Leicester are Youngs at heart

Leicester 46 Scarlets 10:ANY SIDE in the world would currently love to have the fast-developing Ben Youngs in their ranks and, tweaked right ankle aside, the quicksilver Leicester scrumhalf is in such shimmering form he might even cause the All Blacks to blink at Twickenham a fortnight on Saturday.

It will be a brave England manager who leaves either Youngs or Tom Croft, who collected two tries and soared repeatedly in the lineout, out of the starting line-up.

Ma’a Nonu and friends will erect a sterner barrier, but the Scarlets had no answer to Youngs’ trademark defence-splitting break two minutes into the second half, which opened the floodgates.

It was also Youngs’ quickly taken free-kick and neat pass that sent Waldrom rampaging away for the Tigers’ third try, by which stage the hapless Scarlets were adrift on the onrushing tide.

There was a crunch and crackle about the home team’s defence, too, and their half-time lead of 13-10 was a warped reflection of the contest. Only when the Scarlets took smart advantage of Alesana Tuilagi’s absence in the sin-bin to complete a sweeping 85-metre raid down the left, finished by Morgan Stoddart, did the watching Wales coach, Warren Gatland, have any cause for cheer.

If Leicester were slightly lucky to be awarded Martin Castrogiovanni’s opening try, which appeared to feature a forward pass and a knock-on in the build-up, there was nothing fortuitous about the ruthless demolition job which followed.

Croft’s brace of scores took his tally to four in his last five matches before Geordan Murphy surged on to a nice pass from Billy Twelvetrees and split the cover yet again, allowing James Grindal to feed Matt Smith for the Tigers’ sixth try.

LEICESTER: Murphy; Hamilton, Smith, Allen (M Tuilagi, 60), A Tuilagi; Flood (Twelvetrees, 72), Youngs (Grindal, 57); Ayerza (Stankovich, 63), Chuter, Castrogiovanni (Cole, 57), Slater, Skivington, Croft (Mafi, 68), Newby (Woods, 63), Waldrom. Try: Castrogiovanni, Youngs, Waldrom, Croft 2, Smith. Con: Flood; 5 Pens: Flood 2; Sin-bin: A Tuilagi 8.

SCARLETS: Priestland; Stoddart, King, Maule, Lamont; S Jones, Roberts (Knoyle, 54); I Thomas, Rees (capt), R Thomas (Manu, 35), Reed, Cooper (Edwards, 60), Turnbull, McCusker, Lyons. Try: Stoddart; Con: Jones; Pen: Jones; Sin-bin: King 34. Att:19,160.

Referee: G Clancy(Ireland).