabriel Ibitoye, after a four-month injury absence. In reality, however, what materialised was a largely dominant victory for Leicester that saw them overhaul Bristol and take second place, on points difference, with four matches remaining. Michael Cheika’s one-year assignment as Tigers coach will soon be over, but the possibility of him departing a Premiership champion cannot be discounted.

The memory of last December’s return fixture had loomed over the buildup, when Pat Lam’s side stuck 54 points on their opponents at Welford Road. “We realise there will be a bit of vengeance coming back at us,” Lam told TNT Sports before kick-off. He was right. The Tigers were hurt by that festive humiliation, no doubt, but might also have reminded themselves the Bears were thrashed 38-0 at home by Sale a week later, the night that Ibitoye was injured.

Here, too, Bristol seamlessly switched from the sublime to ridiculous. Adam Radwan’s try had put the visitors in front when Bristol’s Kalaveti Ravouvou made a burst into their 22 on 11 minutes. He looked isolated after being dragged down, but the covering Tigers defenders could not have imagined the vision and accuracy of a frankly ludicrous one-handed offload promptly arrowed by Ravouvou to Ibitoye, who lurked near the touchline. The wing made the finish look easy.

Soon came the ridiculous. With Bristol’s attack apparently starting to tick, Ibitoye’s overly ambitious pass drifted into the grateful hands of an onrushing Ollie Hassell-Collins, near halfway, and the wing was gifted a clear run to the line. Jack van Poortvliet soon scored a third try for Leicester and when Handré Pollard added a penalty to his two conversions, it added up to a 22-5 half-time lead for Cheika’s side. Not the script Lam had in mind. The only downside for Leicester was losing Joe Heyes to the sin-bin for an accidental high shot on Fitz Harding.

Still, this being Bristol, it felt unlikely that the Tigers would serenely close out the win. Ravouvou was duly sent scorching in under the posts six minutes after the break and when AJ MacGinty converted, the Bears were back to within 10. Bristol’s attacking potency remained a worry but when the Bears fluffed a defensive lineout on 63 minutes, the full-back Freddie Steward applied a classy finish, securing a try bonus point in the process. Game over? Not a bit of it. Harry Randall’s sniping effort for Bristol again made it a 10-point game and their offloading excellence continually asked questions of a tiring Tigers rearguard.

Cameron Henderson crosses the line for Leicester’s final try of their victory. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA

Randall would touch down again with six minutes left, after being hauled down near the posts by Leicester’s replacement scrum-half Ben Youngs, but had knocked on after getting back to his feet. A converted try then would have reduced their arrears to three points with a couple of minutes to play. It wasn’t to be and Cameron Henderson even smashed over for a fifth Leicester try, converted by Jamie Shillcock with the last kick. Considering Bristol’s tricky looking run-in – Northampton and Sale away, Bath and Quins at home – if they don’t improve on this showing their season could go south quickly. Fresh disappointment may loom for the Bears’ faithful fans, while Cheika’s men appear to be moving through the gears.