Prem Rugby Cup: Victories for Leicester and Sale
Leicester's improved second-half performance propelled them to victory over an inexperienced Saracens XV
- Published
Leicester Tigers got the Geoff Parling era off to a flying start as they beat Saracens 20-7 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in the first round of the reformatted and renamed Prem Rugby Cup.
In front of an expectant home crowd, it was the visitors who struck first through Nathan Michelow, following a well executed set-play inside the Tigers' half.
But that was as good as it got for Saracens, with Tigers captain Hanro Liebenberg charging over as half-time beckoned, before debutant Jamie Blamire and Emeka Ilione put the game beyond the visitors with scores early in the second half.
Will Wand's effort late on ensured the Tigers sealed all five points.
Tom O'Flaherty scored the Sharks' only points off the first half in increasingly wild conditions
In Pool A, Sale Sharks produced a dominant second-half performance to beat Bristol Bears 24-15 at a sparsely attended Salford Community Stadium.
The Bears started the stronger, Joe Jenkins touching down under the posts following a break from Harry Thacker, before Tom O'Flaherty responded for the home team against the run of play.
In deteriorating weather, a determined period of pressure before half-time finally paid dividends for Pat Lam's men as debutant Josh Carrington forced his way over, assisted by AJ MacGinty.
But Bristol were unable to replicate that form in the second half and with Fitz Harding in the sin-bin, Sale levelled the scores - debutant Nathan Jibulu barrelling over from short range.
With Bristol - for whom Louis Rees-Zammit came on for his debut after 50 minutes - unable to escape their own half, replacement scrum-half Dom Hanson turned the game on its head, diving over for Sale's third try following a break from Ollie Davies.
Davies then claimed a deserved try of his own with five minutes left, fighting his way over in the corner after a quick passing move involving Rekeiti Ma'asi-White to give Sharks a bonus point.