| Leicester Tigers (10) 18 |
| Tries: Potter 2 Cons: Pollard Pens: Pollard, Burns |
| Northampton Saints (9) 19 |
| Tries: Sleightholme Cons: Furbank Pens: Furbank 4 |
Northampton Saints overcame Leicester in the East Midlands derby to spoil Freddie Burns’ Tigers farewell.
A Harry Potter try and Handre Pollard penalty put Tigers 10-9 up at the break, with George Furbank kicking three first-half penalties for Saints.
Another Furbank kick put Saints ahead, with the lead changing twice more as Potter grabbed a second try and Ollie Sleightholme scored Saints’ first.
A Burns penalty in his final game set up a tense finish, but Saints hung on.
The 32-year-old, who cemented his place in Leicester affections when he kicked the winning drop-goal in last season’s Premiership final, leaves Mattioli Woods Welford Road after a glorious second spell to join New Zealand Super Rugby outfit Highlanders.
Victory ended Saints’ run of four successive derby defeats against Leicester and was just their second win away from home this season.
For Tigers, it was a second successive one-point loss at home after Ospreys prevailed 27-26 in the European Champions Cup last weekend.
International call-ups saw each side field significantly different teams following their exertions in Europe.
South African number eight Juarno Augustus returned from a hamstring injury and was among 10 changes made by Saints.
Tigers, whose missing international contingent included England scrum-half duo Ben Youngs and Jack van Poortvliet, called on 20-year-old Sam Edwards as their starting nine in his first Premiership appearance.
Saints made a disastrous start, with full-back James Ramm sin-binned for 10 minutes after being shown a yellow card in the third minute for a high tackle on Potter.
With Northampton temporarily down to 13 men as Mike Haywood received medical attention, Potter ensured Tigers capitalised on the numerical advantage – fending off an attempted tackle from Rory Hutchinson on his way to the game’s opening score.
Furbank and Tigers number 10 Pollard then traded penalties, with two further kicks from the versatile Saints fly-half moving them to within a point of the hosts.
A menacing exchange between Leicester’s Jasper Wiese and Saints’ Alex Waller – who equalled Northampton’s record for derby appearances in his 26th showdown with Tigers – epitomised the ferocity of the first half.
The lead changed hands three times in the first 10 minutes of the second half, with Furbank’s penalty edging Saints ahead, only for Potter to restore Tigers’ lead.
Sleightholme’s finish, after an excellent flicked offload from Ramm, helped put Northampton four points ahead.
Tigers favourite Burns marked his 115th and final Tigers appearance with a penalty before hobbling off to an emotional ovation in a game that ultimately ended in disappointment for the hosts.
Leicester Tigers: Burns; Watson, Scott, Porter, Potter; Pollard, Edwards; Whitcombe, Montoya, Hurd; Wells, Snyman, Liebenberg, Reffell, Wiese.
Replacements: Clare, West, Richardson, Martin, Cracknell, Whiteley, Gopperth, Simmons.
Northampton Saints: Ramm; Skosan, Proctor, Hutchinson, Sleightholme; Furbank, James; Waller, Haywood, Hill; Moon, Coles, Scott-Young, Hinkley, Augustus.
Replacements: Smith, Waller, Petch, Nansen, Wilkins, Graham, Braley, Litchfield.
Referee: Wayne Barnes.
