Tigers take down Ospreys

Leicester battered Ospreys into submission, emerging 12-6 victors in a bruising Heineken Cup encounter on Sunday.

Despite a much improved second half, the Welsh superstars were unable to recover from the Tigers' onslaught in the opening 40 minutes of their Pool 3 clash at Welford Road.

A blistering opening five minutes saw the game switch from end-to-end, although Leicester appeared the more aggressive, putting together a series of devastating attacks.

Toby Flood looked razor sharp and went close to delivering an early shock, coming in off the angle at pace to scythe through the Osprey defence before being brought down seven yards out.

Battering away

Two minutes later it was the pack that was battering away at the visitors, and it was only some fierce defending that prevented Martin Corry from crossing.

Leicester's relentless pressure paid off in the eighth minute though, when Ospreys were caught offside almost in front of the posts.

Flood stepped up and slotted an easy penalty to put the first points on the board and give the hosts a 3-0 lead which he doubled in the 20th minute with a long-range effort.

And three minutes later the fly-half was again able to punish the Ospreys, who were making too many mistakes at the breakdown, nailing a tough kick from a tight angle to stretch his side's adavntage to 9-0.

The 34 minute mark brought another elementary mistake by Ospreys, this time for having players offside for a James Hook kick, and another chance for Flood to make the visitors pay.

Eventually Ospreys began to find some flow in their game and started to put some moves together late in the half.

And, after weathering the Tiger onslaught for almost 40 minutes, the visitors finally got their chance to put some points on the board.

Shane Williams, in space in the midfield, slotted a drop goal from the 22, the television official confirming that the ball had bounced to the correct side after hitting the post and the Welshmen went into half time trailing 12-3.

The second period began with Leicester scrambling to avert disaster after suffering a scare within a minute of the restart when Harry Ellis, attempting to clear close to the right touchline and just yards from the Tigers' try line line, saw his kick charged down by prop Paul James.

Dangerous

Ospreys began to look more dangerous and when Tommy Bowe broke to feed Lee Byrne in the clear, Leicester could have found themselves in real trouble had the pass not been adjudged forward.

When the hosts were penalised for a deliberate knock-on after 57 minutes, Hook sent his penalty attempt well wide from 45 metres, missing the opportunity to give his side a much needed lift.

But shortly after the Welsh fly-half made no mistake when Leicester were penalised again and gladly closed the gap to six points, at 12-6, to set up a tense final quarter.

Hook missed a chance to close the gap as he sent another penalty attempt wide but Tommy Bowe had Leicester fans' hearts in their mouths, when he hacked through the loose ball to spark in a desperate chase for the line.

Full-back Geordan Murphy won that chase but Ospreys were given the put in at the scrum from five yards out and for the first time in the game began to put pressure on the Tiger's line.

However, after a desperate Leicester defence it was Filo Tiatia who lost the ball and ended all hope of an Ospreys win as he watched Leicester clear their lines and hold on for a crucial win to start their European campaign.