Match Report: Northampton Saints 32 – 26 Leicester Tigers

Anthony Belleau’s two-try blast as a second-half replacement fired Northampton Saints to an enthralling 32-26 victory over Leicester Tigers at a sold-out cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

The lead exchanged hands ten times across the contest as Fin Smith, Edoardo Todaro and Tom Pearson landed tries for the hosts, with Tigers keeping in the contest through Freddie Steward and Harry Wells efforts plus a succession of Billy Searle penalties.

But just as he did at Kingsholm a week previously, Frenchman Belleau proved to be the match winner with a pair of brilliant finishes to claim East Midlands bragging rights and extend Saints’ unbeaten run into Round 4 of the 2025/26 Gallagher PREM.

FIRST HALF:

Searle kicked the visitors into an early lead with a confident penalty strike from distance. The response was so nearly a swift one as Tommy Freeman, on the occasion of his 100th appearance, gathered his own chip ahead and attempted a deft offload only for a Tigers paw to stop it reaching Alex Coles’ supporting hands.

It was in keeping up with play on that attack that referee Luke Pearce’s afternoon came to an early end due to injury, with Alex Thomas taking his place in the middle.

Northampton surged into the lead and it was two of their returning British and Irish Lions who combined to devastating effect. From a scrum inside his own half, Alex Mitchell sensed space down the left wing before gathering his own chip to put Smith over under the posts for his first try since his contract extension was confirmed.

The lead would be relinquished approaching the game’s quarter-way point when Steward strode over after Mitchell had done well to initially thwart Emeke Ilione’s gallop up centre field. 

Searle’s conversion opened a three-point lead, as Saints were forced into a backfield reshuffle as George Hendy hobbled off to be replaced by Tom Litchfield, with Freeman moving to fullback.

But it was Phil Dowson’s side who went up at the break ahead for a third consecutive league game this season. Playing in his first East Midlands Derby, it was Italian teenage winger Todaro who held his width well for Litchfield to tease the defence and feed his man into the right corner.

Smith’s tricky conversion miss was compounded by Searle adding a close-range penalty for Leicester, but there was time for one last Saints surge. Led by a bulldozing bash up the middle by JJ Van Der Mescht, Todaro wreaked havoc once more and fed Pearson to bash his way over in the left corner.

Smith’s conversion struck a post and bounced to safety, as his side led by four at the break.

SECOND HALF:

Saints’ centurion Freeman suffered a knock at the end of the first half and didn’t last long into the second, as Belleau entered proceedings – and would soon have a big say on proceedings.

The back-and-forth nature of the match continued as Wells burrowed over from close range after 46 minutes. 

Once more, the response was impactful as Mitchell probed around the fringes of a close-range ruck and fed Belleau to brilliantly finish tight to the left corner flag. Saints thought they’d added another when Fraser Dingwall rolled over to ground – only for the TMO to intervene and spot a knock-on in the build up.

However, they weren’t to be denied just three minutes later. Belleau fielded a kick brilliantly inches from the touchline before composing himself to aim a perfect chip in behind enemy lines to gather and race over and finish. Smith’s conversion and a subsequent penalty opened a nine-point lead with little over ten minutes to play.

Tigers swarmed twice deep into the 22 with menace and on both occasions were burgled at the breakdown as replacements Craig Wright and Henry Pollock pounced brilliantly.

James O’Connor’s penalty made it a six-point ball game with eight minutes to play. But there was to be no late heart-breaking twist as Saints once more defended well in their own 22 before managing a final scrum for Smith to boot the ball off the pitch to rapturous cheers from a sold-out crowd. 

LINE-UPS:

SAINTS: 15 Hendy, 14 Freeman, 13 Hutchinson, 12 Dingwall, 11 Todaro, 10 Smith, 9 Mitchell. 1 Iyogun, 2 Smith, 3 Davison, 4 Lockett, 5 Van Der Mescht, 6 Coles, 7 Pearson, 8 Chick (c).
Replacements: 16 Wright, 17 Fischetti, 18 Green, 19 Kemeny, 20 Pollock, 21 McParland, 22 Belleau, 23 Litchfield. 

TIGERS: 15 Steward, 14 Radwan, 13 Wand, 12 Kata, 11 Hassell-Collins, 10 Searle, 9 van Poortvliet. 1 Smith, 2 Blamire, 3 Hurt, 4 Wells, 5 Chessum (c), 6 Liebenberg, 7 Reffell, 8 Ilione.
Replacements: 16 Clare, 17 Haffar, 18 Loman, 19 Moro, 20 Cracknell, 21 Whiteley, 22 O’Connor, 23 Bailey.