Pau beat Leicester 41:17 in Champions Cup opener — BBC Sport

France's Pau defeated England's Leicester Tigers 41:17 in the first-round match of Pool 1 of the Rugby Champions Cup. The hosts scored five tries and earned a bonus point, BBC Sport reports.

Pau fought back after Leicester's start

Leicester trailed after an early penalty, but then took control through tactical kicking. Billy Searle's successful 50:22 kick gave the English side a favourable position, which captain Ollie Chessum converted into a try. It was his first match of the season after recovering from a foot injury.

Pau responded with three tries over 20 minutes before and after half-time. Before that, the referee disallowed a try by Sacha Zeguer for a knock-on. At the end of the first half, Portugal international Rodrigo Marta and prop Jon Zabala scored tries. The teams went into the break with the hosts leading 17:10.

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Marta's two tries and a late surge

After play resumed, Marta scored his second try after running around 30 metres. He led the try-scoring standings in the current French Top 14 season, with six tries in five matches.

Archie van der Flier scored in the corner to cut Leicester's deficit to seven points. However, Pau then scored 17 unanswered points: Axel Desperes kicked a penalty, Theo Attissogbe sent winger Aaron Grandidier Nkanang over for a try, and Fabien Brau-Boirie intercepted an opposition pass to set the final score.

In the next Champions Cup pool-stage matches, Leicester Tigers will play Clermont Auvergne, Glasgow Warriors and Leinster.