Paul Gustard could not fail to hide his disappointment with what felt “more like a loss” after Harlequins surrendered a 14-point lead to draw with Leicester Tigers in an enthralling Big Game 12.

Tries from Paul Lasike, Marcus Smith, and Chris Robshaw had given a dominant Quins a 27-13 advantage midway through the second half as they looked set to win their fourth straight Premiership match.

But, Jordan Taufua and Telusa Veainu added to Kyle Eastmond’s earlier score as the Tigers dramatically fought their way back to salvage two points in front of over 75,000 people in the annual special festive fixture at Twickenham.

“For me, I'm gutted and disappointed with the referee. It feels more like a loss than two points gained,” Gustard said.

“We were the most dominant team by far. Apart from getting in front early at 6-3, they weren't in the lead again.

“The sin-binning (of Will Collier) was obviously quite difficult without a prop and we had to move Joe Marler across from loose-head.

“But, ultimately, the only way Leicester got back into the game was through their scrum and one line-out maul. We also gave a daft pass for an intercept score.”

The result sees Gustard’s men slip to eighth in the table, albeit only one point separates them from third placed Gloucester Rugby, who currently occupy the penultimate play-off spot.

But, their attempts to make their way back up the table could be hampered by the potential absence of Kyle Sinckler after the England prop hobbled off the pitch following a tackle in the lead-up to Robshaw’s try.

It would be a particularly big blow given how much Sinckler has starred on his return to club duty following the Rugby World Cup, and Gustard now faces an anxious wait for news.

He added: “It's too early to tell to be honest. I don't think he's even been assessed yet, so I can't even tell you which part of the body hurts him.”