Harlequins 19-20 Leicester Tigers: Jarrod Evans misses last-gasp converson as Quins fall to agonising home defeat

Harlequins missed the chance to go to the top of the Gallagher Premiership, losing 20-19 to Leicester Tigers in agonising fashion as fly-half Jarrod Evans missed a conversion in the final seconds with Quins trailing by just a single point at the Stoop.

Leicester dominated territory in a first half that saw them utilise the box-kick to great effect, and that dominance finally told when Jasper Wiese forced his way over the line at the end of a spell of pressure that could have seen the Tigers score on three separate occasions.

But Quins gave themselves a foothold in the game in spectacular fashion shortly before the break when Tyrone Green made a scything line break and put the ball in the hands of speedster Nick David to finish off a brilliantly flowing move.

Jack Walker gave Quins the lead as he burrowed over after a driving maul early in the second half, only for the visitors to respond almost immediately, as the excellent Ollie Hassell-Collins offloaded to Mike Brown to score at the ground he called home for so much of his career.

Quins thought they’d won it right at the death as Green made another scintillating break and crossed for a try in the final moments of the game. But the conversion wasn’t the simplest and the pressure told for Evans as his kick slid narrowly wide, handing Leicester a big away win and leaving the home side wondering what might have been.

The Tigers dominated the first half largely through their excellent use of box kicking and then a solid base at the set-piece.

And while it wasn’t pretty, that can often be enough, especially when you have a goal-kicker as good as Handre Pollard on hand to rack up the points.

It was Pollard’s second penalty of the night that effectively won it for Leicester, although this current Tigers outfit has the capacity to bring flair too, as Hassell-Collins showed to score their second try of the evening.

There were some superb performances on both sides on the night, but the moment of magic that Leicester needed to turn the momentum their way in the second half came from Hassell-Collins.

He showed all of his immense talent in a blistering run down the wing, cutting inside and then keeping his composure to spot the offload and send Brown in for the try.

Harlequins: Tyrone Green 9, Nick David 8, Will Joseph 7, Andre Esterhuizen 7, Louis Lynagh 6, Jarrod Evans 6, Max Green 7, James Chisholm 7, Will Evans 8, George Hammond 7, Irne Herbst 7, Joe Launchbury (c) 6, Will Collier 6, Jack Walker 7, Fin Baxter 6

Replacements: Sam Riley 6, Dillon Lewis 6, Arthur Clark 7, Archie White 6, Lewis Gjaltema 6, Will Edwards 6, Cadan Murley 6

Leicester Tigers: Jamie Shillcock 7, Mike Brown 8, Dan Kelly 7, Solomone Kata 7, Ollie Hassell-Collins 9, Handré Pollard 9, Tom Whiteley 8, Jasper Wiese 7, Olly Cracknell 7, Hanro Liebenberg 6, Kyle Hatherell 6, Harry Wells 6, Dan Richardson 7, Julián Montoya (c) 7, James Cronin 6

Replacements: Sam Carter 7, Matt Rogerson 7, Finn Carnduff 6, Ben Youngs 6, Matt Scott 6

Leicester kick for the corner and the power of the pack proves too much, as Wiese wriggles out of contact and manages to muscle his arm down on the line for the first try of the game. Pollard converts brilliantly from the touchline.

That is an absolutely stunning try out of absolutely nothing from Quins. Tyrone Green hits a superb line at pace and carves open the Leicester defence, finds the pass to send Nick David away, and he outpaces the covering Tigers backs to touch down. That’s really outstanding rugby. The conversion is good and Quins are back in the game after barely getting into the Leicester half.

Quins have the lead and it’s a pushover try against Leicester – one for the forwards to be proud of. A long lineout was well-claimed, and Leicester struggled to stop the momentum of the maul. The conversion is good too and it’s a lead for the hosts.

Oh my, Mike Brown has scored against Quins at the Stoop. It’s all about Hassell-Collins, who gets on the overlap and bursts towards the line, popping up the offload to Brown to finish at his old home. It’s a muted celebration, but that score, with the added conversion, puts Leicester three points clear again.

Quins score, right at the death. It all comes from a huge shove to win a Leicester scrum against the head, and the home side keep their patience in the resulting phases, probing for a space int eh Leicester defence. It’s that man Tyrone Green who makes the crucial line break, and he opts against the pass outside, going on his own and touching down for the try. Scenes at the Stoop!

The game is there for the taking, but Evans slides his conversion fractionally wide of the post and Leicester celebrate. There are just seconds left on the clock and all they have to do is restart and get the ball out of play.

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