Friday, 20 October, 2000, 19:52 GMT 20:52 UK
Jarvis punishes Tigers indiscipline
Lee Jarvis kicked the Tigers into submission
Heineken Cup, Pool 6
Pontypridd 18-11 Leicester
Points machine Lee Jarvis kicked Welsh club Pontypridd to a shock Heineken Cup victory over English Premiership champions Leicester at Sardis Road on Friday night.
Jarvis landed six penalties as Leicester lost their 100% tournament record - despite scoring the solitary try of a fiercely-fought encounter.
Tim Stimpson, wearing number 15 jersey but playing on the right wing, touched down on 19 minutes after an intense spell of Leicester pressure.
Yet, although they dominated the first period territorially, Leicester turned around just 11-9 up and Jarvis punished them with match-winning strikes after 51, 57 and 72 minutes.
Pontypridd's triumph took them level on points with Leicester, setting up a mouth watering return clash at Welford Road next Saturday.
Jarvis, among the Heineken Cup's most prolific scorers, missed only one shot from seven attempts.
Every kick was like a dagger into Leicester's heart, but the Tigers could have few complaints after repeatedly falling foul of Scottish referee John Hogg.
Leicester's away form in Europe has proved suspect for the past few seasons, and this was another case of letting a game slip that they should have put out of sight by half-time.
Pontypridd, a superbly drilled team under the direction of coach Richie Collins, did not require a second chance as Leicester proved incapable of securing victory.
The dramatic closing stages were a far cry from the opening flurries when Leicester laid siege to Pontypridd's 22.
After Jarvis and Stimpson had exchanged early penalties, the Tigers looked to have scored the opening try.
Full-back Geordan Murphy gathered centre Pat Howard's clever kick and slid over the Pontypridd line, but referee Hogg disallowed it.
Pontypridd's stay of execution was a brief one though, and slick midfield passing from Leicester's next attack saw Stimpson cross wide out.
Misery
Pontypridd were well and truly on the back foot, but once they broke out of their own half, Jarvis slotted two further penalties for a narrow lead before Stimpson put the Tigers ahead at the break.
The second period will go down as one of total misery for the visitors.
The regular sight of Leicester captain Martin Johnson querying Hogg's decisions underlined just how seriously the visitors' challenge had come off the rails.
Roared on by a 7000-strong crowd, Pontypridd never lost momentum on the back of Jarvis' magnificent goal kicking.
He wasn't the only local hero though, flanker Dale McIntosh and young number eight Michael Owen producing wonderfully committed performances.
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Scorers - Pontypridd: Pens: Jarvis 6
Scorers - Leicester: Tries: Stimpson. Pens: Stimpson 2
Att: 5,000
Teams
Pontypridd: B Davey, R Johnson, S Parker, J Bryant, J Colderley, L Jarvis, P John (capt), C Loader, F Vunipola, S Cronk, R Sidoli, B Cockbain, D McIntosh, R Parks, M Owen
Replacements: C Williams, J Lewis, R Neville, P Graham, J Evans, W James, M Lloyd
Leicester: Stimpson, Murphy, Lloyd, Howard, Stanley, Goode, Hamilton, Rowntree, West, Garforth, M. Johnson, Kay, Moody, Back, Corry
Replacements: Jelley, Smith, Nebbett, Balding, Cockerill, Short
Referee: J Hogg (SRFU)
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05 Pontypridd V Leicester - European Cup 20th October 2000by Pontydog1,684 views
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