Leicester beat champions Northampton 28-7

Leicester Tigers beat defending champions Northampton Saints 28-7 in a match played in rainy and windy conditions at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. Northampton led 7-3 at half-time but were ineffective after the interval. The Tigers scored in quick succession at the start of the second half to take control of the match.

The first score came from the visitors. Northampton went ahead in the seventh minute through a strike by James Pater. Leicester drew level in the 19th minute with a penalty from Freddie Steward. The home side took the lead in the fourth minute of the second half with a maul try from Jamie Blamire, then extended the gap with scores from Cameron Henderson and Finn Carnduff.

With this win, Leicester have won three of their four league matches and moved up to second. They have also won four consecutive seasons against Northampton at home in the East Midlands derby. Northampton were reduced to fewer players in the closing stages after Tom Lockett was shown a yellow card, and their decline on the pitch continued.

On the same day, Bristol Bears beat Exeter Chiefs 20-7 to move up to third. In a hard-fought contest, the home side maintained their advantage despite the difficult conditions and took the three points.