Battling Tigers hold on in last-kick drama

By ADAM HATHAWAY

Harlequins …………………… 19pts

Tries: David 37, Walker 58, Green 79

Conversions: J Evans 38, 59

Leicester ………………………20pts

Tries: Wiese 27, Brown 63

Conversions: Pollard 28, 64

Penalties: Pollard 15, 70

Ollie Hassell-Collins showed England what they are missing as he sent Leicester into the Premiership break with a win that helped dull the pain of two European beatings.

Jarrod Evans' missed conversion at the death denied Harlequins victory but the visitors should have had the game wrapped up way before then despite having a patched up scrum.

The fly-half 's kick, after a try by the excellent Quins full-back Tyrone Green, drifted just right of the uprights and the Londoners were left with just a point to take into their time off.

This time last year wing Hassell-Collins was in Steve Borthwick's set-up preparing for his England debut, winning caps against Scotland and Italy, before injury and selection saw him fail to add to that tally.

The 25-year-old wing upped sticks from London Irish, after signing for Tigers before the Exiles' collapse, moving his girlfriend and four cats to the Midlands.

And after failing to fire in the 27-10 Champions Cup defeat to Leinster last weekend, Hassell-Collins turned on the style at a packed Stoop on Friday night to keep Tigers in the play-off mix.

He was involved in the build-up to Leicester's second try, scored by Harlequins legend Mike Brown, who also showed the Londoners he can still do the business at 38 after leaving the club in 2021 after 351 appearances in the coloured quarters.

The 72-cap veteran Brown won't play for England again but Hassell-Collins showed he has it in him to get back at that level, even if he is claiming not to think about it.

Full steam ahead: Ollie Hassell-Collins breaks through for Leicester

PICTURES: Getty Images

“It was one of the highlights of my career, I loved that moment,” he said. “But I am not there at the moment and I haven't got time to worry about that. I have to focus on doing what I do and if that happens, it happens.

I have only been here six months and it does take time to settle in.” His head coach Dan McKellar added: “I love seeing Ollie with the ball in his hands. You just sit in the coaches' box as a fan, he is just so dangerous with the opportunities he creates for himself and others. We talk about his power game but his skill, what he does defensively and how he can force turnovers, he has just been such a great addition to the club.”

On a night for the golden oldies, scrum-half Ben Youngs, who has retired from the international game, injected some pace and tempo into the Leicester game after coming off the bench on 55 minutes.

Tigers were 10-0 up quickly thanks to Jasper Wiese's try from a lineout maul and Handre Pollard's boot before Quins went the length of the field to close the gap.

Scrum-half Max Green sparked the move, fullback Green broke rapidly and wing Nick David finished it off.

The Londoners took the lead after the break when hooker Jack Walker made the most of another lineout drive but Brown snatched the advantage back. Centre Dan Kelly fed Hassell-Collins who broke strongly down the left and Brown, showing his experience, was tracking in exactly the right place. Hassell-Collins' pass was not perfect but Brown gathered and galloped in under the posts.

On 79 minutes Quins thought they had snatched it when Green finished off a break from replacement centre Will Edwards but with 10 seconds left on the clock, Evans' kick went wide.