Tigers tame fiery Ospreys

Ospreys 15 Leicester 17

Ellis limped off just before half-time following an incident that involved Ospreys lock Ian Evans.

Both Evans and his high-profile colleague, Wales Grand Slam star Gavin Henson, could now attract the scrutiny of match citing commissioner Bill Dunlop.

Henson missed two penalties and two drop-goal attempts as Pool Three leaders Leicester triumphed thanks to an 84th-minute Dan Hipkiss try that fly-half Andy Goode converted with the game's final kick.

Henson's most notable contribution was a 19th-minute incident with Tigers prop Alex Moreno.

Moreno launched a swinging arm at Henson, who reacted with an elbow-led challenge that left the Frenchman nursing a nasty facial wound. Then, as Moreno fell, Henson appeared to aim a kick at him.

"I will wait until I see the video," was Leicester coach Pat Howard's solitary comment on both the Henson incident and Ellis episode.

But Henson and Evans, whose reckless use of the boot ended Ellis' afternoon early, could conceivably find themselves in the dock less than seven weeks before Wales tackle England at Twickenham.

Leicester centre Ollie Smith and lock Louis Deacon were both sin-binned during a fractious affair, but Leicester's last-gasp triumph put them back on top of Pool Three prior to their final European fixtures against Stade Francais and Clermont Auvergne next month.

The quarter-finals now beckon for Tigers, and Howard said: "I thought the players' commitment was fantastic. We are in a lovely position now, but it is by no means sealed and settled.

"At 15-3 down, I thought we were in trouble, but a great captain (Martin Corry) brings people together. It wasn't going to be easy, away against the reigning Celtic League champions, and I am very happy to come out of it with a win."

The Ospreys are now out of quarter-final contention, and the defeat will be a bitter pill for coach Lyn Jones and his players to swallow.

"We missed 20 points from the boot today, and Leicester have always had an ability to score from 100 yards, which they proved at the end," said Jones.

"You can only imagine our sense of devastation it is difficult to stomach at present. We looked the better side for about 83-and-a-half minutes of the game."

And try-scoring skipper Barry Williams added: "We had our chances, but we missed a lot of kicks and we have only got ourselves to blame."