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Leicester Tigers player ratings vs Glasgow | 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup
By Ian Cameron
Leicester Tigers player ratings: Leicester Tigers fell to the Glasgow Warriors 43-19 in a brusing encounter in Scotstoun that rapidly got away from them after a bright start.
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Despite a flicker of life near the end – sparked by Solomone Kata’s try and Hanro Liebenberg’s late effort – it was very much a “too little, too late” story for the visitors.
Here’s how we rated the players:
1. Nicky Smith – 4
Struggled against Zander Fagerson in the scrum. Left the field on 56 minutes, but by then his rough day at the set-piece had already helped hand Glasgow the upper hand.
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2. Finn Theobald-Thomas – 5
Similar to Smith, he was under the pump in the scrum and struggled to assert himself. A couple of decent lineout darts, but overshadowed by a rampant Glasgow pack.
3. Dan Cole – 5.5
Had more of a stabilizing effect than his front-row colleagues, yet the set-piece still creaked. Put in a few trademark tackles around the fringes, but couldn’t drag his pack into the contest. Some are suggesting on social media that he was on the receiving end of an eye-gouge.
4. Cameron Henderson – 5
Discipline was a serious issue. Yellow-carded at 42 minutes (verging on brainrot) for an offside infringement that killed any chance of a first-half fightback. A night to forget.
5. Harry Wells – 6
Worked hard in the tight exchanges and put his body on the line in defence. Didn’t do much wrong, but didn’t do enough to alter the game’s course.
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6. Hanro Liebenberg – 7
Claimed a late try that briefly resurrected faint hopes of a comeback. He stayed busy throughout, securing ball at the breakdown, but his efforts were overshadowed by the mounting scoreboard pressure.
7. Emeka Ilione – 6
Maybe got away with what looked like a high shot, albeit on a falling Johnny Matthews. Showed a bit of spark in contact, but he and the rest of the back row struggled to contain Glasgow’s dynamic carriers.
8. Olly Cracknell – 7.5
Dotted down in the 3rd minute, giving Tigers an early – if short-lived – lead. Carried with his usual ferocity and didn’t shirk defensive duties. One of the few who can leave Scotstoun with head held high.
9. Jack van Poortvliet – 5.5
Guilty of some poor decisions and discipline errors that gifted Glasgow momentum and saw him sent to the sin-bin for a rest. Service was inconsistent, and the overall game management from scrum-half just never got going.
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10. Handre Pollard – 6
A mixed bag. Helped set up Liebenberg’s try with a neat break on 66 minutes, but he also missed a tough early conversion and struggled to pull the strings behind a beaten pack.
11. Ollie Hassell-Collins – 5
Struggled to find space and didn’t see nearly enough ball. Chased kicks diligently, yet never truly threatened a watertight Glasgow defence.
12. Solomone Kata – 4
A broken turnstile in the Tigers’ midfield. Yes, he did well to smash over the whitewash at 56 minutes, but it’s a pity his tackling had all the stopping power of a flushable wet-wipe. Eight missed tackles is just not acceptable at this level.
13. Dan Kelly – 7
Had the assist for Kata’s try at 55 minutes with a lovely piece of distribution. One of the few creative sparks in midfield, though like the rest, starved of consistent front-foot ball.
14. Adam Radwan – 6
Showed flashes of his searing pace on the rare occasions Leicester moved the ball wide. Could have been more dangerous if given more opportunities.
15. Freddie Steward – 6
A patchy display from the usually reliable Steward. Good in patches with ball in hand but spilled a few balls and had some shaky moments under pressure. Not the commanding performance Leicester needed.
REPLACEMENTS – 6
Archie Van der Flier, Will Hurd, Charlie Clare, Tom Manz, Finn Carnduff, Ben Youngs, Jamie Shillcock — they tried to lift the tempo but it was too late to change the script.
23. Joseph Woodward – N/A
Not on long enough to make an impact.
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