Benetton Treviso 3-36 Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers have moved to the top of their pool after scoring five tries to beat Benetton Treviso in the European Rugby Champions Cup. After James Ambrosini failed to land a drop-goal attempt for the Pro 12 side, Thomas Bell kicked an early penalty to give the Tigers the lead in Italy.
The hosts then suffered a setback when Rupert Harden was given a yellow card as Leicester tried to dominate up front. Leicester were subsequently awarded a penalty try after their maul was brought down before the line. Richard Cockerill's side continued to impose themselves on proceedings, but could not get their second try until five minutes before the interval as Telusa Veainu bundled over the whitewash.
The Tigers looked to be out of sight on the stroke of half time when Peter Betham also got on the scoresheet for the English giants as they built a 22-3 lead. Jean-Francois Montauriol then saw yellow for taking out Sam Harrison off the ball and, although Leicester were unable to make the one-man advantage count, they did extend their lead later in the second half with another Veainu try.
The visitors capped off the comfortable victory when Greg Bateman scored in the last minute as Leicester made it two wins from two pool games.
Leicester Tigers have moved to the top of their pool after scoring five tries to beat Benetton Treviso in the European Rugby Champions Cup. After James Ambrosini failed to land a drop-goal attempt for the Pro 12 side, Thomas Bell kicked an early penalty to give the Tigers the lead in Italy.
The hosts then suffered a setback when Rupert Harden was given a yellow card as Leicester tried to dominate up front. Leicester were subsequently awarded a penalty try after their maul was brought down before the line. Richard Cockerill's side continued to impose themselves on proceedings, but could not get their second try until five minutes before the interval as Telusa Veainu bundled over the whitewash.
The Tigers looked to be out of sight on the stroke of half time when Peter Betham also got on the scoresheet for the English giants as they built a 22-3 lead. Jean-Francois Montauriol then saw yellow for taking out Sam Harrison off the ball and, although Leicester were unable to make the one-man advantage count, they did extend their lead later in the second half with another Veainu try.
The visitors capped off the comfortable victory when Greg Bateman scored in the last minute as Leicester made it two wins from two pool games.
Bath 19-16 Leinster
Bath dented Leinster's European hopes after defeating the Irish side 19-16 in a dogged game at the Rec this afternoon. It was a strong defensive effort from both teams with only two tries being scored, and it came down to a George Ford penalty with three minutes to go to secure the win for Bath.
Johnny Sexton got Leinster's first points after 10 minutes with a penalty, before Ford replied with a penalty and a drop goal to put Bath in the lead after 20 minutes.
Bath thought they had scored off Matt Banahan's break but Stuart Hooper was deemed to have knocked on over the line. Ford and Sexton traded a penalty each after half-time, before Sexton leveled the scores after 56 minutes with a penalty.
Bath finally got the first try of the afternoon on the hour mark after the English pack put Leinster in trouble, and the referee awarded a penalty try after the scrum was hauled down illegally. Substitute Josh van der Flier found a gap and bulldozed over to grab a try back for Leinster with 10 minutes to go, with Sexton nailing the conversion to bring the scores level.
Sexton had the chance to put Leinster in front but his penalty fell just short, before Ford showed the Irishman how it was done with the match-winning penalty. Leinster are now bottom of Pool 5 in what is their worst start to a European Campaign since 2006.
Bath dented Leinster's European hopes after defeating the Irish side 19-16 in a dogged game at the Rec this afternoon. It was a strong defensive effort from both teams with only two tries being scored, and it came down to a George Ford penalty with three minutes to go to secure the win for Bath.
Johnny Sexton got Leinster's first points after 10 minutes with a penalty, before Ford replied with a penalty and a drop goal to put Bath in the lead after 20 minutes.
Bath thought they had scored off Matt Banahan's break but Stuart Hooper was deemed to have knocked on over the line. Ford and Sexton traded a penalty each after half-time, before Sexton leveled the scores after 56 minutes with a penalty.
Bath finally got the first try of the afternoon on the hour mark after the English pack put Leinster in trouble, and the referee awarded a penalty try after the scrum was hauled down illegally. Substitute Josh van der Flier found a gap and bulldozed over to grab a try back for Leinster with 10 minutes to go, with Sexton nailing the conversion to bring the scores level.
Sexton had the chance to put Leinster in front but his penalty fell just short, before Ford showed the Irishman how it was done with the match-winning penalty. Leinster are now bottom of Pool 5 in what is their worst start to a European Campaign since 2006.
Toulouse 24-18 Oyonnax
Toulouse overcame fellow French team Oyonnax 24-18 to get their first win in this season's European Champions Cup this afternoon.
Regis Lespinas kicked two early penalties for Oyonnax, but Luke McAlister replied with one of his own to keep the home side within range at half-time. The wind and rain then increased and forced the game into a forward's match, but Timoci Matanavou crossed after the break to give Toulouse a try.
Maxime Medard got Toulouse's second on the hour mark, before Oyonnax got one for themselves after Vincent Martin crossed with 10 minutes left to play. Centre Gael Fickou scored a third for his side, but Fabien Cibray went over just one minute later to give Oyonnax a slim chance of victory. Nicky Robinson converted to keep his side within six points, but the visitors could not get through the black and red defence again and Toulouse came away with the win.
Toulouse overcame fellow French team Oyonnax 24-18 to get their first win in this season's European Champions Cup this afternoon.
Regis Lespinas kicked two early penalties for Oyonnax, but Luke McAlister replied with one of his own to keep the home side within range at half-time. The wind and rain then increased and forced the game into a forward's match, but Timoci Matanavou crossed after the break to give Toulouse a try.
Maxime Medard got Toulouse's second on the hour mark, before Oyonnax got one for themselves after Vincent Martin crossed with 10 minutes left to play. Centre Gael Fickou scored a third for his side, but Fabien Cibray went over just one minute later to give Oyonnax a slim chance of victory. Nicky Robinson converted to keep his side within six points, but the visitors could not get through the black and red defence again and Toulouse came away with the win.
Glasgow Warriors 15-26 Saints
Northampton Saints have secured their second win of their European Rugby Champions Cup campaign by defeating Glasgow Warriors 26-15 this evening.
Finn Russell kicked a long-range penalty to put Glasgow in front, but a high kick from Stephen Myler caused huge problems and the ball bounced into the grateful George Pisi's arms to cross over. Myler converted before adding a penalty from a collapsed Glasgow scrum.
Glasgow prop Ryan Grant was then shown a yellow after 20 minutes for collapsing another scrum, before Myler added another three. Ahsee Tuala slipped Stuart Hogg's tackle out wide to get Northampton's second, before Peter Horne finally scored for Warriors after hitting a hard line off Josh Strauss' carry.
Russell added the extra two from distance, but Myler was to put the Saints 11 points ahead at the break as he added a kick between the posts following a penalty from the home side. In the second half, Tuala added his second try of the match when he collected a handoff and powered over the line in the corner, but Myler was to miss the resulting conversion.
Luther Burrell was sent to the sin bin for the visitors, which allowed the Warriors to get back into the match when Strauss capitalised on his team's numerical advantage to cross the tryline. However, the Saints proved to be determined in their defence to hold out for the victory, their second of the campaign.
Northampton Saints have secured their second win of their European Rugby Champions Cup campaign by defeating Glasgow Warriors 26-15 this evening.
Finn Russell kicked a long-range penalty to put Glasgow in front, but a high kick from Stephen Myler caused huge problems and the ball bounced into the grateful George Pisi's arms to cross over. Myler converted before adding a penalty from a collapsed Glasgow scrum.
Glasgow prop Ryan Grant was then shown a yellow after 20 minutes for collapsing another scrum, before Myler added another three. Ahsee Tuala slipped Stuart Hogg's tackle out wide to get Northampton's second, before Peter Horne finally scored for Warriors after hitting a hard line off Josh Strauss' carry.
Russell added the extra two from distance, but Myler was to put the Saints 11 points ahead at the break as he added a kick between the posts following a penalty from the home side. In the second half, Tuala added his second try of the match when he collected a handoff and powered over the line in the corner, but Myler was to miss the resulting conversion.
Luther Burrell was sent to the sin bin for the visitors, which allowed the Warriors to get back into the match when Strauss capitalised on his team's numerical advantage to cross the tryline. However, the Saints proved to be determined in their defence to hold out for the victory, their second of the campaign.
Scarlets 16-29 Racing 92
Racing 92 kicked off their European Rugby Champions Cup campaign with a resounding 29-12 win over Scarlets, securing the bonus point in their emphatic victory.
The French side were playing their first match of the campaign after their match against the Glasgow Warriors was cancelled last week due to the terror attacks on Paris last week. Maxime Machenaud got the Parisian's first try after seven minutes, before Joe Rokocoko doubled the lead after crashing over out wide. Machenaud added the conversion to put his side 12-0 ahead and in control of the match in the early stages.
Chris Masoe compounded the visitors' dominance in the contest when he bounded over the line in the 28th minute, and Machenaud held his composure to add the two-point conversion. Marc Andreu extended Racing's lead just before the break when he raided down the flank and finished a flowing move to cross the line to hand his side the bonus point, and Machenaud was once again accurate with the resulting conversion. In the second half, the visitors were reduced to 14 men for the rest of the match when Bernard Le Roux was given his marching orders in the 43rd minute to give Scarlets hope of an unlikely comeback.
Aled Thomas got the Welsh side on the board when he crashed over in the corner in the 57th minute, although the fly-half was to miss his kick for the extra two points. Scarlets notched their second try in the 66th minute through Lewis Rawlins and this time Thomas sent his kick through the posts, but there was to be no comeback from the home side as the visitors held out for the win.
Racing 92 kicked off their European Rugby Champions Cup campaign with a resounding 29-12 win over Scarlets, securing the bonus point in their emphatic victory.
The French side were playing their first match of the campaign after their match against the Glasgow Warriors was cancelled last week due to the terror attacks on Paris last week. Maxime Machenaud got the Parisian's first try after seven minutes, before Joe Rokocoko doubled the lead after crashing over out wide. Machenaud added the conversion to put his side 12-0 ahead and in control of the match in the early stages.
Chris Masoe compounded the visitors' dominance in the contest when he bounded over the line in the 28th minute, and Machenaud held his composure to add the two-point conversion. Marc Andreu extended Racing's lead just before the break when he raided down the flank and finished a flowing move to cross the line to hand his side the bonus point, and Machenaud was once again accurate with the resulting conversion. In the second half, the visitors were reduced to 14 men for the rest of the match when Bernard Le Roux was given his marching orders in the 43rd minute to give Scarlets hope of an unlikely comeback.
Aled Thomas got the Welsh side on the board when he crashed over in the corner in the 57th minute, although the fly-half was to miss his kick for the extra two points. Scarlets notched their second try in the 66th minute through Lewis Rawlins and this time Thomas sent his kick through the posts, but there was to be no comeback from the home side as the visitors held out for the win.
Exeter Chiefs 34-19 Bordeaux Begles
Exeter Chiefs secured a bonus point on the way to beating Bordeaux Begles 34-19 for their first win in this season's European Rugby Champions Cup. Henry Slade started the scoring with a penalty early on, before the first try arrived moments later when Tom Johnson and Jack Nowell combined to find Olly Woodburn, who slid over in the corner before Slade struck the post with the conversion attempt.
Bordeaux responded well with a converted try in their first extended spell of possession as they shifted the ball out wide at pace, which allowed Nans Ducuing to cross over close to the touchline. However, Exeter soon extended their advantage with a powerful driving move which ended with Moray Low scoring the try, before Slade sent over the conversion. Space further up the field was harder to find as the first half progressed, but Slade continued his productive evening with two penalties to move Exeter 21-7 ahead at the break.
A vital third Exeter try arrived early in the second half when a patient charge up the field resulted in Ian Whitten evading a tackle for the try, but Slade was unable to add the conversion. The door was back open to Bordeaux when Julien Rey burst through the line to bounce off a couple of tackles on the way to a try, before the conversion was missed by Lionel Beauxis.
Bordeaux showed their resilience once again as they responded to a second try from Woodburn by reducing the deficit through Yann Lesgourgues, who slide under the posts to complete a fine move from the French side. The converted try reduced the deficit to 12, but Slade hammered another nail in the coffin with a penalty late on as Exeter claimed the win.
Exeter Chiefs secured a bonus point on the way to beating Bordeaux Begles 34-19 for their first win in this season's European Rugby Champions Cup. Henry Slade started the scoring with a penalty early on, before the first try arrived moments later when Tom Johnson and Jack Nowell combined to find Olly Woodburn, who slid over in the corner before Slade struck the post with the conversion attempt.
Bordeaux responded well with a converted try in their first extended spell of possession as they shifted the ball out wide at pace, which allowed Nans Ducuing to cross over close to the touchline. However, Exeter soon extended their advantage with a powerful driving move which ended with Moray Low scoring the try, before Slade sent over the conversion. Space further up the field was harder to find as the first half progressed, but Slade continued his productive evening with two penalties to move Exeter 21-7 ahead at the break.
A vital third Exeter try arrived early in the second half when a patient charge up the field resulted in Ian Whitten evading a tackle for the try, but Slade was unable to add the conversion. The door was back open to Bordeaux when Julien Rey burst through the line to bounce off a couple of tackles on the way to a try, before the conversion was missed by Lionel Beauxis.
Bordeaux showed their resilience once again as they responded to a second try from Woodburn by reducing the deficit through Yann Lesgourgues, who slide under the posts to complete a fine move from the French side. The converted try reduced the deficit to 12, but Slade hammered another nail in the coffin with a penalty late on as Exeter claimed the win.
European Challenge Cup
Zebre 27-8 Worcester Warriors
Seventeen points from the boot of Carlo Canna helped Pro12 side Zebre defeat the Aviva Premiership's Worcester Warriors 27-8 in the European Challenge Cup this afternoon. Marcello Violi got the Italian club off to a flyer straight from the kickoff, Andrea Manici bursting through the Worcester defence before offloading to the scrum half to score.
Canna kicked the conversion before adding a penalty five minutes later. Tommaso Boni added the second after good hands found him alone out on the wing, before Canna kicked a drop goal after failing with the conversion attempt.
Ryan Lamb got Worcester's first points on the board with a penalty after 22 minutes, but the Premiership team found themselves down to 14 men when Sam Betty was penalised for collapsing a maul. Canna added another penalty after the break before the wind and the rain started to break the game down, with both teams struggling with handling in the poor conditions.
Canna added three again before Dean Hammond went over two minutes from time to give Worcester a consolation try. The result means that Zebre move into second in Pool 3, while Warriors drop down to third.
Seventeen points from the boot of Carlo Canna helped Pro12 side Zebre defeat the Aviva Premiership's Worcester Warriors 27-8 in the European Challenge Cup this afternoon. Marcello Violi got the Italian club off to a flyer straight from the kickoff, Andrea Manici bursting through the Worcester defence before offloading to the scrum half to score.
Canna kicked the conversion before adding a penalty five minutes later. Tommaso Boni added the second after good hands found him alone out on the wing, before Canna kicked a drop goal after failing with the conversion attempt.
Ryan Lamb got Worcester's first points on the board with a penalty after 22 minutes, but the Premiership team found themselves down to 14 men when Sam Betty was penalised for collapsing a maul. Canna added another penalty after the break before the wind and the rain started to break the game down, with both teams struggling with handling in the poor conditions.
Canna added three again before Dean Hammond went over two minutes from time to give Worcester a consolation try. The result means that Zebre move into second in Pool 3, while Warriors drop down to third.
Sale Sharks 29-20 Pau
Sale Sharks squeezed past the challenge of newly-promoted French side Section Paloise in the European Challenge Cup this afternoon. Tries from Brian Mujati, Mark Jennings, Viliami Fihaki and Sam James helped Sale win 24-20 in a back-and-forth game at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Prop Mujati bulldozed over the line for Sale after just three minutes with Joe Ford adding the conversion, before Thibault Daubagna pulled a penalty back for the French team. Quentin Lespiaucq crossed under the posts after 20 minutes to get a score back for Pau, with Daubagna adding the conversion to give the visitors a three point lead.
Sharks quickly retook the lead though after Jennings crashed through the Pau defence, before Daubagna pulled Pau back with a penalty just before half-time. Ford added another penalty after the break, but Lespiaucq rumbled over from a driving maul for his second and Duabagna added the conversion to give Pau the lead again. James hit back though for Sale after patient work from the forwards, before Mills secured the bonus point three minutes from time.
Sale Sharks squeezed past the challenge of newly-promoted French side Section Paloise in the European Challenge Cup this afternoon. Tries from Brian Mujati, Mark Jennings, Viliami Fihaki and Sam James helped Sale win 24-20 in a back-and-forth game at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Prop Mujati bulldozed over the line for Sale after just three minutes with Joe Ford adding the conversion, before Thibault Daubagna pulled a penalty back for the French team. Quentin Lespiaucq crossed under the posts after 20 minutes to get a score back for Pau, with Daubagna adding the conversion to give the visitors a three point lead.
Sharks quickly retook the lead though after Jennings crashed through the Pau defence, before Daubagna pulled Pau back with a penalty just before half-time. Ford added another penalty after the break, but Lespiaucq rumbled over from a driving maul for his second and Duabagna added the conversion to give Pau the lead again. James hit back though for Sale after patient work from the forwards, before Mills secured the bonus point three minutes from time.
Castres 32-29 Newport Gwent Dragons
Castres narrowly beat Newport Gwent Dragons 32-29 in an entertaining game at Stade Pierre-Antoine in the European Challenge Cup this afternoon. The match started off slowly but fly half Daniel Kirkpatrick found space in the Dragons defence and went over the first try of the afternoon. Geoffrey Palis converted but Dragons replied soon after with a penalty from Dorian Jones.
Palis crossed for a try of his own, before Jones added three quick penalties after Palis converted his own try. Jones' direct kicking kept Dragons within touching distance and they came out of the second half firing. Carl Meyer grabbed a try back before Elliot Dee gave the Welsh side the lead. Jones converted both tries but Thomas Combezou crossed for Castres, with Palis converting and then adding a further penalty to put the French team back in front.
Alex Tulou then scored to give Castres a bonus point, before Meyer added a consolation penalty late on for Newport. The Dragons remain top of Pool 2 in the Challenge Cup, while Castres move up into second.
Castres narrowly beat Newport Gwent Dragons 32-29 in an entertaining game at Stade Pierre-Antoine in the European Challenge Cup this afternoon. The match started off slowly but fly half Daniel Kirkpatrick found space in the Dragons defence and went over the first try of the afternoon. Geoffrey Palis converted but Dragons replied soon after with a penalty from Dorian Jones.
Palis crossed for a try of his own, before Jones added three quick penalties after Palis converted his own try. Jones' direct kicking kept Dragons within touching distance and they came out of the second half firing. Carl Meyer grabbed a try back before Elliot Dee gave the Welsh side the lead. Jones converted both tries but Thomas Combezou crossed for Castres, with Palis converting and then adding a further penalty to put the French team back in front.
Alex Tulou then scored to give Castres a bonus point, before Meyer added a consolation penalty late on for Newport. The Dragons remain top of Pool 2 in the Challenge Cup, while Castres move up into second.
Connacht 21-17 Brive
Connacht have held on to secure a 21-17 victory over CA Brive and keep up their 100% record in this season's European Rugby Challenge Cup. Connacht were a point ahead of their French opponents at the top of the group after the first round of fixtures and they just about edged the play in a first half characterised by possession turnovers.
After Brive had missed a straightforward penalty chance to take the lead, it was they who did get themselves on the scoreboard first when Connacht fumbled a lineout and were shoved into touch and the French side took advantage for Thomas Acquier to maul over for the opening score. Jack Carty kicked a penalty to cut the lead to two, and the Irish side turned the game on its head in the closing moments of the first half when the fly-half's cross-field kick resulted in Rory Parata going over for his second try of the tournament.
Carty's second three-pointer gave Connacht an 11-5 half-time lead, before a flurry of tries in a frantic first 10 minutes of the second period saw both sides add to their score. First, Ben Marshall went over in the corner after the home side enjoyed a long spell in their opponents' 22, and after Benito Masilevu had replied instantly for Brive, a fine team move ended in Kieran Marmion extending the advantage again to give Connacht a 21-10 lead.
Brive mauled over from a five-metre lineout to set up a nervy finish, but the home side held on to make it two wins out of two.
Connacht have held on to secure a 21-17 victory over CA Brive and keep up their 100% record in this season's European Rugby Challenge Cup. Connacht were a point ahead of their French opponents at the top of the group after the first round of fixtures and they just about edged the play in a first half characterised by possession turnovers.
After Brive had missed a straightforward penalty chance to take the lead, it was they who did get themselves on the scoreboard first when Connacht fumbled a lineout and were shoved into touch and the French side took advantage for Thomas Acquier to maul over for the opening score. Jack Carty kicked a penalty to cut the lead to two, and the Irish side turned the game on its head in the closing moments of the first half when the fly-half's cross-field kick resulted in Rory Parata going over for his second try of the tournament.
Carty's second three-pointer gave Connacht an 11-5 half-time lead, before a flurry of tries in a frantic first 10 minutes of the second period saw both sides add to their score. First, Ben Marshall went over in the corner after the home side enjoyed a long spell in their opponents' 22, and after Benito Masilevu had replied instantly for Brive, a fine team move ended in Kieran Marmion extending the advantage again to give Connacht a 21-10 lead.
Brive mauled over from a five-metre lineout to set up a nervy finish, but the home side held on to make it two wins out of two.
Grenoble 27-20 London Irish
London Irish came from 17 points behind before losing 27-20 to Grenoble in Pool 5 of the European Rugby Challenge Cup. The visitors briefly led by three points early in the second half, but a try from Clement Gelin in the final phase of play sparked celebrations in the stands as Grenoble snatched the win.
It took Grenoble just six minutes to make a breakthrough as Gio Aplon sprinted beyond a couple of challenges before offloading to Arnaud Heguy, who stormed over the line for the try which was converted by Gilles Bosch. The pace of Grenoble's moves quickly saw them pull further clear of the visitors as a patient approach ended with Fabien Alexandre diving over to give Bosch the job of converting a second try.
Irish's response was swift thanks to Johnny Williams, whose power proved to be too much as he charged through a tackle to make the path clear for a try, with Chris Noakes converting. Bosch hit back with a penalty to make it 17-7, and Grenoble would continue to ask questions of their opponents with long spells in their territory.
However, the momentum shifted before the half-time interval when impressive work by the forwards was followed by Jebb Sinclair sprinting clear for the try, and a conversion from Theo Brophy-Clews reduced the deficit to just three points. Brophy-Clews added two penalties earlier in the second half to edge the visitors ahead, before Bosch hit back with one of his own to pull Grenoble level.
A defensive showing of the highest class followed from both sides as neither team managed to break the stalemate over the next half hour, but there was a twist in the final minute as Gelin raced clear of his tiring rivals to score the crucial try and Christophe Loustalot added the conversion to bring a dramatic night to an end.
London Irish came from 17 points behind before losing 27-20 to Grenoble in Pool 5 of the European Rugby Challenge Cup. The visitors briefly led by three points early in the second half, but a try from Clement Gelin in the final phase of play sparked celebrations in the stands as Grenoble snatched the win.
It took Grenoble just six minutes to make a breakthrough as Gio Aplon sprinted beyond a couple of challenges before offloading to Arnaud Heguy, who stormed over the line for the try which was converted by Gilles Bosch. The pace of Grenoble's moves quickly saw them pull further clear of the visitors as a patient approach ended with Fabien Alexandre diving over to give Bosch the job of converting a second try.
Irish's response was swift thanks to Johnny Williams, whose power proved to be too much as he charged through a tackle to make the path clear for a try, with Chris Noakes converting. Bosch hit back with a penalty to make it 17-7, and Grenoble would continue to ask questions of their opponents with long spells in their territory.
However, the momentum shifted before the half-time interval when impressive work by the forwards was followed by Jebb Sinclair sprinting clear for the try, and a conversion from Theo Brophy-Clews reduced the deficit to just three points. Brophy-Clews added two penalties earlier in the second half to edge the visitors ahead, before Bosch hit back with one of his own to pull Grenoble level.
A defensive showing of the highest class followed from both sides as neither team managed to break the stalemate over the next half hour, but there was a twist in the final minute as Gelin raced clear of his tiring rivals to score the crucial try and Christophe Loustalot added the conversion to bring a dramatic night to an end.
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