Tigers tear Blues to shreds

The five points put them top of the group at the end of the game, with six tries in all as they dominated up front and through their powerful back line. It took a mere two minutes for the Tigers to notch their first try. Wing Alesana Tuilagi finished it off with a powerful seven yard burst to reach the line, after a series of drives.

Ian Humphreys converted that and worse was to happen to the Blues on the re-start. An attempted kick from a ruck ended in the hands of centre Dan Hipkiss who found a clear fifty yard run to the line and he was never threatened on the way.

Leicester Tigers’ third try came from centre Daryl Gibson after ten minutes. Again it followed a charged down kick and confusion in the Blues defence, this time inside their twenty-two.

The Tigers quickly moved the ball to Tuilagi who made ground down the blind side, before Gibson surged over from the forming ruck. The only consolation for the Blues was that the scoring rate was slowing down and that meant it was more than half an hour before the Tigers secured the bonus point they were chasing so powerfully.

This time it was right wing Seru Rabeni whose surge to the line was unstoppable from the same range out and same stretch for the line which had worked so well for Tuilagi in the opening minutes.

After half-time Cardiff Blues appeared to have more resolve until lock Scott Morgan was yellow carded after eleven minutes. The Blues pack were under enough pressure with a full complement and were always going to struggle with a man down. Tigers took advantage to ruck and maul their way thirty yards to the line for flanker Lewis Moody to score among the melee.

After a string of replacements and the return of Morgan, the Tigers stretched that lead further through former England Captain Martin Corry. He took advantage of complete confusion in a Blues lineout to collect the ball and race twenty yards to the corner unopposed.