Leicester (19) 41
Tries: Martin, Hassell-Collins, Blamire 2, Radwan, Steward
Conversions: O’Connor 3, Bailey
Penalty: O’Connor
Northampton (5) 17
Tries: Freeman 2, Hendy
Conversion: F Smith
Leicester delivered a dominant performance, securing their biggest home league victory over Northampton in a fiery East Midlands derby, with hooker Jamie Blamire crossing for two tries.
The Tigers ran in six tries in front of a sold-out Mattioli Woods Welford Road, handing the Premiership leaders their first league defeat of 2026—only their second of the season. George Martin, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Adam Radwan, and Freddie Steward also added scores as Leicester moved to within a point of second-placed Bath, intensifying the battle for a top-two finish.
Tommy Freeman scored twice for Northampton, becoming the club’s all-time leading try scorer in the Premiership with 52, while George Hendy also touched down.
Northampton suffered a blow before kick-off when Tom Lockett was injured in the warm-up. Leicester came out firing, and returning second-row Martin scored his first try in two years on his first start of the season. Referee Matthew Carley warned the Saints about repeated early infringements and sin-binned Callum Chick in the seventh minute.
Despite being down to 14 men, Northampton defended stoutly and levelled in the 21st minute when Rory Hutchinson split the Leicester defense with a pass, allowing Freeman to score in front of the traveling fans. Leicester responded quickly, with Hassell-Collins beating George Furbank on the left to restore the lead.
Leicester’s pack dominated, and they scored their third try from a close-range line-out, sucking in the Saints defense before Blamire snuck over. The home side cranked up the pressure, and in the 47th minute, Jack van Poortvliet chipped a beautifully weighted ball over the Northampton defense for Radwan to collect and score under the posts, securing a bonus point.
Josh Kemeny was shown a yellow card for the Saints, and Leicester capitalized from another line-out as Blamire added his second. Tempers flared after the score, with Joe Heyes and Craig Wright sent to cool off. Steward then crossed after a brilliant 40-meter break by Hassell-Collins, stretching the lead to 39-5.
Hendy went over in the corner for a converted consolation score, and Freeman notched his record-breaking try a minute from time. The only negative for Leicester was a red card for replacement Izaia Perese in the closing minutes following a clash of heads with Furbank.
Tigers director of rugby Geoff Parling told BBC Radio Leicester: “I’m really pleased with our edge in the first half. We were in a real sweet spot physically, and I’m also glad we managed to stop them from getting a bonus point at the end. During the week, we were very tactical as coaches—we didn’t talk about emotion because we knew the players would bring it. The challenge now is to back it up against Sale next Sunday. We need to play with the same intensity and handle the stakes. The intent we showed in the first half is a benchmark for what we should look like.”
Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton: “We had to work incredibly hard, but after half-time we couldn’t make the adjustments to get back into the game or exert any pressure of our own. Fundamentally, we didn’t get it right. We didn’t have enough ball, we conceded too many penalties. We’ve got to wear that and make sure we’re better. They’re a very good side, as we knew they would be. This is a tough place to come.”