Howard: one slip and we're finished

Howard is anxious about the Tigers' domestic supremacy sinking in the quicksands of the play- offs. 'We most certainly could find ourselves knocked out,' he said. 'The teams involved, especially those lower down the table, will be gearing themselves for one massive game.

'The way it's set up, we could lose out very easily. On their day, anyone can beat anyone else.

'We went into the season on the understanding that the Premiership and the play-offs were two distinct competitions. We are not overly-happy to discover that is no longer the case. It seems silly to play all season and then only get rid of the bottom four teams.'

Leicester, their lead lengthened to 10 points over the weekend, have the capacity to stretch it by at least another five over the next two months as four of their six remaining matches are at Welford Road.

The Irish, previously unbeaten at their grand home in Reading, had two early chances to run Leicester off their feet, but allowed both to pass through a failure to release their speed merchants, Nmandi Ezulike and Paul Sackey, soon enough. Having stayed in touch until half-time, they fell apart thereafter on a day when the weather denied them their first 10,000 gate.

When Junior Tonu'u's team did manage to keep the ball, they were forced back at an alarming rate. Consequently Leicester, with Tim Stimpson giving watching England manager Clive Woodward food for thought and 18-year-old centre Ollie Smith turning in another mature display alongside Howard, never had to be any more than efficient to claim the extra bonus point - their first since September - from four converted tries.

'Now that they've moved the goal posts, we're more determined to win the League than ever,' said Tigers' manager Dean Richards, while his Irish counterpart, Dick Best, conceded that the marketing men had 'got their knickers in a twist'.

Somehow, it wouldn't be English rugby if they hadn't.