Leinster narrowly beat Leicester in Champions Cup

Investec Champions Cup Pool Three

Leicester Tigers (15) 15

Tries: Radwan, Hassell-Collins Con: Searle Pen: Searle

Leinster (6) 23

Tries: Gibson-Park, Sheehan Cons: Byrne, Prendergast Pens: Byrne 3

Leinster fought back from nine points behind at half-time to beat a determined Leicester Tigers side 23-15 in the Champions Cup pool stage.

An outstanding defensive effort and two wonderful finishes by wing duo Adam Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins put Tigers into a 15-6 lead.

The visitors, forced into a pre-match change because prop Tadhg Furlong was ruled out with illness, also lost flanker Jack Conan and full-back Jimmy O'Brien to injuries in the first 15 minutes.

But a star-studded Leinster team, which contained several Ireland internationals and had New Zealand centre Rieko Ioane making his first start, eventually overcame those setbacks and their first-half deficit.

They scored 17 points without reply in the second half as tries from Lions pair Jamison Gibson-Park and Dan Sheehan meant Leinster have two wins from two outings in the pool stage.

Leicester, meanwhile, have lost their first two matches in Pool Three and face a battle to qualify for the last 16.

Both sides will play their final two pool matches in January. Leicester face Bayonne at home and Stormers away, while Leinster host La Rochelle before visiting Bayonne.

The Tigers' next game is a home Prem fixture against Gloucester on Friday, 19 December - the same day on which Leinster return to URC action at home to Ulster.

Leicester: Steward; Radwan, Wand, Kata, Hassell-Collins; Searle, Whiteley; Smith, Blamire, Heyes, Henderson, Wells, Thompson, Reffell (capt), Moro.

Replacements: Theobald-Thomas, Van der Flier, Hurd, Manz, Williams, Allan, Bailey, Woodward.

Leinster: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, Ioane, Henshaw, Lowe; Byrne, Gibson-Park; McCarthy, Kelleher, Clarkson, McCarthy, Ryan, Conan, Van der Flier, Doris.

Replacements: Sheehan, Boyle, Slimani, Mangan, Deegan, McGrath, Prendergast, Frawley.

Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)

Assistant referees: Vincent Blasco Baque (France) and Julien Caulier (France)

TMO: Tual Trainini (France)