McKellar unhappy with poor first half

LEICESTER head coach Dan McKellar bemoaned a dismal first half that saw the visitors trail 21-0.

“It was a poor start from us,” he said. “At 14-0 down, I thought we hung in there and showed plenty of fight, but then we gave them a gift right on the stroke of half time.

“At half time, we talked about actions, not words, and a lot about fight, which we needed to show that. We had ourselves in a bit of a hole and we needed to deliver actions. The second half was better, but this was a day when we weren’t good enough.”

McKellar praised the way in which opposite number, Rob Baxter, has built his new-look side at the Chiefs.

“Rob’s doing a great job,” he added. “They are young, enthusiastic and compete hard, so you have to give credit to what they’ve done.”

McKellar is hopeful scrum-half Ben Youngs, who last week signed a contract extension, will be fit for the New Year’s Eve clash with Bath after picking up a dead leg.