Leicester Tigers 38-10 Ulster: Josh Bassett scores hat-trick as Tigers secure progress

Leicester Tigers, overcoming a poor start, secured their place in the Champions Cup knockout stages with a hat-trick from Josh Bassett against Ulster. Ulster, who had failed to gain a point from their opening two matches in Pool One, surprisingly took the lead at Welford Road through a Nick Timoney try.

In the chilly East Midlands, Leicester appeared out of sorts, but Bassett opened his account with a fine finish in the corner. Although a penalty from Nathan Doak put Ulster back in front before the end of the first quarter, Leicester edged ahead before half-time with Bassett grabbing his second try following a backline move.

At half-time, an irate Michael Cheika could be seen berating his players. Following the head coach’s stern words, Leicester were much improved in the second half. Bassett's two tries inspired teammate Ollie Hassell-Collins, who also touched down twice, to help the home side secure a bonus point.

Bassett found more space near the touchline to sprint in for his third try, before Izayah Perese also touched down to put a gloss on the scoreline. Leicester are now third in the table and travel to face reigning champions Toulouse next Sunday. Ulster, meanwhile, need to beat Exeter with a bonus point and hope that the Sharks lose away to Bordeaux-Begles to qualify.

Leicester had comfortably defeated the weaker Sharks in their previous Champions Cup fixture, but they lacked the same fluency in the early stages against Ulster. Doak's penalty gave the Irish province the lead, before Timoney profited from a lucky ricochet off a clearance kick, evading two Leicester defenders. Despite Leicester's efforts to stretch the play wide, they lacked accuracy, but their intent was eventually rewarded with Bassett receiving the ball on the wing and cutting back inside for a precise finish.

The winger touched down in a similar fashion in the same corner to give Leicester the lead at half-time. Cheika's side cut loose in the second half. Leicester made progress through their forwards before again switching the ball wide for Hassell-Collins to score. Then, despite the cold weather, the winger touched down again after some lovely passing. Bassett also got in on the act, gathering his own kick to complete his hat-trick as the young Ulster backline failed to clear the danger, before Perese made the final dash near the same touchline.