 Varndell (right) bagged the score which ensured Leicester's bonus point |
Leicester: (22) 43
Tries: Jennings, Humphreys, Crane, Varndell, Hipkiss, Deacon
Pens: Humphreys
Cons: Humphreys 2, Burke 3 Bristol (3) 15
Tries: Lemi 2
Pens: Strange
Cons: Strange
Leicester swept past Premiership leaders Bristol with a six-try win to overtake them at the top of the table on points difference.
After a dour start, the Tigers came to life with two tries in five minutes from Shane Jennings and Ian Humphreys.
Forward Jordan Crane crashed over in first-half injury time to put the Tigers well in control.
Tom Varndell's second-half effort sealed the bonus point with Dan Hipkiss and Louis Deacon also scoring tries.
Humphreys and Bristol's Jason Strange exchanged early penalties and it seemed for a long time like defences would be on top.
But a kick by Humphreys over the Bristol defence was neatly taken by Shane Jennings who went over for the game's opening try under the posts and the fly-half added the extras.
With Leicester's confidence rising, Humphreys went from provider to scorer with a side-step through the defence to go over the line and extend his side's lead.
Crane gave the Tigers a further boost when he was driven over the line to give Leicester a comfortable 22-3 interval advantage and just after the break Varndell latched on to a Paul Burke chip to put them further ahead.
Bristol struggled badly and they were further punished when Hipkiss and Deacon made the most of their chances to go over.
Hipkiss crossed unopposed after taking Sam Vesty's pass in his stride while Deacon ploughed over from close range and Burke added the extras.
Two late tries by David Lemi were little consolation for the visitors who drop to second and need to recover before Wednesday's West Country derby against Bath.
Leicester coach Pat Howard on changing his entire starting XV against London Irish on Boxing Day: "We will have Lewis Moody, Martin Corry, Andy Goode and Harry Ellis all out there," said Howard. "This is a very big period for us, we have a long way to go and we have got lots of big games coming up.
"We are in the right position in the top four. That's where we want to be."
Bristol head coach Richard Hill on fielding a weakened team after resting key players: "I can't say that was my worst nightmare because I expected that to happen. "We hope the rested players will repay that group of players by helping us get results when they return."
"I could not have asked for more from that group of players."
Leicester: Vesty; Varndell, Hipkiss, Cornwell, Lloyd; Humphreys, Bemand; Ayerza, Chuter, White, Deacon, Cullen (capt), Abraham, Jennings, Crane.
Replacements: Buckland, Castrogiovanni, Hamilton, Croft, Murphy, Burke, Murphy.
Bristol: Taumalolo; Stanojevic, Lima, Pozzebon, Lemi; Strange, O'Riordan; Hilton, Nelson, Thompson, Sambucetti, Hohneck, Martin-Redman, Short, Lewis.
Replacements:Regan, Crompton, Llewellyn, El Abd, Perry, Hill, Morgan.
Referee: T Spreadbury (England)
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