Leicester retained the Slater Cup with a convincing bonus-point win over Gloucester at Kingsholm.

George McGuigan and Jamal Ford-Robinson hit back but tries from Julian Montoya and another from Hassell-Collins stretched Tigers ahead.

A Solomone Kata try at the end ensured Leicester took all five points.

The win means Leicester claim the Slater Cup - named after former lock Ed Slater, who captained both sides and was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year - for the third time following two wins last season.

Gloucester meanwhile are confined to a fifth consecutive defeat, and third at home, that leaves them languishing ninth in the table on 11 points, while Leicester jump above them to seventh.

Pollard kicked Leicester in front with an early penalty and Barton drew the hosts level 16 minutes in, having initially seen an earlier kick hit the post.

He finally nudged the Cherry and Whites into a 6-3 lead as a tense first half unfolded, yet it was short-lived as a further two Pollard penalties swung the advantage the other way before Hassell-Collins scored in the corner, evading a Santiago Carreras tackle right before the break.

The kicking battle continued at the start of the second half until McGuigan scored a crucial try from a powerful driving maul, which also saw Leicester's Ollie Chessum sent to the sin-bin for making contact with Freddie Clarke's face.

For a minute Gloucester had the upper hand but they were soon also reduced to 14 men when Barton was also shown a yellow for head-on-head contact with Pollard - and Leicester were the ones who capitalised.

Montoya scored on his first appearance for the Tigers following the World Cup, crossing from their own driving maul, and with Jack Clement then sent to the sin-bin for offside and Gloucester down to 13, Hassell-Collins' second try in the corner opened a 13-point lead.

Ford-Robinson came on to reduce the deficit with 14 minutes remaining but Gloucester could not muster a comeback, and Matt Scott won the ball late to set up Kata for the crucial fourth try.

Gloucester: Carreras, Rees-Zammit, Harris, Atkinson, Thorley, Barton, Young; Vivas, McGuigan, Balmain, Clarke, Alemanno, Thomas, Ludlow (c), Clement.

Replacements: Socino, Elrington, Ford-Robinson, Clark, Donnell, Chapman, Atkinson, Hillman-Cooper.

Sin-bin: George Barton (52 mins), Jack Clement (59 mins)

Leicester: Steward, Bassett, Scott, Kelly, Hassell-Collins, Pollard, Youngs; Cronin, Montoya (c), Heyes, Henderson, Chessum, Liebenberg, Reffell, Wiese.

Replacements: Clare, Whitcombe, Cole, Wells, Rogerson, Whiteley, Shillcock, Kata.

Sin-bin: Ollie Chessum (50 mins)

Referee: Tom Foley