Northampton Saints were made to rue missed opportunities as they were defeated 24-8 by Leicester Tigers at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Three tries were chalked from Northampton’s tally by the television match official (TMO) in the first Derby Day clash of the season – with Sam Graham, Tommy Freeman and Tom Pearson all denied despite getting over the tryline over the course of the match.
Tigers, on the other hand, were clinical in taking their chances and sent Freddie Steward, Olly Cracknell and Ollie Chessum over the whitewash while Saints could only reply with a last-ditch score from Freeman.
FIRST HALF:
The hosts started the scoring as Tigers earned a penalty at the breakdown when Northampton were penalised for holding on inside their own 22 and then sent Steward through a gap in Saints’ line.
A string of penalties saw Saints back on the front foot and into Tigers’ territory quickly, and though Sam Graham got himself over the tryline, the score was chalked off by the TMO for a knock-on.
It was the No.8’s last intervention in the game though, as a nasty collision – which resulted in Tigers’ Tommy Reffell being shown a yellow card – saw Graham stretchered from the field.
Henry Pollock was deployed in Graham’s place and Saints thought they had capitalised on their extra man when Freeman went slicing through Tigers’ line, but another trip to the TMO chalked off that effort too – with captain George Furbank deemed to have knocked the ball on in the build up.
Three points from the boot of Handre Pollard – after Pollock was penalised for using his boot in a breakdown – put Tigers ten points ahead and Saints went down to 14 men themselves as Curtis Langdon was show a yellow card for a high shot on Harry Wells.
Saints eventually were on the scoreboard courtesy of a Fin Smith penalty after Tigers were penalised for not retreating, and resolute Saints defence would see the scoreline would stay at 10-3 until the interval as they fended off one last Tigers attack before the break.
SECOND HALF:
The man advantage switched again just after the interval, with Langdon returning from the sin bin as Tigers’ fly-half Pollard was shown a yellow card when he made contact with Furbank’s head in a tackle.
The home side muscled their way into Saints’ 22 despite the away side’s extra body but a spirited defensive effort from Northampton paid dividends in the form on a Tigers knock-on five metres from the tryline.
But Tigers kept that sustained pressure up in Saints’ 22 and muscled close once again, with Cracknell stretching over for Tigers’ second this time.
Pollard’s conversion made it 17-3 and Saints thought they had reduced the deficit when Pearson rumbled over from close range but a trip to the TMO made it a third try removed from Saints’ tally for the evening.
Saints found themselves down to 14 once again as Pearson was sent to the sin bin for failing to release at the breakdown as Tigers pushed their way back into Saints’ 22. And Tigers wasted no time utilising their extra man, sending Chessum over from close range.
Pollock and Tom West would both get Saints close as the game entered its final ten minutes, but both forwards’ efforts went unawarded – with the first knocked on over the tryline and the second held up by Tigers’ defence.
Jake Garside’s first touch of the ball saw an electric effort from the replacement winger, when Rory Hutchinson released the 22-year-old down the left. But another chance went begging for Saints as the away side lost control of the ball close to the tryline once more.
Saints kept wave after wave of attacking coming and though Chunya Munga’s effort was held up over the tryline, Northampton eventually had the final word of the match when Tommy Freeman drifted through Tigers’ line.
The men in Black, Green and Gold must regroup quickly as they play host to Sale Sharks at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens next Friday (18 October, kick-off: 7.45pm).
LINE-UPS:
TIGERS: 15 Steward, 14 Watson, 13 Kelly, 12 Woodward, 11 Hassell-Collins, 10 Shillcock, 9 van Poortvliet; 1 N Smith, 2 Montoya ©, 3 Heyes, 4 Wells, 5 Chessum, 6 Liebenberg, 7 Reffell, 8 Cracknell.
Replacements: 16 Clare, 17 Cronin, 18 Cole, 19 Joussain, 20 Ilione, 21 Youngs, 22 Shillcock, 23 Wand.
SAINTS: 15 Furbank (c), 14 Ramm, 13 Litchfield, 12 Hutchinson, 11 Freeman, 10 F Smith, 9 McParland; 1 Iyogun, 2 C Langdon, 3 Millar Mills, 4 Mayanavanua, 5 Munga, 6 Kemeny, 7 Scott-Young, 8 Graham.
Replacements: 16 R Smith, 17 West, 18 Davison, 19 Thornbury, 20 Pearson, 21 Pollock, 22 Garside, 23 Sleightholme.
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