Aviva Premiership: Leicester grab crucial win against Harlequins

Owen Williams: kicked 17 points for Leicester against Harlequins

Leicester clinched a 22-16 win against Harlequins to end a run of three straight Aviva Premiership defeats and ease some of the pressure on director of rugby Richard Cockerill.

Owen Williams was at the forefront for the Tigers at Welford Road, kicking five penalties and converting a try by winger Blaine Scully to earn Leicester only their second victory of the season.

Harlequins, who have also had a mixed start to the season, scored a late try through scrum-half Karl Dickson while fly-half Nick Evans kicked 11 points.

Leicester got the start they needed when Scully scampered down the right wing in the fourth minute and shrugged off a desperate challenge from flanker Luke Wallace to get over the try-line.

Williams slotted over the conversion before the match developed into a kicking contest, with both sides using the high ball and attempting penalties from all over the pitch.

Williams kicked one penalty from halfway, one from 46 metres and another from short range, while also missing two lengthy attempts. Evans, meanwhile, kicked two out of three for Quins.

Leicester, who were 16-6 up at half-time, came close to scoring a second try in the 21st minute after Quins failed to catch a towering kick from Freddie Burns. Winger Vereniki Goneva picked up the loose ball and seemed certain to score but was hunted down by centre Matt Hopper.

Duel

Such was the kicking duel that it took the returning Manu Tuilagi 34 minutes to get his first real touch of the ball, and the boot continued to dominate after the break.

Evans kicked a 46th minute penalty and Williams replied in kind two minutes later. In between, Argentina prop Marcos Ayerza came off the bench and the Tigers stepped up a gear.

They should have scored following a line-out but Williams failed to find Scully, his pass scuttling along the turf into touch.

With the big crowd getting behind Leicester and the rain hammering down, Williams had a chance to put some real daylight between the teams but missed with a 45-metre penalty in the 59th minute.

Quins prop Joe Marler and opposite number Fraser Balmain exchanged words after the visitors collapsed a scrum and Williams then slotted over a simple penalty from in front of the posts to make it 22-9.

Quins, however, set up a grandstand finish thanks to a sniping try by Dickson from a ruck near the line with just eight minutes left, Evans kicking the conversion.

Williams missed a fourth penalty with four minutes left but the forwards managed to see out the closing stages to relieve the pressure on the hosts.