Leicester scored three unanswered tries to move to the top of the Premiership table after a battling 28-12 triumph over London Welsh at Welford Road on Saturday.
Adam Thompstone's touchdown and three George Ford penalties opened up a 16-3 lead at the break.
Gordon Ross kicked a three-pointer in the first half for Welsh before adding three more in the second period to close the gap, but tries by Niall Morris and Dan Bowden sealed the victory for Leicester.
With several internationals away, this was perhaps Welsh's best chance to secure a win over one of England's powerhouses.
They certainly got off to a good start when Ross slotted a penalty after two minutes. But despite their absentees, the Tigers have the strength-in-depth to cope with those losses.
And Ford levelled matters with a three-pointer before adding another from the tee soon after. Although the Exiles started brightly, the hosts gradually began to grind them down.
Lyn Jones' men eventually succumbed to the pressure when Thompstone touched down to take the score to 13-3.
Leicester's fly-half then extended their advantage to 13 points at the interval after Michael Hills had been sin-binned.
However, London Welsh are a belligerent outfit and refused to fold to their more illustrious opponents. They got themselves back into the game through three Ross penalties in quick succession, but almost immediately the Tigers hit back through Morris' try to relieve the pressure.
Despite that setback, Welsh continued to press and Jordan Crane found himself off the field for 10 minutes after a cynical infringement saw the back-rower yellow carded. But they couldn't take advantage and Bowden's last minute touchdown secured the win.
The scorers:
For Leicester:
Tries: Thompstone, Morris, Bowden
Cons: Ford 2
Pens: Ford 3
For London Welsh:
Pens: Ross 4
Yellow card: Hills
Leicester: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Niall Morris, 13 Matt Smith, 12 Anthony Allen, 11 Adam Thompstone, 10 George Ford, 9 Sam Harrison, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 Julian Salvi, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Louis Deacon (c), 3 Logovi'i Mulipola, 2 Rob Hawkins, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Kieran Brookes, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Ed Slater, 20 Brett Deacon, 21 Micky Young, 22 Dan Bowden, 23 Geordan Murphy.
London Welsh: 15 Tom Arscott, 14 Phil MacKenzie, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Sonny Parker, 11 Nick Scott, 10 Gordon Ross, 9 Tyson Keats, 8 Ed Jackson, 7 Michael Hills, 6 Adam Balding, 5 Matt Corker, 4 Jonathan Mills (c), 3 Greg Bateman, 2 Neil Briggs, 1 Franck Montanella.
Replacements: 16 Dan George, 17 Tom Bristow, 18 James Tideswell, 19 Martin Purdy, 20 Ed Williamson, 21 Seb Jewell, 22 Gavin Henson, 23 Rob Lewis.
Venue: Welford Road
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth
Assistant referees: Steve Lee, Stuart Terheege
Timekeeper: Anthony Turner
Assessor: Nigel Yates
Comments
rugby_rockstar says...
A very good weekend for Leicester! I thoroughly enjoyed watching our nearest rivals carsh and burn! Can we play Preston Grass Hoppers next week? and can Saracens and Quins play the All Blacks and Springboks???
Posted 16:56 11th February 2013