Stade Francais 24-27 Leicester – Investec Champions Cup: Archie Vanes hat-trick seals dramatic win

December 17, 2023, 19:50 GMT

Updated 1 hour ago

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Archie Vanes impressed the Tigers with three tries

Investec Champions Cup Pool 4 – Stade Francais vs Leicester
Attempts: Hirigoyen, Laloi, Barre; He thought: Segonds; Cons: Seconds (3)
Attempts: Wing (3); Pins: Shillcock (2); Cons: Shillcock (3)

Hooker Archie Vanes scored a hat-trick in his first Champions Cup start as Leicester claimed a dramatic victory over Stade Francais.

Jamie Shillcock's 52-meter penalty gave the Tigers a narrow lead with 14 minutes left.

Stade Francais were pushed over the line late in the game while Leicester defended resolutely.

The Tigers finished the game with 14 players after fullback Mike Brown was scapegoated for an intentional tackle.

Vanes scored the first of his three attempts in the seventh minute, and the 22-year-old also crossed shortly before half-time and after the break with an impressive performance.

But the French Top 14 side hit back with converted tries from Mathieu Hirigoyen, Charles Laloi and Leo Barre.

The Pool 4 tie was level at 24-24 when Shillcock nervelessly scored his second penalty from distance, setting off an intense finale that saw Leicester move back within their own 22.

Substitute Harry Wells blocked Stade Francais' shot over the line and then scored from a loss of possession in the 86th minute, helping the Tigers win the Champions Cup for the second year in a row.

The heavily modified tigers dig deep

The Tigers made 13 changes from the team that opened the European Championships with a win over the Stormers.

After Vanes' opening try from a line out, they were quickly pushed back by Hirigoyen's try, which Joris Segonds converted.

Leicester were also outnumbered for a quarter of the first half when Charlie Atkinson was sent to the penalty box for a high tackle, but they kept Stade Francais at bay and were leading 14-10 at half-time when Vanes scored his second attempt.

Laloi capitalized on a blindside effort to put the hosts back in front a minute into the second half, but when Vanes lunged across the side to seal his hat-trick and Shillcock converted, Leicester were back in front.

After Shillcock's penalty, Stade Francais needed a converted try to equalize and they did so through Barre's long run to the line after a brilliant back pass from Jules Gimbert and Segonds' conversion.

After Wells was pinned back to his own line in the closing stages, his crucial contribution sealed a success that took Leicester into second place in Pool 4 behind leaders Leinster before they travel to defending champions La Rochelle on January 14.

French Stadium: Barre; Hamdaoui, Marchant, Jeremy Ward, Laloi, Seconds, Zabalza; Castets, Ivaldi, Alo-Emile, Gabriellagues, Pesenti, Macalou, Briatte, Hirigoyen.

Replacements: Peyresblanques, Alo-Emile, Kodela, Azagoh, Ahmed, Gimbert, Chapuis, Van der Mescht.

Leicester Tigers: Brown; Watson, Kelly, Kata, Hassell-Collins; Shillcock, Whiteley; Cronin, Vanes, Heyes, Martin, Carter, Liebenberg, Rogerson, Hatherell.

Replacements: Theobald-Thomas, Whitcombe, Hurd, Wells, Ilione, Powell, Atkinson, Simmons.