Leicester Tigers beat Northampton Saints 41-17 in soaking East Midlands Derby
Leicester Tigers beat Northampton Saints 41-17 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Saturday, scoring four tries in a sold-out East Midlands Derby. It was a result with a score to settle. Saints had knocked Leicester out of last season's Premiership play-off semi-final, the round just before the final.
The match was played in torrential rain. Wet conditions make the ball slippery and the pitch heavy, so every tackle and every bit of ground was hard won. Kick-off was at 15:05.
Leicester's first try came from a rolling maul, the move where a group of players bind together and drive forward while carrying the ball. Jamie Blamire touched down from one. Cam Henderson then took the ball into contact, went through the tacklers and slid over in the corner. Finn Carnduff and Freddie Steward also scored for the home side.
Steward had a big afternoon with the boot as well. He kicked a long-range penalty in the first half, a kick worth three points that is awarded after an opposition infringement, or rule-breaking. Keeping that steady in the wind and rain is no small thing.
Northampton's only try came from James Pater. Their scrum-half, Lockett, was shown a yellow card in the 69th minute. A yellow card sends a player off the pitch for ten minutes, and his side has to play with one fewer man while he is gone.
The referee was Craig Maxwell-Keys. Leicester's win also meant something beyond the scoreboard. Northampton had not won a league match at Welford Road in four years, and this result kept that run going.
There was a personal milestone too. Coles, the Saints player, made his 150th appearance for the club in the derby, according to Northampton Saints.
For Leicester supporters, the Derby Day win will be the memory to take away, a rare chance to put last year's play-off loss behind them. For Northampton, the trip home will be about the scoreline and the four tries conceded. Derbies rarely follow a neat script, and this one had plenty of lumps in it.
The full report, including the team sheets and the match timeline, is on the Leicester Tigers match page.
