Match report: Heroic Leicester Tigers win astonishing thriller against Cardiff Blues
Two hours and 20 minutes after the game kicked off, No.8 forward Jordan Crane booted a sudden-death penalty from the 22 to book Tigers a date with Leinster in Edinburgh on May 23.
While Tigers' wonderful, yet drained fans, threw their hands to the sky in exultation, Leicester's players looked stunned with a mixture of disbelief and utter exhaustion.
It was a simply heroic performance from Richard Cockerill's boys against a Cardiff Blues side which included six British & Irish Lions and had home advantage at the Millennium Stadium.
If anyone had doubted whether Julien Dupuy's last-minute try against Bath in the quarter-final could be beaten for sheer excitement, here was the proof.
With seven minutes to go, Tigers led 26-12. From a one-point half-time advantage, they had strangled the life out of the Blues after the break. But, with Craig Newby and Geordan Murphy both in the sin-bin, Tigers' tackle count rose and their defence became stretched.
Cardiff's pressure got its reward when Jamie Roberts dived over and, within 90 seconds, Tom James flew down the wing to score and Ben Blair nailed his second touchline conversion to level the scores at 26-26.
Extra-time brought no change to the scoreline, so up stepped five players from each side to try to knock the ball over the posts from the 22.
Most kickers worth their salt would do that with their eyes closed. As the shoot-out went on, the gap between the posts must have seemed no more than a yard or two wide.
Cardiff led 4-3 when Johne Murphy walked forward. The Irishman had filled suspended Alesana Tuilagi's shoes with aplomb, but he hooked his kick and hit a post. The ground erupted. Murphy trudged back, head in hands. The pats on the back and hugs from his team-mates offered little consolation.
Blues winger Tom James strode up to win the match for his team. But he took an age over the ball, looked nervous and missed. Scott Hamilton scored for Leicester to make it 4-4 and sudden-death ensued.
The faces of horror and gnarled finger-nails in the crowd were more akin to a football match as Tom Shanklin, Aaron Mauger, Richie Rees and Craig Newby made it 6-6.
Then British & Irish Lions flanker Martyn Williams hooked a horror kick miles wide and Tigers' former West Brom Academy goalkeeper Jordan Crane applied the coup-de-grace. Most of his team-mates walked straight over to the Blues players to shake their hands and commiserate. Exciting, maybe – but this was the cruellest of ways to go out.
"As I walked back to the centre circle after kicking mine," said centre Sam Vesty, "I felt the tension stream out of my body – and then I had to watch the rest of it! All I want to do now is curl up in bed with a hot water-bottle. I am absolutely shattered."
Vesty, like many of his team- mates, had every right to be. Their defensive performance in the second half was immense against the Blues' glittering three-quarters.
The opening period ended with them 13-12 up, Hamilton's try the highlight of a tit-for-tat opening in which Dupuy missed his opening three penalties.
Geordan Murphy crossed five minutes after the re-start, making the most of a lovely offload by Toby Flood. Dupuy's conversion and two quick-fire penalties put Tigers 26-12 up and they were totally on top.
Stifling anything at the breakdown by committing to an aggressive defence, Leicester stopped the Blues playing. Tigers swarmed over them with the likes of Martin Castrogiovanni, Ben Woods, Marcos Ayerza and Newby immense.
There seemed only one winner until Newby was shown the yellow card on 62 minutes for offside as Cardiff threatened – and then Geordan Murphy followed him five minutes later for a deliberate knock-on 10 metres out.
Tigers were immense standing firm until, seconds after Newby returned to the pitch, tries from Roberts and James brought extra-time. Johne Murphy sent a 50-metre drop-goal attempt just wide, but that was the closest either side came to scoring.
Cue the sheer theatre of the penalty shoot-out, the result of which sent Leicester's magnificent support into raptures and its players in search of a lie-down in a very dark room. Quite incredible.
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