Leicester 54-15 Perpignan

Heineken Cup holders Leicester gave another display of their immense qualities with a comprehensive victory over Perpignan at a near-capacity Welford Road.

Despite conceding a first minute try, the Tigers regained their composure to win their 10th successive Heineken Cup game and complete the double over their opponents.

Dean Richards' side have now eclipsed the previous best run of wins by Brive from 1996-98 and are all but certain of a place in the final eight of the competition.

Full-back Tim Stimpson, who scored the winning points in Perpignan, was once more the hero with 29 points.

And it was his try in first-half injury time that opened up a crucial 12-point lead and effectively ended the French resistance.

Star Healey

Stimpson went on to kick 10 goals, most of them long-range efforts, in an immaculate display.

Yet his effort was overshadowed by the display of Austin Healey, starting at fly-half for the first time since March, who took the man-of-the-match award.

Perpignan made a dream start when silky handling by fly-half Benoit Bellot got right winger Farid Sid racing over for the game's opening try.

France A international Bellot, who converted the try, was handed a starting role ahead of Thierry Lacroix, who was on the bench because of a back injury sustained in the first clash.

The champions drew level when second rower Ben Kay took a pass from scrum-half Jamie Hamilton and romped through a yawning gap in the visitors' defence for a try.

Two more Leicester tries followed shortly after, with centre Glenn Gelderbloom making the most of a two-man overlap to work flanker Lewis Moody over and Stimpson crashing through after clever handling by Healey and Rod Kafer.

But the Tigers could never relax against spirited opponents, who grabbed a second through Cermeno following Bellot's pinpoint kick to the corner.

However the fly-half missed three of his five shots at goal to leave his side trailing by two full scores at the break.

Leicester took control of the second half, although it took a solo effort from popular left winger Steve Booth to break the deadlock on 62 minutes, racing through a scattered defence for a spectacular 40-metre try.

Two further Stimpson penalties kept the scoreboard ticking over and the Tigers finished in total command, with Geordan Murphy and Ollie Smith both scoring tries.

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Leicester
Tries: Kay, Moody, Stimpson, Booth, Murphy, Smith.
Cons: Stimpson 6.
Pens: Stimpson 4

Perpignan
Tries: Sid, Cermeno.
Cons: Bellot.
Pens: Bellot

Leicester: Stimpson, Murphy, Gelderbloom, Kafer, Booth, Healey, Hamilton, Rowntree, Chuter, Garforth, Deacon, Kay, Moody, Back, W. Johnson.
Replacements: Cockerill, Smith, Freshwater, Jelley, Ellis, Kronfeld, Short.

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Perpignan: Cermeno, Sid, Giordani, Couttet, MacDonald, Bellot, Loustau, Meya, Dal Maso, De Besombes, Thion, Daniell, Le Corvec, Goutta, Murphy.
Replacements: Koniekiewicz, Peillard, Mas, Deroeux, Basset, Lacroix, Plana.

Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)