Tries from John Rudd and Ben Cohen, plus a full house from Shane Drahm, put down a Leicester team which, although missing key players to internationals, were still playing a lot of the team that squashed Newcastle last week. Saints made three changes from the Wasps debacle - Robbie Morris and Dan Richmond in for internationals Tom Smith and Steve Thompson, and John Rudd in for the hamstrung Paul Diggin.

Saints got off to a dream start, Drahm scoring his first try of the season, but missing the conversion. Neil Back spent a restful ten minutes off the pitch on the quarter hour, Drahm adding three points from the tee to put Saints 8 - 0 up. Memories of December 2003, when Leicester went down 14 - 0 at the Gardens, came flooding back. Drahm added a left-footed drop goal on 20 minutes to extend the lead to eleven unanswered points.

Three minutes later, and Leicester got on the scoreboard through the boot of Sam Vesty. Saints answered back straight away, a scrum near the Leicester line seeing Bruce send John Rudd over, Drahm completing his full house with the conversion. 18 - 3 to Saints. Minutes later, Martin Johnson and Simon Emms were sin binned for a fight off the ball. Saints brought Brett Sturgess on in place of Darren Fox to cover for the departing Welshman.

Saints stretched the lead further on 36 minutes, again through the reliable Shane Drahm, and Saints were 21 - 3 and cruising. In first half injury time, a Leicester attack from a scrum on the Saints 22 sent Tigers centre Leon Lloyd over for a try. Vesty missed the conversion, but added a penalty on the stroke of half time to leave the score 21 - 11.

Saints spent a lot of the second half on the back foot, indeed the first real venture into Tigers territory came on 53 minutes, but Saints were penalised by referee Ashley Rowden for a late shoulder. Vesty missed the kick at goal to leave the score still 21 - 11. Scrappy play was the order of the day in the second half, as the changes rolled in - tem substitutions were made in the remaining half hour. Leicester spent most of their time in the Saints half, but were pushed back by a stubborn Saints defence again and again.

The scoreboard, as yet untroubled since the break, rattled over joyously as Ben Cohen's chip through was recycled and the rejected England winger slid over in the corner. The conversion was missed but it did not matter - Saints had won, over Leicester, and got themselves off the bottom of the table. Who would have thought it? Leicester had drubbed Newcastle 83 - 10 last week, whereas Saints were humbled 39 - 9 at the "Lost" Causeway.

The entire team played a stormer - mentions in dispatches for Robbie Morris, Matt Lord, the hard working back row - Krige, Fox and Blowers - of whom at least one was injured during the entire match, Johnny Howard (best game in a Saints shirt?) Shane Drahm and the back three. OK, I've just "singled out" ten of the starting fifteen - not that the other five, plus the five replacements (Chris Budgen for Lordy?) did anything wrong. An exceptional performance, play like that for the rest of the season and we'll not only stay up but we could also win the European Cup again!

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