Aviva Premiership: Gloucester inflict further woe on Leicester Tigers with 33-16 victory

Leicester Tigers’ early season plight shows no signs of relenting after Gloucester intensified the pressure on the 10-time Premiership champions with a resounding 33-16 triumph at Kingsholm.

Richard Cockerill’s Tigers suffered a 45-0 reverse - their heaviest ever defeat - at the hands of Bath two weeks ago before being edged out by London Irish on home soil and another inexcusable lapse saw the competition's most decorated side slip to a three-year low, losing three successive matches for the first time since 2011.

It is the first time Gloucester have recorded successive league wins since March and it was a morale-boosting triumph which offered plenty of promise for their new-look coaching set-up.

Scores from prop Nick Wood and wingers Charlie Sharples and Jonny May combined with 15 points from the boot of Greig Laidlaw helped Gloucester to a 21-point lead at the halfway point.

Scotland captain Laidlaw kicked Gloucester’s only points of the second half as the hosts moved up to fifth in the standings, with Leicester’s lone reply coming in the form of a David Mele consolation try.

While Leicester’s early campaign crisis dominated much of the build-up, there was another intriguing twist in the hour before kick-off with Freddie Burns drafted into the Tigers’ line-up.

Burns, returning to face his former employers for the first time as a Leicester player, was pencilled in on the bench, but an injury to centre Seamaia Bai saw Owen Williams shifted into midfield paving way for England fly-half to grace very familiar territory.

Cue jeering and donkey noises from a raucous Kingsholm ‘Shed’. Once adored by the Gloucester faithful Burns, who will be the first to admit his departure was mishandled, was immediately thrust to the fore.

Burns in firing line

Home fans delighted in seeing Burns chopped down by a fierce tackle, but the breakdown led to Leicester being awarded their first penalty of the match and Williams, assuming kicking duties from his fly-half rival, made no mistake with his 40-metre kick.

Gloucester too switched kicking duties with fly-half James Hook, one of the club’s high-profile close-season additions, relieved in favour of percentage kicker Laidlaw; an inspired move it proved to be.

Four penalties in 12 minutes allowed the Scotland scrum-half to fire Gloucester into a 9-3 lead, only for Williams to strike back with a three-pointer of his own moments later.

Gloucester, who have been heavily criticised for lacking cohesion and understanding following their wholesale changes during the close season, suddenly started to find their groove and it was pantomime villain Burns who was exposed.

Lock Tom Savage charged down the No 10’s kick before Wood roared his way over the whitewash to touch down the opening try of the match, which was easily converted by Laidlaw.

Despite losing their captain to injury midway through the first half, out-of-form England centre Billy Twelvetrees hobbling back to the dressing room, Gloucester remained in the ascendancy.

Floundering Tigers

With Leicester’s defence in glaring disarray winger Sharples skirted down the left channel, evading Vereniki Goneva and Blaine Scully with dazzling footwork, to race home a second try for the hosts and his opposite number briskly followed suit.

England international May, who shone all afternoon in the Gloucester sunshine, stormed down the same flank to add a third as pressure continued to mount on the Tigers.

Cockerill is under increasing scrutiny himself and with his side returning to the dressing room 30-9 down, the Leicester director of rugby faced a stern challenge to rouse his troops for an uphill second-half battle.

Whatever was said clearly invigorated the Tigers but their snarl never converted into points on the scoreboard as Gloucester negotiated a less eventful second period with relative ease.

Try as they may Leicester could muster little in the way of attack and as decisions started to go against them, most notably Goneva sent trudging to the sin bin for an offence committed by Miles Benjamin, the Tigers resigned themselves to defeat.

Laidlaw struck the only points of the second half from the kicking tee and Gloucester will be left to lament the lack of a try-scoring bonus point having had the Tigers on the rack throughout.

Indeed, the extra point was there for the taking after a fantastic break from Rob Cook and Hook, only for Sharples and replacement Dan Robson to spill possession with an undefended try line before them.

Instead it was Leicester who dashed over with Mele claiming a consolation try which Williams converted with the final act of the match.