Leicester Tigers v Northampton Saints: Five takeaways as Michael Cheika’s ‘clinical’ side claim emphatic East Midlands derby win

Leicester Tigers took the bragging rights in the East Midlands after they secured a clinical 24-8 victory over bitter rivals Northampton Saints at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

Tries from Freddie Steward, Olly Cracknell and Ollie Chessum steered them to their third win in four games this Premiership season.

Here are our five key takeaways from the latest instalment of the East Midlands derby.

The top line

A fast start is so important in a derby game, and Leicester got that through Steward after he crossed in the third minute.

They had to wait a while for the next points, which came through the boot of the returning Handre Pollard; giving Leicester a 10-0 lead. Northampton hit back with a three-pointer of their own through Fin Smith, but the Tigers held a seven-point advantage heading into the sheds.

With the game firmly in the balance, you felt the next try was crucial; and it fell to the hosts as Cracknell crossed the line.

Northampton nearly hit back through Tom Pearson, however, his effort was ruled out. This quickly came back to haunt the Saints, as the back-rower was sent to the sin-bin, allowing Chessum to extend Leicester’s lead with a try.

With the clock in the red, Northampton notched a consolation try through Tommy Freeman.

The win for Leicester was their third in four games this season, and their second in a row too, but it also condemns the defending champions to their second defeat of the year in the process.

What to make of Northampton Saints

It’s a tough one summarising where Northampton Saints stand in their rebuild, but it was never really going to be a straightforward start. They are capable of some really delicious flourishes in attack, with Smith at the heart of it, but they are lacking the same consistency they had last year. Be that through new combinations across the park or errors, which were a big part of their way into the Saints’ play, they don’t have the same fizz that took them to the title.

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Their defence, at times, is outstanding. The victory over Exeter was built on pure defensive effort, and when called upon against Leicester they again fronted up, but this is also not quite at the level it was last year.

Yes, they lost A LOT of top talent in the summer, and are still waiting for the likes of Alex Mitchell to come back, but it’s still difficult to know where Northampton Saints are in their rebuild.

A lesson in taking your chances

Leicester were clinical, Northampton weren’t, and this juxtaposition told in the end. Phil Dowson’s side only scored one try – in the 80th minute – but they could easily have had more. Pearson had an effort chalked off, and elsewhere the likes of Archie McParland and Henry Pollock also came up short as they looked to cross the whitewash.

Northampton had 11 visits to Leicester’s 22, but no matter how hard they tried they just couldn’t get over the line. On the flip side, Leicester showed a serious clinical edge in their attack. It wasn’t glamourous from the Tigers by any means, minus some delicate touches from the likes Steward and Joe Woodward, but it was efficient and ultimately got them over the line.

With the competitive nature of the Premiership now, the ability to take your chances is SO crucial, and Northampton will be rueing their inability to do this.

Title-chasing Tigers?

It’s not hard to improve on the year they had last time out, but my oh my what a rapid transformation they’ve undergone under Michael Cheika. ‘The Tigers way’ has been a huge part of the club’s identity and success in the past, but they seem to have quickly returned to that this season; and shock horror, it’s working.

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Leicester’s title wins in the past have been built off hard graft, and this is exactly what is getting them over the line at the moment. Their victory over rivals Northampton was built from serious grit on both sides of the ball and that’s also been seen in their wins over Exeter and Newcastle to date as well. They are willing to work hard, which is something they lacked last year.

We might be getting ahead of ourselves after just four games, but this victory over the defending champions shows Leicester are certainly up there with some of the best in this competition. It also highlighted the improvement they’ve already put in this season. It was a gritty win, but it was one a champion team wins.

Cards, cards and more cards

Four yellow cards, four? That’s insane. The East Midlands derby is never shy of some cards, but today was a step above the usual. Tommy Reffell was the first to be sent to the naughty step, but he was quickly followed by Curtis Langdon, Pollard and Pearson.

Yellow cards are becoming an increasingly big part in the game, and the ones to Langdon and Pollard certainly count in this ‘new’ yellow card offence bracket. The constant 15 v 14, for either team, also made it an even more intense affair, and realistically the game came down to who managed their yellow card periods better. Leicester made Northampton pay pretty quickly after their yellows, with Chessum crossing mere minutes after Pearson’s carding; however, the Saints couldn’t make the most of their spells with a numerical advantage and this came back to haunt them.

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