Saturday Round-Up

Try-fest at Welford: Welford Road fans were treated to quite the spectacle on Fridsy evening, as they witnessed their side, the Leicester Tigers, outscore visitors the Scarlets six tries to three in a commanding 40-23 victory in the Champions Cup. With nothing but a bonus point win good enough for either side’s hopes of progression to the knockout stages, it was all go from minute one, with both sides looking to play an expansive brand of rugby in the search for tries. The first five pointer of the encounter came courtesy of Miles Benjamin for the home side, when the giant winger went over after some quick work at a Tigers attacking lineout. Next it was back rower Jordan Crane’s turn to extend the hosts’ lead with a try of his own off the back of a driving maul. Despite flyhalf Rhys Priestland’s efforts from the tee and a Rob Evans try keeping the Scarlets in touch, in reality that was about as good as it got for the men from West Wales, until a final quarter flourish put some respectability back on the scoreboard. By then however, the damage had been done by Richard Cockerill’s men, courtesy of tries from Adam Thompstone and a brace for England hooker Tom Youngs, as the home side bagged themselves the crucial bonus point which keeps them within touching distance of Toulon at the summit of the pool.

Scots confirm warm-up games: The Scottish Rugby Union have today confirmed that their national side will take on Ireland, France and Italy as part of the team’s preparations for the forthcoming Rugby World Cup in England. Scotland, under the tutelage of new head coach Vern Cotter, will play a total of four fixtures in their build-up, with back to back clashes against Italy home and away, in Turin and Edinburgh. The Scots’ prep will begin with a journey to Dublin to take on the current Six Nations champions, with their preparation concluding with a visit to the Stade de France to take on the French on September 5th. However, with the Six Nations looming large, that remains the primary focus for Vern Cotter and his extended squad ahead of a mammoth year.

Ryan Sheady