Back to the rugby we all know and love. Hard, cold, a burst of torrential towards the end, four yellows, four tries and one old rival delighting in rubbing another’s face in the dirt. Northampton may be champions, but Leicester remain Leicester. They love nothing more than turning screws and making people from down the road weep. If the latter could also be denied tries three times by the closest of calls, so much the better.
Michael Cheika described his side as “gritty”, which was something of an understatement. Julián Montoya, back from duty with the Pumas and immediately reinstated as captain of the Tigers, picked up a cut to his eye in the first half, which continued to swell throughout the game, until he could see no more out of it. Alongside him, Ollie Chessum further ingratiated himself with the England coaches. And behind them Freddie Steward won player of the match, which must have been all the more gratifying given his opposite number was George Furbank, who has displaced him as England full-back.
So we returned to basics. In the midst of all these surreal scorelines, here was fare a little more recognisable to those familiar with rugby’s long, dark history – and no less compelling for that. The tries may not have rained down from the heavens, but Leicester opened with a nice score at the start. Montoya chose to tap a penalty a few yards out. Chessum made to charge but slipped an overhead pass to Jack van Poortvliet, who put Steward over out wide.
But enough of such try-scoring. Handré Pollard, successful with the conversion, and Fin Smith kicked a penalty each in the rest of the first half. Not that there was any shortage of action. Northampton thought they had scored on two occasions but were denied each time by the TMO. For the first, Sam Graham spilled the ball in the process of placing it on the line, but it was tight.
Alas, from the restart he suffered a horrible knee injury, one of those ones they could not show on the big screen for reasons of taste. So we could not see the inquest over Tommy Reffell’s tackle. Apparently it was mostly legal, but his knee was on the ground when he made it. Bit of a technicality, but he was shown yellow anyway.
Curtis Langdon was next, his yellow card for a split-second head clash as he tried to tackle the dipping, stepping Harry Wells. And we were reminded again of the tightrope these players tread every time they take to the field. That impression was reinforced straight after the break when it was Pollard’s turn to see yellow, Furbank stepping back against the grain. Pollard was not ready to make the tackle and, in the current climate, could have received anything from a penalty to a red card.
It was Leicester who scored while he was away. They cranked up their heavy-duty forwards, scrummed a penalty and soon Olly Cracknell was driving over between the posts. Pollard returned from the sin-bin to convert.
After Tom Pearson became the third Northampton player to be denied by the TMO, albeit this time with the burden of proof against him, Leicester broke the game on the hour. Finally, the sort of yellow we can all get onside with.
Pearson it was who infringed after Joseph Woodward intercepted from deep in his half and took play into the Saints 22. Leicester went for the corner, and Chessum drove over for their third.
Inevitably, the final quarter belonged to the Saints. They came and came again and were denied again and again. Tommy Freeman’s try at the death was as late as their first could be registered. Just not their day. Leicester enjoyed it all the more for that.
