Tigers back with a bang

8:36am Monday 8th September 2008

Leicester ensured a winning start for new boss Heyneke Meyer as the Tigers reeled off a third successive Guinness Premiership victory, beating Gloucester 20-8 at Kingsholm.

South African Meyer, in charge following Marcelo Loffreda's short-lived reign last term, saw his team win an error-strewn tussle thanks to late tries from Geordan Murphy and Toby Flood.

England back Flood kicked two early penalties on his Premiership debut for Leicester and claimed a late interception try that he also converted, leaving Gloucester to reflect on a dire season opener.

Meanwhile, Bath triumphed 33-20 over Bristol in the west country derby, scoring three tries to two as fly-half Butch James kicked 18 points for their first Premiership victory at the Memorial Stadium since March 1998.

That was the season when Bristol were first relegated and they started this campaign where they left the last one - with another defeat, their seventh in a row.

Sale got their campaign off to a sound start with a narrow 14-9 victory over Newcastle.

Charlie Hodgson's early try gave Sale the lead, which they never surrendered with three penalties from Luke McAlister. Newcastle fly-half Rory Clegg kept them in touch with two penalties and a drop-goal but it was not enough to haul back Sale.

Hooker Dylan Hartley came off the replacements' bench to score the try which broke the deadlock as Northampton made a winning return to the Premiership, beating Worcester 21-13.

Hartley, the only Saints player in England manager Martin Johnson's full squad, had to play second fiddle to Paul Shields when director of rugby Jim Mallender named his squad for the opening match.

But he made an almost immediate impression after replacing Shields in the 48th minute, gratefully accepting a long pass from young scrum-half Lee Dickson and crashing through a tackle before stretching for the touchdown.

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