Prince Harry watched on as Leicester Tigers roared back to beat Gloucester in a thrilling Gallagher Prem clash.
The visitors roared into a 14-0 lead at Mattioli Woods Welford Road as Leicester were reduced to 14 men in the first 10 minutes with fly half Billy Searle shown a yellow card.
But Tigers dominated much of what followed thereafter with a powerful performance from their pack, with tries from forwards Finn Carnduff, Joe Heyes, Jamie Blamire and Aaron Wainwright.
Ollie Hassell-Collins made certain of victory with a fine finish in the left corner late on – though Gloucester, who had won their first two games of the season, snatched two potentially valuable bonus points with a late rally.
“We can’t start games like we are at the moment,” Leicester boss Geoff Parling said after the 38-31 win. “We’ve not started well in games repeatedly this season so first 10 minutes, a 14-0 lead [for Gloucester] but I didn’t feel like we’d thrown a punch, so I felt very calm there.
“There were some really good bits in the rest of the game. They’ve got multiple threats around the ball – like Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake – and I thought our carrying was excellent, I felt the way we applied pressure through our defence, you’re starting to see it come through more in how we want that to be.
“We did some really good stuff and we actually feel a bit deflated at the end of the game after giving them those two bonus points, but I think that’s a sign of the desire of the team. We’ve got five points and a big performance against a team that’s been going well.”
Prince Harry reacts to a @LeicesterTigers try! pic.twitter.com/Qpf52sPX2T
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The Duke of Sussex was a surprise attendee at the game at Welford Road – though his image appeared to be booed by some when displayed on the big screen. Mike Tindall, married to Harry’s cousin Zara, is a former Gloucester captain.
Leicester’s success meant they retain the Slater Cup – a trophy that honours former Gloucester and Tigers lock Ed Slater, who retired in 2022 after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Additional reporting by PA
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