Head coach Richard Cockerill has rounded on referee Chris White in the wake of Leicester's 19-14 victory over Worcester.
Leicester boss unhappy with handling of match
Leicester head coach Richard Cockerill has rounded on referee Chris White in the wake of Saturday's 19-14 victory over Worcester.
The former England hooker criticised what he saw as White's apparent unwillingness to punish Worcester's spoiling tactics.
The win saw the Tigers maintain their year-long unbeaten home record but Cockerill made it clear he was far from happy at the international referee's handling of the game.
"I found it frustrating how the game was refereed because we have had two games here - this and Newcastle two weeks ago - where the team that is relatively negative and gives most penalties away doesn't get warned or given yellow cards," he said.
"They gave away 15 penalties, the majority of them in their own half, and it starts to become frustrating for the team that wants to play.
"Last week at Bath both sides wanted to play, it was a good game and there was some good entertainment there. But for people who turned up today it got a bit fragmented and frustrating.
"How many times do they have to infringe before there is a warning? There were no warnings in the first half and that is a frustration.
Excellent
"They came here to try and spoil us and grind out a win. You saw at the end there was a minute on the clock and they were happy to kick out to get the bonus point."
In contrast Worcester's director of rugby Mike Ruddock praised White's control, although was disappointed not to clinch the club's first-ever victory at Welford Road against a Leicester side missing 10 front line players through injury.
"I thought Chris White was excellent and refereed the game superbly," Ruddock said. "It was great to see someone of his quality out there.
"There were some injuries in the Leicester team and it was probably a day when we could have got a result here.
"But I think that shows how far we have come as a team that we are disappointed that we didn't get a result today.
"There's plenty of spirit in this team, it's a case of being more consistent and accurate week-in and week-out."
