It was the 20th anniversary of the sacking of Bob Dwyer as Leicester’s director of rugby and there was a point in the second half when it seemed his compatriot Matt O’Connor was in danger of suffering the same fate. The Tigers were heading for their 11th defeat in 12 league and European Cup matches when another Australian, Matt Toomua, who started at outside-half, transformed the match.
Little went for him in the opening 58 minutes when the creaking Tigers were fortunate to trail only 13-9 but, when he spotted Kyle Sinckler opposite him at a ruck, he dummied the prop and sprinted 25 metres to the line. Three minutes later his chip bounced kindly for Sione Kalamafoni on Quins’ 22 and, when the No 8 was brought down, the second row Graham Kitchener was in support and in effect sealed Leicester’s second Premiership victory in three months.
Eddie Jones, was among the spectators for a meeting between two sides who for the most part showed why they were in the bottom half of the table. Quins had only won on the road once all season and for all the intricacy of their approach play, they were too often casually wasteful.
Manu Tuilagi was being vetted by the England coach, the centre was in the second match of his latest comeback, who in the third minute was fixated by a run of Jamie Roberts and supplied the space for Aaron Morris to set up Alofa Alofa.
Toomua hit the post with a penalty before landing two to give Leicester the lead. Marcus Smith, whose passing was a highlight of a game that underwhelmed for the most part, restored Quins’ advantage with a penalty but it should have been more. Sinckler, also auditioning to Jones, ignored an overlap and was held up on the line by a centre, Gareth Owen.
Smith was sent to the sin-bin after 36 minutes for lurking off-side near his own line and intercepting. It was 9-8 to Leicester at the break but Quins scored a try seven minutes into the second period through Luke Wallace. Toomua then turned the game and, while Charlie Matthews’ try from a driving maul gave Quins a stimulus, they left pointless after Toomua’s 23-point haul and Adam Thompstone’s late interception.
Leicester Veainu; Thompstone, Tuilagi, Owen (Tait 68), Holmes; Toomua, Harrison (Simmons 78); Bateman (Rizzo 74), T Youngs (capt; Polota-Nau 49), Mulipola (Cilliers 64), Fitzgerald (Wells 64), Kitchener, Williams (Hamilton 55), O’Connor, Kalamafoni.
Tries Toomua, Kitchener, Thompstone. Cons Toomua 3. Pens Toomua 4.
Harlequins Morris; Alofa, Marchant, Roberts, Visser (Ibitoye 67); Smith, Kitto (Lewis 62); Boyce (Lambert 20), Gray, Sinckler (Collier 59), South (Twomey 67), Matthews, Wallace, Ward (capt), J Chisholm.
Tries Alofa, Wallace, Matthews. Pen Smith.
Sin-bin Smith 36.
Referee Wayne Barnes Attendance 23,647
