Tigers silence Saints with 33-0 shutout in East Midlands derby

Northampton Saints 0-33 Leicester Tigers, cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens

The Leicester Tigers dismantled the Northampton Saints with a resounding 33-0 win at Franklin’s Gardens, producing a flawless display in one of rugby’s most storied rivalries.

In front of a packed home crowd, the Tigers asserted their dominance from the opening whistle, shutting out the reigning champions and claiming local bragging rights in emphatic fashion.

The match kicked off with intensity, and it didn’t take long for Leicester to make their mark. Just five minutes in, a quick turnover saw the ball shifted wide to Adam Radwan, who turned on the afterburners and finished brilliantly in the corner.

The try set the tone for what would be a relentless onslaught. Only three minutes later, Jack van Poortvliet sniped from a ruck near the Saints’ 22 and darted in under the posts for Leicester’s second. With both conversions successful, the visitors had surged ahead 14-0 within the opening ten minutes.

The Saints, still reeling from the fast start, found themselves backpedaling again in the 13th minute, as Olly Cracknell powered through a disjointed defensive line to grab the third try of the night.

The Tigers were punishing every mistake and executing with ruthless efficiency. A penalty by Handré Pollard in the 18th minute extended the lead to 20-0, and the Saints looked stunned.

Northampton tried to respond with possession-based play, aiming to build phases and regain control, but the Tigers' line speed and breakdown presence consistently forced turnovers and penalties.

Every time the Saints reached the Tigers' 22, the defensive wall held firm or forced handling errors that killed the momentum. By halftime, the home side had been kept scoreless, trailing by 20 and struggling for answers.

The second half brought little relief for Northampton. While they improved their possession stats and territory gain in the early exchanges, they failed to breach the Tigers' defensive line.

The visitors, meanwhile, stayed patient and clinical. In the 55th minute, a well-executed driving maul from a lineout saw hooker Charlie Clare peel off the back and crash over the line for the bonus-point try. Pollard added the conversion to take the score to 27-0.

Despite a flurry of substitutions and fresh legs introduced by the Saints, they couldn’t unlock Leicester’s structure. The Tigers continued to control territory through smart kicking, and their pack dominated at the set-piece, pinning the hosts deep inside their own half for much of the final quarter.

A final penalty in the 70th minute, calmly slotted by Pollard, took the Tigers past the 30-point mark. Even with the game all but over, Leicester showed no signs of dropping their standards. Their breakdown work remained fierce, and every Saints attack was met with physical, suffocating defense.

As the clock wound down, the home crowd watched in frustration while the Tigers celebrated one of their most dominant derby performances in recent years. The Saints' inability to score even a single point highlighted the comprehensive nature of Leicester’s win.