- Leicester prevailed against Northampton in a boost for Michael Cheika
- Freddie Steward scored the opening try as Northampton secured victory
An advert starring the Rock, all the way from Beverley Hills, was broadcast at half-time of this East Midlands derby.
Rugby is on a mission to capture new audiences with Hollywood stars and breathless try-fests but this was as old school as it gets.
It was more knees and elbows than sidesteps and shimmies. Leicester’s three tries were scored from the grand total of about five yards out but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
It was played at an intensity that warmed the 23,548 who turned out on this cold autumn evening. Tight and physical, Northampton were repelled time after time, with Julian Montoya ending the night with a black eye the size of a plum.
‘He was like Rocky Balboa,’ said Leicester coach Michael Cheika. ‘His eye was nearly completely closed, he couldn’t see out of one eye. He told me when he can’t play anymore then he’ll come off. You need pliers to get him off the field.’
Freddie Steward scored the opening try for Leicester as they beat Northampton
The victory represented a boost for Leicester boss Michael Cheika after a difficult start
It was a day to forget for Northampton’s George Furbank and his champion team-mates
One by one, the home fans patted Cheika on the back as he left his seat at the final whistle. The Australian has endured a bumpy first month in the job but nothing will endear him more at Mattioli Woods Welford Road than a physical victory against the local rivals.
It was a day to forget for George Furbank and his champion teammates. Furbank left the pitch after 47 minutes, failing a Head Injury Assessment, as Northampton were beaten up by the physicality of Leicester’s pack.
The player with the biggest point to prove was Furbank’s opposite number, Freddie Steward. Speculating over next year’s British and Irish Lions squad, Warren Gatland this week named Furbank as one of England’s leading candidates for next summer’s tour of Australia.
He has overtaken Steward as England’s starting full-back, representing the national team’s shift towards a more open attacking philosophy, but it was the Leicester 15 who drew first blood.
The hosts turned down a shot at goal in the fourth minute, opting for a trick-play tap-and-go to set up Steward for the opening try from close range. Leicester’s defence was considerably more difficult to breach – holding firm for 82 minutes.
The tackles were loaded with derby day aggression. Sam Graham lost control whilst stretching out to score and a few minutes later his day – and potentially season – was over.
In rugby’s crusade to wipe out high tackles, players are adapting their technique to lower the point of contact. Tommy Reffell dipped to a knee to tackle Graham and the No8’s knee dislocated in the process.
This fixture has a history of boiling over – seven red cards over the years – and there were two yellow cards in the opening half an hour, for Reffell and Curtis Langdon.
Julian Montoya of Leicester was left with a black eye following a physical contest
Ollie Chessum of Leicester Tigers is tackled by Temo Mayanavanua of Northampton
Tommy Freeman scored for Northampton in the 82nd minute but Leicester still prevailed
Tommy Freeman was next to have score chalked off, with Northampton’s only first-half points coming from the boot of Fin Smith.
Handre Pollard was sin-binned for a high shot on Smith in the 44th minute and Cheika looked like the world was conspiring against him. But his team held strong. They refused to kick the ball into the hands of Northampton’s counter-attack, opting for hard yards
Ollie Cracknell powered over from short range in the 54th minute and Ollie Chessum followed suit, after an interception and sprint down the pitch from Joe Woodward.
Northampton were knocked back time after time in Leicester’s 22, with the defensive stands turning into a battle for local pride. Freeman finally scored in the 82nd minute – perhaps it would have come sooner if they were not depleted of key internationals – but it was not enough to sour Cheika’s first taste of the derby.
