Rugby’s high casualty rate was again exposed during a match that was played here to raise money for Northampton‘s former Australia centre Rob Horne, whose career ended last season when he lost the use of his right arm after making a tackle against Leicester at Welford Road. Four players left the field during the first half, including the Tigers’ England wing Jonny May, who lasted seven minutes.
May, who had scored five tries in five matches and was England’s player of the series in South Africa in the summer, injured his right shoulder running into the Northampton No 8 Teimana Harrison and left the field with his arm in a sling. Leicester said after the match that he had suffered a stinger rather than a dislocation, meaning he should be available for England’s autumn international series if not his club’s first two European Champions Cup matches.
May did not miss much on a cold, wet afternoon when mistakes abounded. The last time the two sides had met here was in 2013, when they contested the Premiership final which Leicester won after Dylan Hartley was sent off. They have both declined since then and this match marked a triumph for the conditions apart from two minutes in the first-half when the Tigers’ full-back Jonah Holmes created his side’s two tries.
The first came after Dan Biggar’s high kick from his 22 lacked distance and the chasers backed off to allow Adam Thompstone to catch the ball cleanly. The wing surprised the defence by off-loading out of the back of his hand to Holmes, who had the option of running on the outside to the line, but he drew the cover and passed inside to Ben Youngs who had a clear run to the posts.
Almost from the kick-off Holmes set off from his 22 after Lewis Ludlam charged down George Ford’s clearance and was unfortunate to see the ball roll away from him. Holmes was never tempted to kick, stepping away from Andrew Kellaway and accelerating past David Ribbans before outpacing Cobus Reinach on halfway. He got to Northampton’s 22 before passing outside to May’s replacement, Jordan Olowofela.
It should have been a routine score but Olowofela, the second quickest player in the Leicester squad after May, was caught by Northampton’s full-back Harry Mallinder but had the strength to make it to the line. Otherwise it was a mainly defensive effort from Leicester, whose strength over the ball after a tackle allowed them to force a number of turnovers in their 22 and neutralise Northampton’s more plentiful possession and territorialdominance.
In tries Northampton outscored their rivals three to two but they were all scored by forwards after close-range drives. Jamie Gibson secured the first after 15 minutes following a Ford penalty and Ribbans supplied the second with the last move of the half after Dan Cole had been penalised at a scrum Leicester needed only to win to go into half-time at 20-5.
The Saints fell further behind when Ford kicked his third penalty. It was not the happiest afternoon for the Wales outside-half Biggar, and not just because he missed three conversions out of three. Northampton had paid for playing an expansive game at Bath in the wet last month and here played more narrowly, but as they chased the game they lost their shape.
After Mike Haywood reduced Leicester’s lead to eight points with 11 minutes to go after another line-out from a penalty and driving maul, their support anticipated a strong finish. Instead Leicester, who went into the match with the worst defensive record in the Premiership, held on.
“We made too many mistakes in difficult conditions and we failed to mark the occasion with a victory for Rob,” said the Northampton director of rugby, Chris Boyd, who also lost his England second row Courtney Lawes before the match after the forward endured an uncomfortable night at the team’s hotel near the ground and suffered a back spasm.
Leicester moved to fourth, at least temporarily, following their second consecutive victory and their first on the road this campaign. “It was a step in the right direction after a difficult period,” said their interim director of rugby, Geordan Murphy. “It was a scrappy affair but a great result.”
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