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Pau vs Leicester: hosts pull away for 41-17 Champions Cup bonus-point win

Pau scored 17 points without reply after Archie van der Flier's 54th-minute try cut the gap to seven, earning a bonus point in their Pool One opener.

By RuckBee Newsroom1 min read
Two players in green jerseys raise fists in celebration under floodlights while a muddy player in white crouches dejected on the grass.
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Leicester Tigers were back within seven points of Pau midway through the second half at Stade du Hameau. The French side then scored 17 points without reply and won 41-17, a heavy defeat to open Leicester's Champions Cup campaign.

The hosts outscored Leicester Tigers by five tries to two. Under the competition's new rule, that margin earned Pau a bonus point from their first Pool One match.

Pau led 17-10 at half-time after tries from Rodrigo Marta and Jon Zabala. Leicester's captain, Ollie Chessum, also crossed in his first game of the season after recovering from a foot injury.

Marta scored his second try early in the second half to stretch the lead again. Leicester kept coming, and Archie van der Flier went over in the corner in the 54th minute to bring the visitors back within seven points.

Pau's late burst

That was as close as Leicester got. Théo Attissogbe set up winger Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, who scored untouched in the corner. Fabien Brau-Boirie then intercepted a pass from Billy Searle and ran in the final try. Fly-half Axel Desperes kicked 16 points, with five conversions and two penalties.

Marta's two tries add to strong early-season form. The Portugal international is the leading try-scorer in this season's Top 14, with six tries in five appearances.

Leicester will need to recover quickly. Their remaining Pool One games are against Clermont Auvergne, Glasgow Warriors and Leinster.

Sources

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