By The Archivist
November 30 2005

In the run up to Saturday's Powergen Cup East Midlands derby clash between Leicester and the Saints at Welford Road we look back at three memorable battles of the past. In our first game in the East Midlands Derby archive its back to March 1998 at Welford Road. It was the usual blood and thunder game with little skill but the Saints almost pulled it off, but not quite.........

Larry Steals It In The Late, Late Show

Tigers 15 Saints 15
Saturday March 7th 1998
Welford Road

The Saints had won this game, then lost it, then came back for the draw all within the space of the last two minutes.

In an ill tempered encounter that often broke out inacts of violence there was little of note tillthe dramatic last few minutes.

Leicester had Martin Corry sent off for a punch half way through the first, the first player to do so for Leicester for fifteen years. (just luike buses eh?)

The game started with a bang with Martin Johnson throwing the first punch only seconds into the game.

A minute later referee Ed Morrison had to talk to Garry Pagel and Darren Garforth after some scrumduggery.

Paul Grayson and Joel Stransky exchanged penalties from their team mates indiscretions.

Hookers Chris Johnson and Richard Cockerill were then yellow carded by Morrison for a minor disagreement as tempers boiled both on and off the pitch.

Things came to head on 24 minutes when Corry exchanged blows with Jason Chandler. The touch judge intervened and Mr Morrison produced the red card.

From the resulting penalty Grayson kicked the Saints into a 6-3 lead.

The sending off had a rallying effect on the Tigers pack as they surged forward. From a line out on the Saints 22 the Leicester pack drove over with Neil Back getting the score .

Dean Richards is definately in charge !
It was just like the 'old', pre-Dwyer, Leicester.

The conversion was missed to leave the half time score 8-6 in the home sides favour.

The second half saw the Saints pinned down in their own half as they failed to capitalise on a string of penalties.

They continualy opting to tap and run instead of going for touch and gaining ground with the lineout.

The ball eas often lost in the tackle or turned over. Ian Hunter finally broke out of his half with a 60 metre run that, but for an Austin Healey covering tackle, would have resulted in a try.

The action returned to the other end of the pitch and with the try line beckoning Stransky knocked on after fine build up work from the rampant Tigers.

The Saints moved back into the lead on seventy minutes when Grayson kicked his third penalty. His fourthcame two minutes from the end of the game and at 12-8 up and the clock ticking away the Saints looked home and dry.

Leicester had other thoughts and surged forward finally sending Craig Joiner over in the corner as the clock read 81 minutes played.

Stransky kicked the difficult conversion and the Tigers fans began to celebrate a stolen victory.

It was now the Saints turn to fight back and from the restart they gained possesion and moved forward to set up the ruck, Grayson assumed the position 40 metres
out. With the home crowd still celebrating the 'win' Grayson calmly slotted the ball
between the uprights.

15-15.

Team
Ian Hunter
Jon Sleightholme
Andy Northey
Matt Allen
Harvey Thorneycroft
Paul Grayson
Matt Dawson
Garry Pagel
Chris Johnson
Martin Hynes
Jason Chandler
Jon Phillips
Don mcKinnon
Tim Rodber
Grant Seeley

Saints Scorers

Paul Grayson...................Penalty (4)
......................Drop Goal

In the second game its Mark H's view of that second win at Welford Road in succesive seasons at Pooh Corner.

Leicester Tigers 15 Northampton Saints 32
By Mark H - October 27 2003

On Leicestershire Monopoly, Welford Road is worth £160. I’d happily have paid £160 to see Saints continue their “monopoly” of victories over the Tigers, but the £15 I shelled out was well worth it.

It’s very rare for Saints supporters to make the trip up the road expecting their team to win, but that’s what we got, and just as last year, there were one or two special moments to savour on the way.

As usual, it was a sellout, but standing on the Crumbie Terrace it certainly didn’t seem as crowded on the ten metre line as it usually is. Still, I’m not complaining, there was a virtually unobstructed view of the whole game, and I’d take that at any ground in the country. There was what proved to be quite a strong breeze coming in from the clubhouse end, and when warming up, it was noticeable that Shane and Bruce were struggling to kick through from the ten metre line at the clubhouse end, but Shane kicked a monster through the posts at the other end. Saints started the match going into that breeze, and the feeling around me that if the scores were level at half time there would be a sense of satisfaction.

As expected in the conditions, it was Tigers who showed first, and after a maul was pulled down in the second minute Steve Booth, returning from injury at full back, hit the left hand upright from forty metres, and thankfully for Saints, the ball bounced back into the in-goal area for Bruce to touch down.

We weren’t so lucky minutes later though, when AB was penalised for a high tackle on a less than upright Harry Ellis, and this time Booth kicked the penalty. It seemed to the Saintly populous that Mr Maybank had a bit of a problem with Saints’ “intensity”, for within two minutes and on the second of two penalties after Saints had finally had some ball, Booth got three more with saints being penalised for coming in at the side.

Should mention at this point a friend who has this year discovered spread betting. As a result, every point difference between the scores would either earn or lose him a fiver. I turned to him and proposed a whip round for the final whistle if the game continued to this effect. He forced a smile…

Thankfully the tide started to turn, Saints got some ball, and used it wisely. After Shane stuck a free kick to within ten metres of the Tigers line, the pressure was cranked on the Leicester lineout, and with it the mistakes so obvious late on in last season’s match came to the fore. A knock on close to the line brought a five metre scrum just to the left hand side of the posts, and with there being a five-one split amongst the backs to indicate heading left, we expected the ball to go out that way. Instead, AB picked up from the back, passed short to Sharky Robinson, who in turn found Bruce looping round and bursting through two tackles to go over the line. A superb move that had obviously been worked on on the back pitches at FG, and with Shane converting for his 100th Saintly ZP point, Saints went in front 7-6.

It was developing into a cracking match, and if anyone thought that these Tigers would roll over has either never been to an East Midlands derby before or is a Bath fan. Booth set up the impressive Holtby for a run at the line, but Saints managed to scramble the ball into touch. What Saints couldn’t do, however, was avoid conceding another penalty. Where the Tigers side of Johnson and Back would normally go for the corner and try to drive over at this point, captain Kronfeld pointed to the posts. This time though, Booth sliced the penalty badly right. A cruel cry of “are you Stimpson in disguise?” emanated from the Crumbie, and we were assured by the Tigers’ supporters nearby assured us that he was better than that!

Tigers lost Leon Lloyd shortly afterwards when he went down heavily in a tackle, a situation not helped by being stamped on by his scrum half! This brought on another player returning from injury in Freddie Tuilagi. He wasn’t given the opportunity to make an impact straightaway, however, as Saints pressed for another try after a handling error gave Bruce the chance to break. The pressure told eventually, as a penalty was awarded in front of the posts, and Shane made it 10-6 after 26 minutes.

Despite the wind, Saints were starting to get the upper hand, and a brilliantly worked lineout on Tigers’ 22 led to the next score. Dan Richmond totally overthrew the line in a pre-planned move for Sharky to pounce on, and after making ground got another penalty. As has been his wont this season, Shane made sure of the points, and the margin was seven.

Both teams were suffering injuries, however, in the tightness of the game. On the stripey side, Will Skinner was blood replaced after a head cut by Henry Tuilagi, and worryingly for Saints, John Leslie limped off with what looked like a pulled hamstring. That was a pity, because up until that point the had been having a decent game in combining with Mark Tucker and keeping Daryl Gibson quiet. In keeping with the way the game had gone to this point, Booth then kicked another penalty as the rollercoaster swung back onto the Leicester side.

From the kick off, the ball went to Henry Tuilagi, who absolutely dropped AB as if he wasn’t there. It’s taken three seasons, but the great man has finally been run over. That’s it though for the rest of his career, and should the two clash again, I would expect the boot to be firmly on the other foot. He then released the ball to Healey who, showing a vastly improved kicking game, found touch in the Saints 22. The lineout saw Lordy crash down to the ground and stay down after landing on his shoulder. It appeared that although Lordy was not interfered with, his lifter was pushed out if the way, and as a result, George Chuter was sent for a ten minute rest, much to the annoyance of the locals.

Tigers seemed to step up a gear, and really pressed the Saints’ line, and although they didn’t make it over, Mr Maybank found it necessary to even the score up by sending Chris Budgen to the bin for killing the ball. The 14 good guys held the 14 bad guys, and Saints went in with a lead.

The rain had started by the time the second half did, and with the wind, great things were expected in the second half. We got one hell of a start. Tigers were penalised about 55 metres out, but on the angle, and Shane pointed for the posts. We shouldn’t have doubted his intentions, because it went straight through the middle and extended the lead. Booth kicked another penalty just after missing one for 16-12, and then came what possibly was the moment that signified that it wasn’t going to be Tigers’ day. Josh Kronfeld brilliantly came blind off the back of a maul, and having made thirty metres, offloaded for the ball to go along the line to Freddie Tuilagi. Tuilagi then tried to pass the ball to Ollie Smith to expose the cover, but the ball went stray and Drahm broke away down the wing. As he kicked ahead, he was launched into touch very late (don’t know who, it was on the other side of the pitch, but it should have been greeted by a yellow card), and Saints got the penalty from where the ball landed (around the Tigers 10 metre line). That decision didn’t please Mr Gobby, and Healey’s tirade earned Saints another ten metres - useful as Shane looked groggy when he got up. The kick was a formality, and it was 19-12.

If that was the moment that started the turn, the completion was only minutes away, and just as with Budge’s gypsy try last year, it will be something that will be talked about for a long, long time. In years to come, Saints supporters will increase the distance to something approaching a mile. For it to come here, and for it to come from a man who will go down as a Saints legend just made it all a little bit sweeter. Bealer ran onto a pass from Shane approaching Saints ten metre line, looked up, and on the run attempted a drop goal.

It was one of those moments that time seemed to stop, everything went silent, and the whole universe was watching the ball. Given some of Bealer’s previous drop goal attempts over the years, it could have gone anywhere. For it to go over a bar and between two posts was possibly an even sweeter moment than anything from last year. We went wild, the home support acknowledged the kick, and the match was won. The life had gone out of the home support, and the mental psychology of “they can kick them from anywhere” seemed to strike the Tigers team.

Still they tried though, but with Ollie Smith finding it difficult to break the defensive line, they had to settle for another penalty - indeed, Saints could be classed as fortunate not to have more than Budgen taking a walk, and certainly someone like Pearson next week will be flashing his cards around all over the place - and Booth kicked it for 22-15. What was refreshing, and a point that I mentioned to Stopsy after the game which he agreed with, was that the Saintly class of 2003/04 seem to be losing the “too nice” tag that has bugged them over recent years. After all, knowing when to give a team a chance of three points rather than conceding seven has been a Leicester trait for as long as I can remember, and they haven’t done too badly on it.

Lordy and Sleights were replaced by Grant and Brooksy, but Brooksy didn’t last that long, colliding with a mixture of Ellis’ arm and head in a purely accidental collision, and Sleights was back on again. What was costing Tigers was that they were turning over a lot of ball, and in previous years where they would pull the game out of the fire, you just never got that feeling that it was going to happen here. Shane kicked another penalty with six minutes of normal time left to restore the ten point margin, and there were audible sighs of relief - the longer it was at ten points, the better for heart rates!

And then came the piece de resistance. Deep in injury time, AB took a quick penalty in our half, fed Johnny Howard (on for Sharky), and having made a 35 yard break, passed outside to Bruce to cut in and force himself through Steve Booth’s tackle and over the line. If anyone wasn’t sure by this point of a Saintly victory, they would be now.

Unless they looked at the scoreboard. For some reason, it had decided to reset the score to nil-nil. One quick chorus of “Same old Leicester, always cheating” later, Shane kicked the conversion for a 19 point, 100% tally and the match was over. With a golden huddle forming on the pitch, and everyone in gold, black and green bouncing, the records were sent a-tumbling.

First back to back Saintly victories at Welford Road for thirty years, first back to back Leicester home defeats for twelve years.

First time Tigers have ever lost four successive league games, first time in 37 years they’ve lost four successive games.

Most points ever scored by Saints at Leicester.

Biggest Saints winning margin at Leicester.

Tigers fans will try and belittle the result. All I can say is that you can only beat what is put in front of you. Yes, neither team had full strength sides out, but neither were exceptionally weak though - the difference seemed to be that Saints had, surprisingly given what has gone on in recent years, more strength in depth and have adapted to losing their key players. That said, on the Tigers side, John Holtby looked impressive, and just as with our John Clarke, I can see him going to become a great full back. Daryl Gibson shone, particularly in the second half, in a losing cause; Josh Kronfeld had one of his annoyingly effective games and was at times the best Tigers attacking force; and Steve Booth kicked very well and looked sharp for someone that has been out so long.

To try and pick a Saints man of the match is difficult - they were all heroes - but words of praise from me for the entire front row. Brett Sturgess is really coming on, Dan Richmond was faultless in the lineout given the conditions, and Chris Budgen was exceptional against Graham Rowntree. My choice though would be the man who has given us the two most memorable moments of the season so far. So Nick Beal, what are you going to do from sixty metres next week? If it could be to drop kick Stuart Barnes into the lake, then I think you’ll be guaranteed to get player of the year again!!

And leaving the best till last it's Rich's report of that most famous 25-12 victory.

Saints Storm Fortress Welford Road In Style

By Rich on the box

It's been a decade of waiting but finally Saints have won at Welford road for the first time since 1992. The match may not have been of the highest quality but by winning three tries to nil the Saints claimed an emphatic victory.

Three weeks earlier the Tigers had beaten the Saints at Franklin's Gardens with both teams heavily affected by the concurrent autumn internationals. Yesterday at Welford road the star names were back with some notable exceptions. The Northampton second row was still missing the impressive combination of Connors and Williams, whilst the Tigers back row was without the equally impressive Moody and Back and herein lies the tale of the game. For Saints were never going to out jump Kay and Johnson so they varied their line out tactics accordingly. Tigers were not so lucky and Kronfeld and co. in the Leicester back row were taught lessons by the returning Pountney a determined Mark Soden and Sky sports man of the match Andrew 'hurricane' Blowers.

To the game...

The opening signs were ominous for the Saints as the home side came out like 'hats on wheels'. Dawson still battered and bruised from last weeks Springbok encounter was hurt twice by heavy challenges. First from Murphy and secondly from Corry which saw the dazed and confused England scrum half stretchered off after just nine minutes. Replacement Vass then made a real hash of a very nervous start. The former Roade school pupil's pass putting Grayson under so much pressure that he conceded a five-metre scrum. Thankfully for Saints they defended well and the Tigers remained pointless.

The first points of the game predictably came via Larry's boot. A routine clearance downfield suddenly became a penalty as Ellis hit Grayson late after his clearance kick. In one of Mr Spreadburys better decisions Saints were awarded the penalty where the ball landed. Grayson banged it over. 0-3 after 11 minutes.

The lead did not last as with Tigers next visit to the Saints 22 Vass caught Kafer with a high tackle. Stimpson made no mistake. 3-3 after 16 minutes.

The kicking contest continued with Grayson restoring Saints lead on 21 minutes and Stimpson missing soon after to leave the score at 3-6.

On 32 minutes Saints delivered the sucker punch. Budge Pountney scored what he described as a 'gypsy try'. Thompson and his regular jumpers conned Leicester into setting themselves for the catch and drive, Budge looped from the back to the front of the line and Wally threw underhanded to the Scottish flanker who waltzed through the open door. Grayson kicked a fine touchline conversion to make it 3-13 after 32 minutes.

Tigers look of confusion quickly changed to determination as they sought to avenge the try. Saints however were defending as if their very lives depended on it and all Tigers had to show for their efforts was another Stimpson penalty on 40 minutes.

The other significant event before half time was Cohen's incident with the advertising hoardings as he slid the ball over the dead ball line from Murphy's chip and chase. Memories of Beal's broken leg at Watford sprang to mind. Thank goodness we have the padded hoardings at Franklins Gardens. The Welford road advertising naturally came off second best.

Half time: Tigers 6 Saints 13.

The only team change at half time was for Leon Lloyd to replace the dangerous Ollie Smith. The Tigers had clearly done some soul searching during the break and threw everything they had at the Saints line.

Stimpson pulled another three back for the home team on 43 minutes and then came the passage of play that defined the match. Tigers had a superiority in both the line out and scrum and used this to pound the visitors. Saints continued to defend like demons. A 5-metre line out from a penalty saw the home crowd's expectations rise. This was Leicester at Welford road. Catch and drive for an easy 5 points, they'd seen it countless times before. What they hadn't seen before was a team that had been coached in drive prevention and that had the application to match the skill. Saints crouched American football style as they had three weeks ago at the Gardens, Tigers took the catch the roar went up but the Tigers went back, they peeled and went for the secondary drive and were repelled once more. The ball was held up the Saints were going forward surely a gold scrum. Unfortunately no! Spreadbury sent Hunter to the sin bin, in a very poor example of refereeing.

Saints now had a 7-man pack. Surely then the Tigers just had to do the same again, it would work this time. Saints had other ideas and like many teams in this situation were galvanised by being a man light. Leicester had to settle for kicking the points as Stimpson reduced the deficit to a single point.12-13 after 53 minutes. It was the last time the Tigers would trouble the scorer.

Play continued at a frantic pace and was often error strewn through the third quarter. Hunter returned and Robbie Morris replaced Budgen going into the last 20.

Then came the 8-minute spell where Saints finally threw off the shackles of expectation and fulfilled their potential. Another 'trick' lineout saw Wally make some space for Vass. Actually he obstructed Corry preventing the tackle but Mr Spreadbury, a law to himself, continued to favour the attacking side. Vass scampered through the gap down the touchline for a try from 20 metres out. He had grown in confidence despite the shaky start and the try was well deserved. Grayson kicked the touchline conversion. 12-20 after 64 minutes.

It's traditional for Saints teams at this point to give themselves a large pat on the back and let the opposition back in. Well this is the Wayne Smith and Brendan Ratcliffe era and they've brought some new traditions to the club. Saints went for the kill.

On 70 minutes rapidly improving academy centre Chris Hyndman looped around the blind side of a ruck inches from the Tigers goal line. He had enough to get through Stimpson's desperate tackle for the try. The whole move started like most of Saints good work with turnover ball from Pountney that was carried forward through Saints impressive driving featuring backs and forwards alike. Grayson missed the conversion but no matter 12-25 after 70 minutes and the travelling Saints fans delight was clear to see from the Sky pictures.

All that was left was to shut the Tigers out for the remaining ten minutes. Phillips replaced Hunter and Richmond replaced England hero Thompson. The Saints once again showed superior guile by slowing the game to walking pace and the defensive door was slammed in the Tigers faces.
As time became short it was Leicester fans turn to stream away from the ground early. After five years of success it must have been quite a shock. It would be easy to rub salt in the wounds but Saints fans should reflect on the significance of this victory. In football terms we are still the Man City to their United, in cricket terms England to their Australia. Tigers fans didn't celebrate as wildly at Franklins Gardens as the Saints fans did at Welford road because it didn't mean as much but today they will hurt more than we did three weeks ago. Beer sales over the border have probably trebled.

You might want to switch the lomulator on for this last bit!

To outdo Mr Barnes in the ridiculous analogy stakes and to use a Northamptonshire world championship sport the Welford road record can be compared to conkers. When this home run started in 1997 no one could have predicted that the Tigers bright shiny horse chestnut would go on to become a 57er. In the early stages the Leicester faithful would have been proud of their conker as it progressed in to double figures and then they became very protective of it. So what's the real point of my self-indulgent ramble? It was the look on Deano's face because Wayne Smith 1er, probably soaked in an Antipodean Sauvignon Blanc, had smashed his prize conker!