Leicester leapfrog Bears to avenge humiliation

In theory it was a day for Bristol to consolidate second place and reaffirm their Premiership title credentials. The sun shone, the pitch was hard and the free-scoring Bears welcomed back Gabriel Ibitoye after a four-month injury absence.

- Luke McLaughlin

In reality what materialised was a largely dominant Leicester victory that took them past their opponents into second, on points difference, with four games remaining. Michael Cheika's one-year assignment as Tigers coach will soon be over but the possibility of him departing a champion cannot be discounted.

Looming over the buildup was the memory of the game last December when Pat Lam's side won 54-24 at Welford Road. The Tigers were hurt by that humiliation, no doubt, but might also have reminded themselves that the Bears were thrashed 38-0 by Sale at home a week later.

"For me personally, and for us as a team, we wanted to play this game for the fans," Cheika said. "We were poor the day they came, and we wanted to turn that around. I hope they'll be happy with that performance."