Match Report: Northampton Saints 0 – 33 Leicester Tigers

Northampton Saints fell to only a third home Gallagher Premiership defeat in 17 months as Leicester Tigers claimed the East Midlands Derby bragging rights.

A painful Friday evening at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens for the men in Black, Green and Gold saw Tigers land first-half tries through Adam Radwan, Jack van Poortvliet and Olly Cracknell before Charlie Clare secured the visitors a bonus point after the break.

Handre Pollard added 13 points with the boot as Phil Dowson’s side failed to get on the scoreboard upon their return to league action after a two-month hiatus.

FIRST HALF 

Saints turned down a shot at goal from the game’s opening kick to punt within five metres of the line, where phases were built knocking on the door only for Hanro Liebenberg to intercept and relieve the pressure.

The momentum swung firmly Tigers’ way as they registered three tries in ten minutes. Firstly Radwan finished in the right corner, van Poortvliet broke from inside his own half to chip ahead and gather before Cracknell bludgeoned a third – with Pollard landing only one conversion to open a 17-point lead.

Josh Kemeny’s breakdown burgle delivered a penalty and Saints swarmed with George Hendy bursting through a gap and feeding Tom Seabrook down the left, only for his step infield to be well telegraphed resulting in a penalty concession for holding on. 

Minutes either side of the half-hour mark, Tigers stretched their lead to 23 points with a pair of successful Pollard penalties as Saints were nilled at half-time at home for the first time since Leinster’s win at the Gardens in 2013.

SECOND HALF

Burger Odendaal arrived onto the field upon the restart of the match for his first Premiership minutes since last season’s final at Allianz Stadium, and was followed onto the pitch soon after by Alex Coles and Henry Pollock.

Eight minutes of home pressure didn’t yield a point and Tigers delivered a sucker punch as back-to-back penalties moved play up the pitch, and when a third concession followed, Pollard knocked the ball through the posts.

Pollock wasted little time in injecting enthusiasm and impetus to proceedings with a searing break that seemed destined to reach the line only for speedster Radwan to haul him down inches from the line.

The 20-year-old did cross the line moments later after latching onto Hendy’s pass, this time it was the TMO’s time to turn celebrations to frustration as Hendy was ruled to have knocked on when starting the counter-attack. 

Saints’ efforts to get on the scoreboard were derailed throughout the evening by handling errors, and another such mishap led to Tigers’ final points of the evening as replacement hooker Clare capitalised to grab Leicester’s fourth try of the contest. 

Jonny Weimann’s Premiership debut as a late replacement was one of the few positives to be salvaged for the hosts as Saints attentions now turn to a trip north to face Sale Sharks in Round 13 on Friday 28 March.

LINE-UPS: 

Saints: 15 Hendy, 14, Ramm, 13 Dingwall (c), 12 Hutchinson, 11 Seabrook, 10 Smith; 1 Iyogun, 2 Langdon, 3 Davison, 4 Mayanavanua, 5 Lockett, 6 Kemeny, 7 Pearson, 8 Augustus. 
Replacements: 16 Walker, 17 Haffar, 18 Green, 19, Coles, 20 Munga, 21 Pollock, 22 Weimann, 23 Odendaal.

Tigers: 15 Steward, 14 Radwan, 13 Kata, 12 Woodward, 11 Hassell-Collins, 10 Pollard, 9 van Poortvliet; 1 Smith, 2 Montoya, 3 Heyes, 4 Henderson, 5 Wells, 6 Liebenberg, 7 Reffell, 8 Cracknell.
Replacements: 16 Clare, 17 Whitcombe, 18 Cole, 19 Joussain, 20 Ilione, 21 Youngs, 22 Volavola, 23 Perese.