It is hard to beat a beautiful crisp winter’s day at one of England’s most evocative rugby venues. Two proud old clubs, a crackle of genuine expectation in the Shed and heartfelt pre-match applause for the family of Ed Slater, who captained both these sides and continues to fight motor neurone disease. The only remaining question was whether the game could match the glorious setting.
For a long time the answer was a scrappy, frustrating ‘no’. When it mattered, though, it was Leicester who belatedly powered things up, with two tries either side of half-time from Ollie Hassell-Collins plus 18 points from the boot of Handré Pollard and a late bonus point score for Solomone Kata providing the impetus to see off a lacklustre Gloucester.
