Leicester surged after halftime, turning a 7-3 deficit into a 28-7 win – can you imagine such a turnaround?
Northampton had led at the break on a drenched Welford Road, yet the Tigers unleashed four tries once play resumed.
The victory marked Leicester’s third success in four games and their fourth straight home win over their East Midlands rivals, lifting them to second place.
A soggy start saw the Saints strike first after seven minutes when Fin Smith’s chip set up James Pater’s try, with Smith converting.
Freddie Steward added Leicester’s opening points, blasting a clean penalty from just inside Northampton’s half at the 19‑minute mark.
The half‑time score lingered at 7-3, but a heated scuffle along the touchline hinted at fireworks to come.
Four minutes after the restart, a powerful maul crashed over and Jamie Blamire grounded, narrowing the gap to a single point after a missed conversion.
Soon after, the ball shifted left to Gabriel Hamer‑Webb, whose pass released Cameron Henderson for a corner try, the conversion again slipping wide.
Leicester pulled ahead comfortably when Finn Carnduff dived over in the 57th minute following a collapsed maul by the Saints.
With no conversions yet, Billy Searle stretched the lead further by slotting a penalty from directly in front of the posts.
Ten minutes left saw Tom Lockett receive a sin‑bin for a head‑on‑head clash with Solomone Kata, further destabilising Northampton.
In my view, Leicester deserved the bonus point as Searle’s long pass found Freddie Steward, who glided under the posts for the extra score.
Bristol see off Exeter in stormy conditions to move third
Bristol climbed to third after a gritty 20-7 triumph over Exeter in miserable conditions at Ashton Gate.
It marked their fifth straight league win against Rob Baxter’s side, earned through a classic, hard‑working rugby battle.
Exeter started strongly, pressuring the home line, but slippery handling cost them several clear chances.
Bristol, despite their own woes, handled the ball far better, keeping relentless pressure while Exeter’s defence held firm.
A long pass from Harry Randall found Gabriel Ibitoye, who sidestepped cover tackles to score in the corner, giving the Bears a 5‑0 lead.
James Williams nailed a tidy touchline conversion, then added a 35‑metre penalty after Olly Woodburn’s infringement, pushing the score into double figures.
Early in the second half Exeter seemed poised to score when Henry Slade missed a grubber kick from Sam Wolstenholme’s tee.
Moments later the Chiefs forced a penalty, Greg Fisilau crashed over and Slade converted, narrowing the gap.
They later rejected two viable penalties inside the 22, yet Bristol’s Williams kept them at bay with a precise kick three minutes from the end.
Luka Ivanishvili powered over shortly after, sealing the win and denying Exeter a losing bonus point.