Rugby Union: Heineken Cup: Leicester 34 - 3 Gwent Dragons

In a match they simply had to win to retain any interest in the trophy they won in 2001 and 2002, a side displaying the profligacy of the Dragons was just the tonic Leicester needed. For all the smoke and flames that might have been expected of a side that had disposed of Ulster in their first European outing, Gwent backfired at critical moments.

By guiding Leicester to their first pool win of their Heineken Cup campaign they kept Pool One wide open, with all the sides having registered a win apiece. With victory barely in question for the final hour, Ollie Smith's second try of the afternoon five minutes from time secured what could prove to be a vital bonus point, placing Leicester level with Stade Français on five points.

The Dragons were chasing the game from the fourth minute, when the Tigers' fly-half Ramiro Pez misdirected a penalty aimed for touch and it fell to their wing Ben Breeze. He somehow knocked it into Leicester's Neil Baxter, who duly profited. From the restart Gwent gave away a penalty and Pez converted to put Leicester 10 points clear. Here, that is as good as game over.

With the Leicester pack rampant - Adam Balding in particular gaining yards around the fringes - Pez had ample time and space to get his backs moving at speed and make the onlookers wonder just what he said or did that caused him to be dropped from Italy's World Cup squad.

Smith and Jaco Van der Westhuyzen provided most of the fireworks, with the Springbok full-back producing a carbon-copy of Carlos Spencer's World Cup through-the-legs pass on his home debut, as well as the odd back flip, but much of Leicester's backs play was lateral and looked over-elaborate in the face of determined Dragons tackling.

After a second Pez penalty on 17 minutes, Leicester sealed the game just before half-time as the Dragons were enjoying their first spell of sustained pressure, and that with the centre Haldane Luscombe in the sin-bin. With three players to two on the right, the Leicester full-back Sione Tuipulotu spun the ball wide to Leon Lloyd, who sped virtually the entire length of the pitch to score. That left only the bonus point, which hailed into view after Smith broke through the cover shortly after the break.

Leicester's director of rugby Dean Richards rated this the Tigers' best performance of their admittedly poor season, and his side certainly showed the benefit of having all their England absentees present apart from the rested Lewis Moody. With six World Cup players back the pack repeatedly drove the Dragons off their own ball in the loose, while Richards saw the difference behind the scrum as well.

"When you don't have players like Leon Lloyd - and we have Steve Booth and Geordan Murphy to come back as well - it's hard for a back line to function, and when you have seven forwards in Australia there is a certain disruption there," said Richards. "Even when they're back it takes a while for them to get into it."

Given this, Richards could have done without losing Lewis Moody and Smith to Saturday's exhibition match against the New Zealand Barbarians, and he was unwilling to endorse the venture. "They [Leicester's England players] will be disrupted this weekend, but Premier Rugby have agreed to it and as such we have to accept it," he said.

Given Leicester's recent form and their current 10th place in the Premiership, it is not surprising that, at present, Richards does not envisage his other World Cup players missing the east midlands derby at Northampton on Saturday. "If they are just parading the trophy, they'll be playing for Leicester."

Leicester: Van der Westhuyzen; Baxter, Lloyd, Gibson (Tuilagi, 72), Smith; Pez (Vesty, 78), Healey (Tierney, 75); Rowntree (Morris, 75), West (Richards, 39), White, Johnson (Deacon, 76), Kay, Corry, Back (capt), Balding.

Tries: Baxter, Lloyd, Smith 2. Cons: Pez 4. Pens: Pez 2.

Gwent: Tuipulotu; Arasa, Luscombe, Marinos (capt), Breeze; Montgomery, Baber; Snow (Black, 51), Young, Anthony, Gough (Owen, 31), Sidoli, Ringer (Oakley, 69), Forster, Beattie (Crawford, 80).

Pen: Montgomery.

Yellow card: Luscombe 24min.

Referee: J Dume (France).

Attendance: 15,093.