Hosea Saumaki's race to ten Leicester Tigers tries was only achieved in quicker time by nine players in the club's 142-year history.
The Tongan international arrived at Mattioli Woods Welford Road last summer after spending five years playing his club rugby in Japan. Since his debut against Saracens in last October's 13-12 Gallagher Premiership win and playing the full 80 minutes against Sale Sharks in the Premiership Cup, the 29-year-old has scored ten tries in as many games.
Leicester Tigers fan and rugby statistician Stuart Farmer confirmed that the 740 minutes Saumaki took to reach double figures for tries in Tigers colours was only bettered by; Bobby Lewis (1894), Harold Day (1920), Alex Tuilagi (2005), Billy Wallace (1928), William Sheppard (1934), Jonah Holmes (2018), Tom Varndell (2005), Mel Channer (1946) and Jonny May (2017).
Saumaki's most-recent score was a phenomenal effort in the 59-20 defeat to London Irish on Tuesday night when he somehow muscled and reached his way over despite being heavily outnumbered by defending players.
The winger started all five of Tigers' Premiership Rugby Cup games, scoring six tries in the process including a hat-trick against Wasps at the Coventry Building Society Arena in November. He was a constant for Brett Deacon who temporarily stepped up from his assistant coach role during the competition that fell one game short of reaching a first domestic final in five years.
"Saumaki, you give him an inch of space he will take it," Deacon told BBC Radio Leicester. "He's a prolific tryscoring winger, he's very good. It reminded me of a try that Harry Ellis scored years and years ago, where he sniped short side, shouldn't have done it, he had no support, and he beat four
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