Leicester Tigers overcame a slow start to defeat Ulster and secure their place in the knockout stages of the Investec Champions Cup. Josh Bassett scored a hat-trick, while Ollie Hassell-Collins crossed twice for the Tigers.
Josh Bassett scored a hat-trick as Leicester Tigers recovered from a sloppy start to beat Ulster and secure qualification for the knockout stage of the Investec Champions Cup. Ulster arrived at Welford Road without a point from their opening two games in Pool 1 but scored a surprise first try through Nick Timoney. Leicester seemed undercooked in the freezing East Midlands conditions but Bassett opened his account with a fine finish out wide.
Nathan Doak's early penalty meant Ulster led as the clock ticked into the red at the end of the first half but the hosts still had time to nudge in front at the break after running another backs move for Bassett to double his tally. An infuriated Michael Cheika was seen lambasting his players during the interval and Leicester were much improved after the break following their head coach's stern words. Watching Bassett cross twice inspired fellow Tigers wing Ollie Hassell-Collins to join the act with two tries of his own as the hosts wrapped up the bonus point. Bassett found more space close to the touchline to run clear for his third before Izaia Perese also crossed to add further gloss to the scoreline. Tigers remain third with a final pool game at champions Toulouse to come next Sunday, while Ulster will need to beat Exeter with a bonus point and hope Sharks leave Bordeaux-Begles empty-handed to qualify.Leicester cruised past an under-strength Sharks side in their last Champions Cup outing but lacked the same fluency in the opening exchanges against Ulster. Doak's penalty handed the Irish province the lead before Timoney was the beneficiary of a fortuitous bounce from a clearance kick which beat two covering Leicester defenders. The hosts are trying to employ more width in their attacks but struggled for accuracy, though their intent eventually paid dividends when Bassett was fed wide for a clinical finish cutting back against the traffic. The winger crossed by a similar method in the same corner to hand Tigers the lead at the break, and Cheika's side let the handbrake off in the second half. Leicester made inroads with the pack before whipping the ball wide again for Hassell-Collins to score, before the winger doubled his tally soon after following some neat hands despite the bitter cold. Bassett was not to be outdone by his wing partner and latched on to his own kick through for the hat-trick as the youthful Ulster backline failed to clear the danger, before Perese skipped through close to the same touchline for the final flurry
LEICESTER TIGERS ULSTER CHAMPIONS CUP JOSH BASSETT OLLIE HASSELL-COLLINS MICHAEL CHEIKA
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