Tigers through to Cup Final

Leicester Tigers progressed to the 23/24 Premiership Rugby Cup Final with an eight-point, 21-29, hard-fought away win over Ealing Trailfinders.

On the back of more than three weeks without a fixture, Tigers travelled to London with a side including a mix of experience and youth to take on the Championship club for a place in the decider.

The home side dominated the first quarter at Trailfinders Sports Ground, on the back of five penalties to Leicester’s one, and a clear intention to play quickly in front of their home crowd.

Ealing made the most of the territorial advantage and chances within range, through the boot of Billy Twelvetrees who kicked two penalty goals before the 20th minute to see his side lead 6-0.

Trailfinders suffered a blow in the 20th minute when lock Bobby De Wee was deemed to have kicked the ball from the hands of Tom Whiteley, while on the floor in the breakdown, and shown a yellow card for the act.

Almost immediately, Leicester made the most of the one man advantage when they crossed for the first try in the 23rd minute through Phil Cokanasiga.

The Tigers centre, on the back of a dominant driving maul from his pack and strong carries on the Ealing line, barged his way over with a rampaging run.

Jamie Shillcock converted the try to see Leicester lead for the first time, 6-7, after 24 minutes.

A chance to take back the lead for Trailfinders was missed, by just inches, when a long-rage penalty-goal attempt from Twelvetrees bounced back off the posts in the 28th minute.

Just two minutes later, on the half hour mark, Tigers had a second try with thanks again to the effort of the pack.

Another dominant driving maul deep inside the Ealing end was well managed from the back of the pack by hooker Finn Theobald-Thomas, in his first starting appearance for Leicester, who got across the chalk to make it a six-point, 6-12, lead with ten minutes remaining in the first half.

Both teams traded blows in before the break but were unable to add to the scoreboard.

Tigers saw the lead cut to three points, 9-12, with a third successful penalty-goal from Twelvetrees in the 50th minute before Ealing took it back approaching the hour mark.

On the back of a dominant scrum just 5m out from the Leicester line, and a one-man advantage after a yellow card for Dan Richardson, Trailfinders went over for their first try of the match through front-rower Will Goodrick-Clarke.

Twelvetrees was unable to convert the score, seeing the difference stay at two-points, 14-12, with twenty minutes left on the clock.

Tigers took back the lead in the 63rd minute, 14-15, after a long-range penalty goal from Shillcock before - just sixty seconds later - extending it to eight when Cokanasiga scored his second try of the semi-final.

The Leicester centre took an intercept 40m out from the Ealing line and outpaced Trailfinders defenders to dot it down under the posts before Shillcock converted to make it 14-22 with 15 minutes left on the clock.

However, the home side refused to give up and, in the dying stages of the game, found their way deep into the Leicester end through some expansive attack before, from close range, replacement hooker Mike Willemse forced his way over.

Twelvetrees converted to make it a one-point game, 21-22, with five minutes left in London.

Both packs went toe-to-toe in the final minutes at scrum time before Sam Edwards, only on the field for a handful of minutes, intercepted a pass from the home side to win back possession for Tigers and, from the next phase, Matt Scott crossed under the posts after running a perfect line off Kyle Hatherell to slice through the Ealing defensive line and make it 21-27.

Shillcock converted from in front to make it 21-29, where it remained, to see Leicester through to the Premiership Rugby Cup Final.