Leicester 13-12 Saracens: Injury-time penalty try sinks Saracens

TIGERS somehow grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat to continue their unbeaten start to the season, but even they will admit they possibly deserved to lose this soggy game.

Sarries were leading, justifiably, 12-6 when the game appeared to end after 82 minutes when the visitors' wing Alex Lewington snuffed out one final Tigers attack forcing Guy Porter into touch.

The officials, however, were razor sharp and correctly adjudicated that Aled Davies had dived off his feet after the completed tackle to make another challenge. Both Porter and Lewington were already sliding into touch so it was completely unnecessary as well as illegal.

Penalty to Tigers, kick to the corner, lineout rumble, collapsed maul and a clear penalty try with Billy Vunipola, adjudged to have collapsed the maul, earning a yellow card. Against all odds it was a 13-12 win and Welford Road roared like yesteryear.

Before the game Steve Borthwick had caused much raising of eyebrows by making widespread changes after two encouraging wins with the theory being that a packed bench might be the way forward against Sarries.

Whether that in fact was what decided the game is a moot point – Tigers rarely looked like scoring after the break when the changes came – but Saracens didn't capitalise on their dominance and Tigers showed plenty of ticker, dug in and stayed in the contest.

In the first half the visitors, winners of nine of the last ten League encounters between the sides, squeezed the life out of Tigers in trademark fashion and Tigers didn't help their own cause with a succession of inaccurate box-kicks from Ben Youngs.

Legitimate tactics on the day but such kicks still need to be well executed.

Drama: Referee Christophe Ridley looks closely at the collapsed maul before awarding Tigers a penalty try

PICTURES: Getty Images

The result was a steady accumulation of points by Owen Farrell who was on target with three of his four pots at goal with the one he missed by no means the most difficult.

There was however a chink of light for Leicester right at the end of the half when Saracens Fijian prop Eroni Mawi, having helped win an important scrum time penalty for his side, had it reversed for a ridiculous and needless push at his opponent.

Mawi was having an absent-minded few minutes, having bumped into colleague Ralph Adams- Hale as he was helped off with a painful looking arm injury. Adams-Hale, trooper that he is, laughed off the extra pain.

After the break Leicester rang the changes as expected, although the result was subtle rather than dramatic.

The appearance of Freddie Steward, albeit on the wing and not his normal position of full-back, added some solidity to the back three while scrumhalf Jack van Poortvliet kept Saracens honest around the fringes.

The one moment of real excitement came when the young Tigers scrum-half dobbed down after Max Malins had been undone by a kick through that hit the foot of the post and bounced awkwardly. The home crowd celebrated but Van Poortvliet made no attempt to retreat before being played onside and the try was scrubbed off.

It seemed like the game's key moment but that was yet to come.

By BRENDAN GALLAGHER

Leicester ……….13pts

Tries: Penalty 80+3

Penalties: Ford 40, 74

LEICESTER: Burns 6 (Socino 64), K van Wyk 6, Porter 7, Kelly 7, Saumaki 6 (Steward 47, 7); Ford 6.5, B Youngs 6 (Van Poortvliet 46, 7); F van Wyk 6 (Genge 46, 7), Doly 7 (Cowan-Dickie 77, 6), Cole 7 (Leatigaga 66, 6), Green 6.5 (Henderson 66, 6.5), Chessum 7, Martin 7.5, Reffell 7, Liebenberg (c) 8.5

Penalties: Farrell 8, 10, 33, 48

Saracens ……….12pts