Gloucester vs Leicester match report: Tommy Bell chimes in late on to reward Tigers' brio

Gloucester 18 Leicester Tigers 19

Greg Bateman of Leicester Tigers in action during the Aviva Premiership match against Gloucester Rugby (Getty Images)

The loudest cheers all afternoon had come when Freddie Burns, the former Gloucester favourite who decamped to Leicester two years ago, miscued three times from the kicking tee. It was, then, almost inevitable that Leicester would have a conversion to win and that Tommy Bell (Burns having left the field) would kick it in the final minute.

For an hour such an outcome looked unlikely. Gloucester’s set-piece held up well, they were livelier in the loose and they dominated territory. But they did not score points, notably in a barren third quarter, which left them open to the counterpunch in the first of four demanding Aviva Premiership games in which they also oppose Bath, Harlequins and Saracens.

Moreover Leicester, their tactical approach revised under the coaching of Aaron Mauger, are growing as a force on the counter. These days they offload and use space and, even on a tacky surface, it pays. True, they had to ride out the first-half period in which Gloucester scored two tries in less than two minutes but their new-found adventure could be identified in all three of their tries.

“We sometimes played ourselves into trouble but our attitude to play ball in hand got us out of trouble,” Richard Cockerill, the director of rugby, said. “Four points here with what’s happening around us, it keeps that gap with the other teams and puts pressure on them.”

Leicester could regret the concession of two tries in that they allowed James Hook to step back and score from close range and then, from the restart, made a mess of a high ball as two defenders collided; Gloucester’s backs ran fluently to send Ben Morgan into the corner.

But a chip-and-catch by Burns and a try-saving tackle by Willi Heinz on Tom Croft preceded Leicester’s initial response, a try by Marcos Ayerza.

The eight-point difference at half-time did not seem enough given that Leicester now had the wind at their backs but no more than 11 minutes remained when Bell, on his own 22, knocked down a Gloucester kick to Peter Betham. The Australian skipped past two attackers and found Telusa Veainu and Jordan Crane in support, Veainu finishing a 60-metre breakout.

Hook still had time to kick his second penalty but Mathew Tait made a punishing run down the left, in the course of which Morgan obstructed Veainu and was duly sent to the sin-bin. From a five-metre scrum, Leicester went through their phases before Tait sent Logovi’i Mulipola, hair flying in all directions, over for the try which Bell, cool as a cucumber, converted.

Gloucester: S McColl; C Sharples, B Meakes (M Atkinson, 64), B Twelvetrees (capt), D Halaifonua (B Burns, 76); J Hook, W Heinz (G Laidlaw, 52); P McAllister (N Wood, 52), R Hibbard, P Doran-Jones (N Thomas, 56), T Savage, J Thrush (M Galarza, 65); S Kalamafoni, J Rowan (M Kvesic, 56), B Morgan (sin-bin, 76).

Leicester: T Bell; P Betham, M Tait (capt), M Smith, T Veainu; F Burns (J Roberts, 76), S Harrison; M Ayerza, G Bateman (H Thacker, 73), F Balmain (L Mulipola, 62), D Barrow, G Kitchener, M Fitzgerald, T Croft (J Crane, 55), L McCaffrey.

Referee: JP Doyle (London).