Leicester Tigers player ratings: Handre Pollard blows ‘white hot and ice cold’ as Dan Cole’s splendid career ends on ‘heart-breaking low’ with costly error
Here's how we rated Leicester Tigers in the Premiership Final.
Following Leicester Tigers’ 23-21 defeat to Bath in the Gallagher Premiership Final, here’s how we rated Michael Chieka’s charges at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
Leicester Tigers player ratings v Bath
15 Freddie Steward: Landed a great shot in defence in the first half, but like many of his teammates, his performance dipped as the game went on. Usually, he is dominant in the air, but Bath were brilliant in that facet of the game and really put the pressure on him, particularly in the build-up to Guy Pepper’s disallowed try, but that was not the only occasion. 5
14 Adam Radwan: Flashes of brilliance when he got the ball in hand, but far too often that was in heavy traffic. Bath dominated in the air and Radwan also missed quite a few tackles. 5
13 Solomone Kata: As per usual, he was incredibly physical in contact despite being met abrasively by the Bath defence. He superbly plucked the ball from the ground in the ruck to sneak over the line to give some hope of a comeback, but it was not to be. 8
12 Joseph Woodward: Relatively sharp defensively and carried strongly into contact, but was unable to really trouble the Bath defence. He was the first player to be called to the sidelines by Chieka in the second half. 5
11 Ollie Hassell-Collins: Had moments where it looked as if he would spark something special, but the Bath scramble defence did well to shut down those threats. 6
10 Handre Pollard: The usually lethal fly-half, particularly in clutch matches, blew white hot and ice cold in the final. He created Leicester’s two big opportunities in the first half through his boot; the first they took as he thundered a penalty kick just 5m out from the line. However, his second half was marred by a poor pass that was picked off by Russell for Max Ojomoh’s try. He also missed a shot at goal that he’d expect to slot 9/10 times, but unfortunately, this was that one time. He put in a glorious touch-finder later in the game that led to a try and added the extras. 5
9 Jack van Poortvliet: After a strong start to the game, he started to unravel and was indecisive, which impacted Pollard’s performance and started to make errors that wasted possession, including a poor kick-out on the full before he was hooked. 4
8 Olly Cracknell: Carries with genuine hatred into the opposition’s defence, just as vicious in defence. A warrior’s effort but in vain. 8
7 Tommy Reffell: While he was effective in the attacking rucks, he was not his usual self in pilfering over the ball and slowly down the opposition’s breakdown. Managed to put in a respectable shift without being excellent before he was replaced by Emeka Illione. 5
6 Hanro Liebenberg: Ever consistent but could not produce a breakout moment as he usually does but tirelessly attempted to do so. 6
5 Ollie Chessum: Another Tiger who roared loudly in the final but was unable to steer his club over the line. Excellent at lineout time on Leicester’s ball and Bath’s, while being accurate at the breakdown and defensively. 7
4 Cameron Henderson: Another workmanlike effort in all facets of the game. Ticked all the boxes required of him and was on Illione’s back to shunt the youngster over the line. 7
3 Joe Heyes: Enjoyed a real battle in the scrums with Beno Obano, where he gave as good as he got. He got around the park well, particularly in defence, but he was replaced by club legend Dan Cole. 7
2 Julian Montoya: Was always illegal with his tackle on Ted Hill, and quite fortunate not to be dismissed permanently. Immediately conceded a contentious penalty that Russell converted upon his return, but went about repenting for his sins with his accurate set-pieces and relentless work-rate. 6
1 Nicky Smith: Troubled Thomas du Toit in the first few scrums of the match before conceding one. It would be back and forth from there where he may feel hard done by and didn’t get enough purchase at the set-piece. However, he was penalised around the park too. 7
Replacements: Cheika needed his bench to shift momentum, and for the most part, they did just that. Ben Youngs was a notable improvement at scrum-half but may rue kicking right at the death. Illione was outstanding as the rising star grabbed a try that looked to inspire a stunning comeback. However, Dan Cole’s error proved incredibly costly, giving Bath a nine-point lead, ending a marvellous career on a heartbreaking low. 6
