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Bristol 25-20 Leicester

The Shoguns produced a remarkable 14-man performance after their England prop Julian White was sent off in the third minute of a dramatic match against champions Leicester.

The Tigers crashed to a third successive away league defeat, leaving them a distant nine points behind leaders Gloucester.

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"I don't want to say that the sending off was unfair, but punches were going in all over the place

Peter Thorburn
Bristol coach

But they can have no complaints after they were undone by Bristol's lung-busting commitment.

England wing Phil Christophers sealed the victory - Bristol's first in five starts this season - through a brilliant 40-metre solo try.

Argentine fly-half Felipe Contepomi kicked 20 points from six penalties and a conversion.

Referee Chris White played eight minutes of second-half injury time, but Leicester were unable to claw back their deficit despite tries by centre Rod Kafer and wing Harry Ellis.

Christophers shows the commitment which typified Bristol's display
Bristol's Phil Christophers tackles Leicester's Freddie Tuilagi

Both teams finished the game down on numbers.

Leicester had prop Darren Garforth sin-binned for late tackling the outstanding Agustin Pichot, while Bristol's New Zealand centre Daryl Gibson also received a yellow card.

But the major talking point was White's dismissal, which came after a scrum erupted into an unsightly flurry of blows.

White, who was sent off in the same fixture last term and received a three-week ban, appeared to butt his England colleague and Leicester loosehead Graham Rowntree.

Touch judge Tony Spreadbury conferred with referee White once the fight broke up, and a red card was produced without hesitation.

We didn't capitalise after the sending off - it was all very disappointing

Dean Richards
Leicester coach

Leicester's England flanker Louis Moody, who appeared to throw a series of punches during the melee, escaped with a yellow card, much to the fury of a vociferous Memorial Stadium crowd.

Moody was then one of three Leicester players to leave the action early through injury - fly-half Sam Vestey and centre Olly Smith were the others - completing a thoroughly miserable afternoon for Martin Johnson's men.

Bristol never once took a backward step, and although they remain bottom of the Premiership, coach Peter Thorburn will take great heart from a memorable display.

Bristol: Best; Daniel, Shaw, Gibson, Christophers; Contepomi, Pichot; Crompton, McCarthy, White, Archer, A Brown, Sturnham, Lipman, Salter.
Replacements: Bergamaschi, Sheridan, Nelson, Short, Higgins, Richards, Drahm.

Leicester: Stimpson; Ellis, Smith, Kafer, Tuilagi; Vesty, Tierney; Rowntree, West, Garforth, M Johnson, Kay, Corry, Moody, W Johnson.
Replacements: Tournaire, Chuter, Short, Booth, Gelderbloom, Naufahu.

Referee: Chris White (RFU)


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