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A hard-fought Champions Cup round-of-16 tie between Leicester Tigers and Edinburgh on Friday evening was crying out for a hero, and Jasper Wiese delivered, scoring the game's only try in a man-of-the-match performance. Wiese was named on the bench for the Tigers but came off the pine at half-time to steer the Premiership side into the quarter-finals. A wet night at Welford Road was not conducive for running rugby, with both sides struggling to hold onto the ball. Big hits, dropped balls and kicking duels were the order of the day as Leicester went into half-time leading 3-0 thanks to a penalty from fly-half Handre Pollard. 🧱 No way through Bill Mata. #HeinekenChampionsCup #LEIvEDIpic.twitter.com/8hlLtgSIWU — Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 31, 2023 Edinburgh took the lead after two penalties from the boot of Emiliano Boffelli as they led 6-3 after 50 minutes. The Tigers were pressing for a score when captain Julian Montoya opted for a lineout instead of Pollard taking a shot at goal from a tough angle. The Pumas hooker could not find Hanro Liebenberg at the front of the lineout, with Sam Skinner slapping the ball towards Edinburgh's try-line. Duhan van der Merwe scooped up the loose ball and looked to set up a ruck so his side could clear. However, Cameron Henderson put in a sharp tackle on the abrasive winger and split the ball forwards and into the path of Wiese. The Springbok number eight backtracked to collect the ball, spin around and charge towards the corner. A covering tackle from Jamie Ritchie met him, but the Edinburgh blindside was no match for the Tigers' powerhouse, who charged through the attempted tackle, leaving Ritchie in his wake. With plenty left to do, Wiese shrugged off the attempted tackle from Van der Merwe and straightened just in time to avoid grazing the touchline and evade the tackle of Skinner to score in the corner. JASPER WIESE!!! 😤 SIT DOWN JAMIE!! 🪑#HeinekenChampionsCup #LEIvEDI pic.twitter.com/K1GbiaJTt0 — Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) March 31, 2023 A fantastic score from the South African loose forward, flaunting his brute strength and agility to grab a crucial try. The Tigers took control of the match from there, with Pollard adding the extras from out wide and another two penalties to secure the 16-6 win over Edinburgh. Wiese's efforts earned him the man-of-the-match award despite being on the park for just 40 minutes. He made 10 tackles in his 40-minute shift, won a turnover, and gained 29 metres from his eight bruising carries. He also landed a massive hit on Edinburgh replacement Luke Crosbie. 💥 JASPER WIESE! #HeinekenChampionsCup #SaffasAbroad pic.twitter.com/RlvGAFRrsR — Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) March 31, 2023 Speaking to BT Sport after the match, Wiese used all the cliches in the book to avoid the spotlight. You know you've made an impact when you're awarded Star of the Match after coming on at half time 😅 What a shift from Jasper Wiese 👊#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/uF4HO74gH7 — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) March 31, 2023 "He obviously provided that X-factor moment; he was exceptional; we've seen that from him before - maybe not the twinkle toes but certainly the power," interim head coach Richard Wigglesworth said of Wiese after the match. "He had a turnover [as well], and he also, unfortunately, got penalised a couple of times - one of them probably very harshly - but he came on and added, which is something that we've asked our bench to do." READ MORE: Jasper Wiese try helps Leicester Tigers beat Edinburgh and progress to last eightArm-wrestle at Welford Road
Wiese on the rampage
Man of the match performance
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