Champions Cup: Pollard guides Tigers past Stormers

FLYING BOK: Leicester Tigers' Handre Pollard scores their side's third try of the game. Pic: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

Leicester Tigers head coach Dan McKellar was pleased to see his half-time words have an effect in the second half of his team's 35-26 victory over the Stormers on Sunday in the Investec Champions Cup.

The visitors' decision to leave most of their big-name players back in South Africa meant Leicester began the game as strong favourites, but they went into the break 17-10 behind. It had been a flat performance by the hosts up to that point, but they were able to step up a level and 20 points from Springboks fly-half Handre Pollard went a long way to securing the win.

McKellar said: "I don't do it that often these days and it's not about yelling and screaming, it's about understanding we needed to shift in and around attitude and enthusiasm and effort areas. Someone's going to drop a ball every now and then or throw a bad pass, I can live with that, but I can't live with being out-enthused. 

"We got some set-piece dominance, we kicked better, it was tough conditions out there. I know everyone wants to see us throwing the ball around and I thought again there were some good moments of really good passages and skill and good play, but we just executed our game plan.

"We managed to put them under pressure with our kicking game, through our defence and through our set-piece. At this time of the year, that's what's going to win games."

Solomone Kata scored the opening try for Leicester, but Keke Morabe and Courtnall Skosan both touched down to allow the Stormers to go into half-time ahead.

Although the visitors proved very hard to shake off, a second try from Kata along with scores by Pollard and Josh Bassett ensured the Tigers got the job done in the end.

Harlequins clinched victory on French soil, pulling off a superb comeback to defeat Top 14 leaders Racing 92 in Paris.

Nolann Le Garrec put Racing ahead with a converted try but Marcus Smith responded in kind and then converted again almost immediately after Andre Esterhuizen crossed.

Smith added three further points with a drop goal from near halfway but the hosts reduced the deficit to 17-14 at half-time through a try from Antoine Gibert.

Racing were straight over again at the start of the second half, Le Garrec scoring his second try, and they opened up a 28-17 lead when Ibrahim Diallo crossed.

But Quins did not give up and tries from Alex Dombrandt and Jack Walker, both converted by Smith, gave them a 31-28 victory despite a late yellow card for Dino Lamb.

Sale, who go to Dublin next weekend, produced a superb second-half show to open their Champions Cup campaign with a 28-5 victory over Stade Francais at AJ Bell Stadium.

The Sharks edged a feisty first period 6-5 with two George Ford penalties eclipsing a well-worked try from Stade skipper Jeremy Ward. 

England back Ford landed a third kick from a scrum penalty before Sale extended their lead by finding space for winger Tom O'Flaherty to touch down. Sale's forward power told in the final quarter as Raffi Quirke freed Jonny Hill into the corner and Tom Curtis added the extras.

Player of the match Sam Dugdale put the gloss on victory by crashing over six minutes from time, with Curtis again adding the conversion.

Sale missed out on a fourth score and bonus point in the final minutes ahead of their visit to four-time champions Leinster.

Meanwhile, Saracens' director of rugby Mark McCall refused to comment on Bulls fans booing visiting captain Owen Farrell when he was kicking at goal in his side's Champions Cup defeat on Saturday.

Farrell has been frequently booed by opposition fans in recent weeks, especially during the Rugby World Cup with England, and announced a break from international rugby for his mental well-being which will rule him out of the Six Nations.

This was his first game since that announcement and the South African fans booed Farrell after a missed drop goal and when lining up a conversion towards the end of the game.

But McCall said after the 27-16 loss: "I have nothing to say about that."

Saracens denied the home favourites a bonus point in what could be crucial in the group, despite playing more than half the game with 14 men. Billy Vunipola was sent off for contact to the head when clearing out a ruck, while full-back Alex Goode and second row Maro Itoje both saw yellow, meaning Saracens were unable to grab a losing bonus point themselves.

Saracens will be looking to bounce back when they entertain Connacht next week.

McCall admitted his side had been up against it at altitude in Pretoria, with the red and yellow cards costing them.

"I think the discipline comes from pressure," he said. "We were under a lot of pressure, we were second best physically in the first half, our breakdown and our defensive collisions were nowhere near where they needed to be.

"The scoreline was 20-6 at half-time and I think that reflected the half, but the team showed some grit in the second half to fight back when we were down to 14 men."