Champions Cup: Jasper Wiese try helps Leicester Tigers beat Edinburgh and progress to last eight

Planet Rugby
Jasper Wiese

A second-half try from Jasper Wiese helped Leicester Tigers defeat Edinburgh 16-6 in their Champions Cup round-of-16 clash on Friday.

Wiese, a replacement who came off the bench for the start of the second period, made an immediate impact as he powered the Tigers into the last eight.

His score was accompanied by a conversion and three penalties from South Africa team-mate Handre Pollard as Leicester got the job done in the rain.

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The conditions led to the game becoming something of an arm-wrestle, and not much of a spectacle, but that will not bother the Tigers as their sixth successive win in all competitions booked them a Champions Cup tie against either Leinster or Ulster next week.

Leicester began on the front foot and had the first points of the game after five minutes through a Pollard penalty, slotted without fuss from in front of the posts.

The hosts then pressed for the opening try, only for a series of pick-and-goes from their forwards close to the try-line to come to an end when the ball was knocked forward.

A creaking line-out also prevented the Tigers from capitalising on their early territorial dominance, with Edinburgh’s struggles under the high ball repeatedly gifting them possession.

The visitors were also conceding too many penalties, although Pollard was unable to extend Leicester’s lead off the back of their indiscipline as he sent a kick from around 40 metres wide.

Edinburgh grew into the contest the longer the first half wore on and Darcy Graham almost made the most of a rare Freddie Steward mistake under a high kick, but his hack on ran dead.

It was the final half-chance of a scrappy first half as Leicester retained their 3-0 lead going into the break, but this was quickly cancelled out as the visitors flew out of the traps in the second half.

Advantage was being played as Hamish Watson was held up in-goal, giving Emiliano Boffelli the chance to level the game with the simplest of penalties.

The Argentina full-back then put Edinburgh ahead after 50 minutes with another kick at goal after Pollard was penalised for offside.

Leicester, having been under the cosh, responded quickly as Wiese picked up the pieces from a messy line-out and bulldozed his way through down the right to touch down in the corner.

Pollard added the extras from out wide for a four-point lead that Boffelli could not narrow shortly after as another penalty from him bounced off the left-hand upright.

Edinburgh being penalised at a scrum in the shadow of their own posts then gave Pollard the straightforward task of extending the Tigers’ advantage on the hour mark.

The Springbok then effectively put the hosts out of reach with his third penalty with nine minutes left, as Richard Wigglesworth’s side came through this battle of attrition.

READ MORE: Champions Cup: The key head-to-heads to watch during the last-16 ties