This can safely enter the canon of classic East Midlands derbies. A first-half hat-trick from centre Tom Litchfield ensured the Saints will march to Twickenham for the second time in the three seasons as Northampton finally snuffed out some ferocious Leicester physicality.
As much as the Prem marketeers would have dreamed of this semi-final match-up in advance, it somehow exceeded expectations with the game seemingly played on a see-saw so much did momentum swing one way and then the other. There was a boatload of biff but there was beauty too, especially in the battle of the fly-halves between Fin Smith and Billy Searle.
Leicester had the edge at the scrum and the bruise brothers of Ollie Chessum and George Martin delivered some earth-shattering tackles. Yet on the biggest stage of club rugby, the defining performance was by Northampton back-row Henry Pollock. Accused by some of being a show pony, here he was Saints workhorse, making an astonishing 26 carries. Of course there were some highlight-reel moments, including a crucial turnover late in the first half, but this was Pollock carrying the team on his back, after Tigers got under his skin at Welford Road last month.
“I thought he was excellent,” Phil Dowson, the Saints director of rugby, said. “The thing that pleased me the most is that a lot of flak came his way post Welford Road and you can talk about loads of things that Henry does really well but I think his ability to learn from experience and apply that very quickly and effectively. I think how he has changed how he talks to referees has changed in probably three weeks and how he deals with confrontation has changed as well. I hope that gets noticed how quickly he has matured. His power is nuts and ability to beat players with his speed and to understand when to pass the ball and when not to.”
It was fitting that the killer blow was delivered by full-back George Furbank with six minutes remaining of his last appearance at Franklin’s Gardens as a Saints player. Just as Ollie Hassell-Collins’ excellent finish had opened the door for a Leicester comeback, hope was snuffed out by Furbank after some delicious interplay between Smith and Tommy Freeman.
The Friday night atmosphere was already electric by kick-off and there was barely a moment to draw breath from there on. Jamie Blamire levelled Smith. A kind bounce would have put Will Wand under the posts. Instead Northampton countered to devastating effect. Pollock broke past Jack van Poortvliet and found Rory Hutchinson on his shoulder with a basketball pass before Litchfield carved past Blamire for the opening score.
Leicester hit back immediately, although they benefited from a forward pass by Archie McParland in his own 22. Tigers are not ones to look a gift horse in the mouth and the close-range scrum set in motion a series of pick and goes which resulted in Hanro Liebenberg burrowing over.
Saints were their own worst enemies too often in this period and a penalty for dissent against Curtis Langdon gifted Leicester another ribbon-wrapped entry into the red zone. Leicester attack coach Pete Hewat dipped into his box of party tricks with Tigers shaping to form a maul only for Chessum to pop the ball out to Freddie Steward who powered through McParland’s tackle.
Then came a Northampton haymaker. A beautifully weighted diagonal kick by Freeman resulted in Steward and Searle colliding into each other and Litchfield gleefully mobbed up the bouncing ball. Now the momentum was all with Saints. Smith’s linebreak cut open Leicester’s defence and his kick ahead was expertly controlled and grounded by Freeman.
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 12, 2026OH MY WORD THAT WAS WORLD CLASS 😱🔥
Fin Smith breaks the line, and delivers a pinpoint kick 🎯
Tommy Freeman races there to finish for @saintsrugby in style 💨.
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At 21-12, it felt Saints could have taken the game away from Leicester but Pollock had a try disallowed in a purple patch. Instead Leicester struck next. A high tackle by Emmanuel Iyogun on Joe Heyes, who had given him a good going over at the scrum, enabled Searle to kick to the corner. The maul was stopped but Searle produced a beautiful banana kick to Hassell-Collins who stepped inside Furbank and barrelled over Freeman.
The last word of a riproaring half went to Saints. Pollock won a holding penalty on Searle and after working their way to within a foot, McParland threw a long pass to Litchfield for his hat-trick score and a 26-19 half-time lead.
The first score of the second half felt crucial and it went to Saints with wonderful hands from Hutchinson and Smith putting Furbank over. Yet no sooner was there daylight on the scoreboard than Leicester were firmly back in the contest as Orlando Bailey shrugged off Freeman in the corner and Searle nailed a touchline conversion to make it a one-score game again.
Elliot Millar Mills had a try disallowed for a harsh knock-on against George Hendy. Leicester rubbed salt in the wounds with Archie van der Flier winning a scrum penalty, but he then undid his good work with a needless shot on Pollock.
England’s golden boy was in the wars as Martin landed a huge – but legal – tackle, but just as it looked like Leicester were winning the physical exchanges then Tom Pearson found a hole. Fantastic hands from Dingwall and Furbank put McParland under the posts. Hassell-Collins responded but just as Tom Wood did here in 2014 so the indelible image will be of Furbank diving over in the corner with six minutes remaining.
Match details
Scoring sequence: 5-0 Litchfield try, 7-0 Smith con, 7-5 Liebenberg try, 7-10 Steward try, 7-12 Searle con, 12-12 Litchfield try, 14-12 Smith con, 19-12 Freeman try, 21-12 Smith con, 21-17 Hassell-Collins try, 21-19 Searle con, 26-19 Litchfield try, 31-19 Furbank try, 33-19 Smith con, 33-24 Bailey try, 33-26 Searle con, 38-26 McParland try, 40-26 Smith con, 40-31 Hassell-Collins try, 45-31 Furbank try.
Northampton Saints: G Furbank; T Freeman, T Litchfield (F Dingwall 56), R Hutchinson, G Hendy (C Langdon 78); F Smith, A McParland (J Weimann 78); E Iyogun (D Fischetti 53), C Langdon (C Wright 53), E Millar Mills (L Green 63), A Coles (T Lockett 77), E Prowse (JJ van der Mescht 63), J Kemeny, T Pearson (C Chick 66), H Pollock.
Leicester Tigers: F Steward; A Radwan, W Wand (I Perese 56), O Bailey (S Kata 66), O Hassell-Collins; B Searle, J van Poortvliet (T Whiteley 75); N Smith (A van der Flier X), J Blamire (C Clare 56), J Heyes (W Hurd 66), G Martin (C Henderson 73), O Chessum, H Liebenberg, T Reffell, J Moro (O Cracknell 63).
Referee: Luke Pearce.
Tigers front five should beef up England
In the final reckoning, this game will be remembered as the triumph of Northampton’s beauty, but how the beasts from down the road played their part in what was one of the Prem’s greatest matches. Four of Leicester’s starting front five were English and, in front of Steve Borthwick and his England coaches, the quartet made a compelling case for inclusion in the squad for this summer’s Nations Championship.
And, with how this East Midlands derby played out – a Test in all but name – the foursome of Jamie Blamire, Joe Heyes, Ollie Chessum and George Martin may well find themselves in the starting XV when England face South Africa on July 4 in Johannesburg.
England have missed Martin, in particular. Some of his tackling, as Northampton turned the screw in the second half, was as burly and as brutal as this historic fixture has seen. Memories came flooding back of that shot from Martin on Franco Mostert in the 2023 World Cup semi-final, but the gigantic forward’s pull-back pass for Ollie Hassell-Collins’s second-half try was as deft as anything witnessed on Friday night. In what was his final match as a Tiger, Martin could not have given more in a losing cause as he trudged off, spent, in the 73rd minute.
The fact that Henry Pollock, the peroxide-blond flanker with a mammoth number of carries, tackles and jackals, and his team still emerged victorious is a sign of Saints’ class and quality in what was a match for the ages. How Pollock was not awarded the official player-of-the-match award remains a mystery to all.
Moments earlier, Martin’s second-row partner, Chessum, had absolutely flattened their fellow England lock, Alex Coles. All three will surely tour this summer and, on this evidence, second row has turned from an area of weakness for Borthwick to one of strength. Chessum, as his side’s captain, was utterly magnificent again at Franklin’s Gardens and Borthwick could do far worse than to hand the Leicester lock the England captaincy this summer. At the final whistle, few were as emotional as Chessum, as he consoled his troops in a huddle and, begged for privacy from lurking photographers and social-media influencers. Coles, too, impressed in a pack that eked enough out of Leicester to allow their staggering backs to flourish. At the restart, Coles was imperious.
Leicester as a collective could not have given it more of a lash, but Northampton were deserved victors. At the scrum and line-out the Tigers got the upper hand until the final moments of the game, with the result decided, but whereas at Mattioli Woods Welford Road last season the Saints were unable to penetrate their neighbours’ defence, on Friday night Northampton played with a pace and handling accuracy that would be the envy of most sides globally.
On that theme, there are not many teams that could live with Leicester’s front five in the global club game; and what a shame for fans on that side of the East Midlands that it is virtually being disbanded. Nicky Smith, the phenomenal Welsh loosehead, played his final match for Leicester. Sale is his next destination. So, too, Martin, who will be a Saracen next season.
At least, off the bench, Leicester were able to introduce Archie van der Flier, one of the Prem’s most improved players and another aggressive character who will be right in the frame for England’s summer tour.
Blamire has been one of the unsung heroes of the Leicester pack and his naming in TNT Sports’ Prem team of the season was entirely justified. Heyes has developed into England’s most important player this summer. Last Wednesday, he was named England’s men’s player of the season and, without Will Stuart, Heyes will have to carry his autumn form, his Six Nations form, and his Leicester form to Johannesburg and the world’s best scrum next month.
In terms of a proving ground for the world champions, Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night came about as close as English rugby gets. For Saints, there is one final tilt at glory to come; for Leicester’s beasts, the jersey shall soon be white.
Leicester head coach Geoff Parling
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“We are devastated. We have an incredibly special group that have come together and worked hard together. We are devastated to fall short but fair play to Northampton, who were outstanding. They afforded themselves the chance to rest players last weekend and probably had a bit more zip than us. I am so proud of our players. This hurts and we have to do things better next year and I already know a few things we need to work on. This has been an incredibly special group of players. They have made the decision to come together and fight for each other. Ollie Chessum has been outstanding for us.”
Northampton DOR Phil Dowson
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“Relief! Massive relief! You spend all season getting your processes right and then the pressure is on against a good team tonight. We keep reminding ourselves that at the start of the season this is what you want so you have to enjoy that. This evening we managed to get a lot of our game onto the pitch. These are the weeks [building up to the final] you dream of and we have to make sure we enjoy it. We want to be excited about this week. You spend a lot of time on the side of the mountain so you have to enjoy being near the top.”
End of the road
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Leicester’s season is now finished but they played their part in an enthralling semi-final tonight. Their players are in a huddle and captain Ollie Chessum has tears running down his face as he delivers an impassioned speech.
Man of the match Fin Smith
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“A huge amount of relief. Leicester have a hell of a pack and throw the ball around at times. It was a proper arm wrestle. We would not admit it but we were nervy coming into this one as they are a great outfit. You could tell the whole town was up for this one all week, wherever you went. Credit to the Leicester fans, who came out in great numbers, and it was a great occasion. Our front five muscled up well, out set-piece was good and our work at the breakdown was good. I have so much quality either side of me. We have played well all year and been top for so long so if we had not made the final we would have let ourselves down a bit.”
Post-match thoughts of Tommy Freeman
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“A bit lost for words. It was a big evening for those lads leaving. Phil Dowson made a big point of that game being one for the people who turn up in training every week and do not necessarily play. To see George Furbank score in the corner at the end was pretty special. His parents are season ticket holders and he has been a supporter from a very young age. We had a four-minute highlight reel on Monday to show how good he is and what he has done for this club. He will be sorely missed and is a massive role model around here. He looks like he has so much time every time he gets the ball. The crowd are magnificent, especially on a Friday night. Hopefully there might be some sore heads after this one. This is a pretty special place to be. We will make sure we will celebrate this one and will have a big challenge whoever we face in the final.”
Emotional night
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Northampton captain George Furbank will swap the east Midlands for London this summer as he joins Harlequins but he will have one more match in a Northampton shirt in the final in eight days. He scored twice in his final home game for Northampton and is pretty emotional at full time.
Full time
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Northampton boot the ball out of play to bring an enthralling night in the East Midlands to a close. Northampton book their place in the final courtesy of a 45-31 win over their bitter rivals Leicester. What a fantastic game of rugby!
80 mins: Northampton 45 Leicester 31
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Northampton are awarded a scrum penalty and then it properly kicks off as tensions boil over. Leicester are marched back 10 metres. Game nearly over.
79 mins: Northampton 45 Leicester 31
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Another penalty goes Leicester’s way after a Northampton offside. Leicester take another quick tap. However, Liebenberg knocks on at the base of a ruck and that is game over really.
78 mins: Northampton 45 Leicester 31
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Leicester have not given up quite yet and have a penalty inside the Northampton 22. Not only that but Wright is sent to the bin for a cynical act. Just a couple of minutes to go.
TRY! Furbank at the double
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Is that the score that finally seals the victory for Northampton and their place in the final? F Smith picks out Freeman on the right wing with a crossfield kick and the latter steps back inside Steward to take Northampton into the Leicester 22. Freeman offloads to Furbank, who runs onto the pass at pace and scores in the corner in his final few minutes on this ground as a Northampton player. F Smith cannot add the extras but Northampton lead by 14 with just a few minutes remaining.
74 mins: Northampton 40 Leicester 31
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Martin, who has only just returned from a long time out injured, makes his way off after a mammoth performance. England head coach Steve Borthwick is in attendance tonight and will be happy to have seen that performance from Martin, who could well have finished his final game for Leicester ahead of his move to Saracens.
TRY! Hassell-Collins keeps game alive
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Just when you think Leicester are out of this, they strike back and stay in this match. It is another great try full of quality. Searle spots space in behind the Northampton defence and executes his grubber kick to perfection, allowing Hassell-Collins to race onto it to gather and score. However, Searle cannot make the conversion and it stays as a two-score game.
69 mins: Northampton 40 Leicester 26
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Leicester are not giving up hope as they win a scrum penalty just inside their own half and Searle kicks towards the Northampton 22.
TRY! McParland finishes off fine Northampton move
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The hosts have had plenty of tries disallowed tonight but that one will not be. It is a glorious score, with Pearson making the initial break from just inside the Leicester half. Then follows a series of lovely offloads to put McParland into finish despite the best efforts of van Poortvliet. F Smith gets the conversion and Northampton’s lead grows back out to 14 points.
64 mins: Northampton 33 Leicester 26
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That is a massive defensive hold from Leicester, who force a knock-on five metres from their own line. If Northampton had scored there, it may have been Goodnight Vienna!
63 mins: Northampton 33 Leicester 26
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Leicester’s discipline is starting to slide a little as they concede a penalty just outside their 22. The TMO is now going to step in to look at a possible high shot from Martin on England teammate Pollock. On initial showing, it looked fine but the more angles you see and the more you slow it down, the more Martin could be in trouble. From one angle, it looks fine but there is one angle where it looks bad. The initial contact appears to be on the chest rather than the head. Leicester captain Chessum is not happy and probably understandably so as a high tackle on him earlier was not punished. They decide there is no foul play and it is play on, which feels like a fair call.
We go back for the original Northampton penalty on the Leicester 22 and F Smith puts it into the corner.
62 mins: Northampton 33 Leicester 26
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Northampton bring on giant South African van der Mescht, all 145kg of him!
NO TRY! Millar Mills’ score chalked off
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That Northampton try will not stand. There was a knock-on from Hendy on the floor a few phases before and the try is chalked off.
Leicester are in fact really saved by that knock-on; if that had not happened, not only would Northampton have a seven-point score but Steward could well have been in trouble for a high shot on Millar Mills.
That is an incredibly harsh call against George Hendy. The ball did advance but the ball never looked to have left the wing’s arm. How pivotal could that be?
TRY! Millar Mills powers over
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Northampton have a big, big score right under the sticks. A few phases after Hendy is brought down just shy of the line, Millar Mills goes over from close range.
But will this stand?
57 mins: Northampton 33 Leicester 26
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That is terrific covering work in defence from Steward. A grubber kick is sent through towards the Leicester line, with the likes of Hendy and Hutchinson racing after it. Steward gets across and not only gathers but manages to not be bundled into touch or over his own line.
Litchfield, who became just the fifth man to score a hat-trick in the Prem play-offs, comes off to a standing ovation. Dingwall is on in his place.
53 mins: Northampton 33 Leicester 26
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You can sense the tension inside Franklin’s Gardens, with a place in the final at stake. The game is being played at such a high tempo and it is not stop-start in any way, shape or form.
Northampton are making a couple of changes in the front-row with Wright and Fischetti coming on.
This has turned into a serious, serious rugby match. A Test in all but name. Riveting sport.
TRY! Bailey keeps Leicester alive
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This semi-final is not over. The ninth try of the game goes the way of the visitors as Bailey manages to get out of the attempted tackle from Freeman to score. Searle nails the conversion to make it a seven-point game. Leicester simply had to score next and they have done so.
47 mins: Northampton 33 Leicester 19
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Chessum asks referee Luke Pearce to take a look at a possible high shot from Iyogun. Watching one replay, it looked like a fairly clear-cut high tackle but the officials have somehow cleared it. Leicester do have a penalty anyway, which Searle puts into the Northampton 22...
45 mins: Northampton 33 Leicester 19
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Leicester make a change at loosehead prop as van der Flier replaces Smith, who may have finished his final game for the club before joining Sale this summer.
TRY! Furbank crashes over
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On his final home appearance in a Northampton shirt, Furbank goes over to give the hosts the perfect start to the second half. They have another penalty advantage but do not need it. Sublime offloads from Hutchinson and then F Smith allows Furbank to go over. F Smith’s conversion bends back in and Northampton’s lead is up to 14 points.
43 mins: Northampton 26 Leicester 19
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Northampton think they have their fifth try of the night but it is ruled out. They have a penalty advantage in hand inside the Leicester 22 and Litchfield goes over in the left corner for what he thought was his fourth try of the game but there was a forward pass just before which referee Luke Pearce immediately blew for. We go back for the penalty and Northampton will take a quick tap...
41 mins: Northampton 26 Leicester 19
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Northampton are on the attack straight away, breaking from their own 22 over halfway through Hendry. Eventually McParland is brought down just shy of the Leicester 22 but Reffell gets back for the visitors and gets over the ball really well to win the visitors an important penalty.
Second half
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We are back under way at Franklin’s Gardens, with Northampton seven points ahead. Will the second half delivery the same drama as the first?
A thrill a minute!
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A truly fabulous half of rugby; the Prem at its finest. A full house, hoarse throats, and no one can take their eyes off it. Saints deservedly lead by seven at half time and are in the driving seat but Leicester simply are not lying down. A fascinating, fiery 40 minutes to come.
Half-time: Northampton 26 Leicester 19
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And breathe! That Litchfield try is the final act of the first half and Northampton take a seven-point advantage into the break. That was a fantastic half of rugby that went one way and then the other and then back again. Let’s hope for more in the second half!
TRY! Litchfield secures his hat-trick
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What a moment for the 24-year-old, who has a hat-trick inside the opening half of a Gallagher Prem semi-final. F Smith’s conversion slides wide of the right upright but that is a huge score on the stroke of half-time.
TRY! Hassell-Collins finishes off terrific Leicester move
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Leicester needed that just five minutes before half-time. A few minutes ago, Northampton thought they had the fourth try but now Leicester are within a handful of points. Searle spots Hassell-Collins in space on the left wing and picks him out with a crossfield kick. Hassell-Collins’ finish is then sublime. Searle’s conversion looked like it was going wide but goes just inside the post. Just two points in this one now.
34 mins: Northampton 21 Leicester 12
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The TMO is stepping to check possible foul play. The incident in question is a possible high shot from Iyogun on Heyes. There is head-on-head contact but a late change of direction from Heyes. Referee Luke Pearce deems it low danger and just a penalty. In some ways it is good to see that being given just a penalty but with modern rules some referees might have deemed that to be worthy of a yellow.
NO TRY! Pollock score ruled out
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Northampton thought they had their fourth try, which had been coming, but it is chalked off. Freeman’s great solo work form inside his own half is undone as Pollock was offside as Freeman chipped ahead before passing to Pollock to score so the try does not stand.
An absolute scorcher ruled out for the Saints there. A crying shame because it really deserved a score. Had the try stood, it probably would have been the ball game, too.
TRY! Pollock extends Northampton’s lead
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That try was coming. But will it stand?
30 mins: Northampton 21 Leicester 12
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This has been an exhilarating opening half an hour of this semi-final, played at such great speed and tempo. I think you also have to credit referee Luke Pearce for that, allowing the game to breathe and not allowing any long stoppages.
27 mins: Northampton 21 Leicester 12
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Saints have really upped their physicality in the last 10 minutes and it has started to show. Leicester have slipped off a few tackles but the Tigers are clinging on with that muscular scrum. Another score for Northampton, however, and it could be curtains for the visitors.
TRY! Northampton extend lead after sublime score
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That is a terrific assist and finish. F Smith makes the break from around halfway and advances towards the Leicester 22. As he is being hit, he puts a lovely grubber kick ahead towards the Leicester line. Freeman gets to it first ahead of Hassell-Collins and hacks ahead before sensationally dotting down one-handed. F Smith gets the conversion.
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 12, 2026OH MY WORD THAT WAS WORLD CLASS 😱🔥
Fin Smith breaks the line, and delivers a pinpoint kick 🎯
Tommy Freeman races there to finish it off in style 💨@SaintsRugby back in front.
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TRY! Litchfield at the double after huge Leicester error
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Litchfield capitalises on a massive mistake from the visitors and we now have four tries in the opening 16 minutes. Hutchinson’s grubber kick ahead into the Leicester 22 causes problems for Searle and Steward, who end up colliding. That means the ball comes loose and Litchfield is on hand just to simply dot down for his second try of the game. F Smith adds the extras and Northampton are back in front.
TRY! Steward puts Leicester in front
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It has been a great response from the visitors after falling behind early. It is a special move from Leicester straight from the quick tap, faking a maul and Steward, on his return from injury, is able to stretch out and dot down. This time Searle nails his conversion and Leicester lead by five. Chessum played a big role in that as they executed that first-phase move to perfection.
That is a sensational finish from Freddie Steward from a nifty tapped penalty. Leicester have, as many predicted, been very direct so far. The question is can Northampton stop it over 80 minutes? The Saints have undoubtedly been the more stylish of the two teams so far.
12 mins: Northampton 7 Leicester 5
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Leicester are into double digits for phases as they get closer to the Northampton line. The visitors then have a penalty advantage for offside and perhaps should score in the right corner but the pass goes to ground. We go back for the penalty five metres out and Leicester will take the quick tap...
10 mins: Northampton 7 Leicester 5
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Referee Luke Pearce lays down the law. Northampton believe they should be awarded a scrum penalty but Pearce allows play to go on. Northampton hooker Langdon screams at Pearce and the referee is having none of it, giving Leicester the penalty on halfway, which Searle puts into the Northampton 22.
TRY! Liebenberg responds for Leicester
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The visitors strike back! With the penalty advantage in hand, Liebenberg, in what could be his final Leicester appearance, manages to power his way over despite having numerous Northampton defenders all over him. Searle’s conversion attempt is dreadful, missing a long way to the right.
7 mins: Northampton 7 Leicester 0
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Leicester have a penalty advantage in hand just a few metres shy of the Northampton line. Has Liebenberg got over the line?
6 mins: Northampton 7 Leicester 0
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From just inside the Northampton half, Searle puts a lovely grubber kick deep into the Northampton 22. Hassell-Collins races after it but Furbank appeared to get to it first. However, the final touch came off the boot of Hassell-Collins to give Northampton a lineout five metres from their own line. However, McParland throws a forward pass off the lineout to give Leicester a scrum deep inside the Northampton 22.
TRY! Litchfield gives Northampton perfect start
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The first try of the night comes inside two minutes and Franklin’s Gardens roars! It all stems from a Pollock break from the fringes of their own 22 into the Leicester half. It is then finished off by Litchfield, who spots a gap in the Leicester defensive line near the visitors’ 22 and runs in to score. F Smith converts and Northampton have the perfect start. That is the fastest try in Prem play-off history.
As Saints open the scoring here, what an opening from Henry Pollock. A big carry, a bewildering pick-up off his boot-straps, and a lovely ball for Hutchinson to break down the flank.
Kick-off
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Fin Smith gets us going. Who will book their place in the final; Northampton Saints or Leicester Tigers?
Nearly ready for action
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The visitors Leicester are booed as they emerge from the tunnel. You can sense the rivalry inside a packed out Franklin’s Gardens. Then come Northampton, led out by Emmanuel Iyogun on his 100th appearance for the club, before the rest of his teammates emerge. Their captain George Furbank comes out as a home player here for the last time before his move to Harlequins this summer.
Reminder of the teams
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Northampton Saints starting XV: 15. George Furbank (captain), 14. Tommy Freeman, 13. Tom Litchfield, 12. Rory Hutchinson, 11. George Hendy; 10. Fin Smith, 9. Archie McParland; 1. Emmanuel Iyogun, 2. Curtis Langdon, 3. Elliot Millar Mills, 4. Alex Coles, 5. Ed Prowse, 6. Josh Kemeny, 7. Tom Pearson, 8. Henry Pollock.
Replacements: 16. Craig Wright, 17. Danilo Fischetti, 18. Luke Green, 19. JJ van der Mescht, 20. Tom Lockett, 21. Callum Chick, 22. Jonny Weimann, 23. Fraser Dingwall.
Leicester Tigers starting XV: 15. Freddie Steward; 14. Adam Radwan, 13. Will Wand, 12. Orlando Bailey, 11. Ollie Hassell-Collins; 10. Billy Searle, 9. Jack van Poortvliet; 1. Nicky Smith, 2. Jamie Blamire, 3. Joe Heyes, 4. George Martin, 5. Ollie Chessum (captain), 6. Hanro Liebenberg, 7. Tommy Reffell, 8. Joaquin Moro.
Replacements: 16. Charlie Clare, 17. Archie van der Flier, 18. Will Hurd, 19. Cameron Henderson, 20. Olly Cracknell, 21. Tom Whiteley, 22. Solomone Kata, 23. Izaia Perese.
Battles galore
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There are loads of fascinating head-to-heads in the starting XVs - Jack van Poortvliet v Archie McParland (for the England No 9 shirt perhaps?) plus George Furbank v Freddie Steward at full back - but I think the more intriguing subplot is the make-up of the benches. While Billy Searle is back from a hamstring injury, they have no specialist fly half cover in a 5-3 bench. Saints meanwhile have gone 6-2 with the heavyweight trio of JJ van der Mescht, Tom Lockett and Callum Chick ready to add some extra heft to the pack in the final quarter.
Under the radar?
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Is it possible for the team that finished top of the table and who broke the 100-try barrier to come into the play-offs under the radar? So much of the focus last week was on Bath v Leicester plus Exeter v Saracens while Saints have rather coasted to the home semi-final. Certainly the feeling around the club when I was there two weeks ago was that Saints have not been at their best because they have not faced a must-win game. Against their nearest and bitterest rivals, this certainly classifies as that.
‘New team song and 18ft python: How Geoff Parling united Leicester dressing room’
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There is nothing flash about the changing rooms at Oval Park, the longstanding training base of Leicester Tigers. There are missing ceiling tiles, the paint on the benches is chipped and cracked, and there are more coat-hangers strewn on the floor than at Paris Fashion Week.
But these rooms have seen their fair share of rugby prestige come and go. Even as recently as 12 months ago, Ben Youngs, England’s most-capped men’s player, Dan Cole, Julián Montoya and Handre Pollard were all lacing up their boots within them. That is more than 500 caps of Test quality plus a head coach in Michael Cheika who had all but won it all. Yet at Leicester, each figure is just passing through.
As the Tigers prepare for a fourth Prem play-off in five years, the memories of successes past still linger, but a new crop is catapulting Leicester into a new era. Two losses to finish the Prem regular season dashed Leicester’s home play-off dreams, but those defeats buck the trend of a campaign which has surpassed most expectations.
“Fiery and febrile”
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Anticipation is in the air at cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens. Most of the fans in the stadium’s village, alongside the glorious water feature, believe it will be a case of Leicester‘s forwards against Northampton’s backs; frankly, a fair assessment. What we can say for certain, after the two sides met last month, is that it will be fiery, febrile, and unbelievably close. No one at this stadium, the England coaches among them, would be surprised if we had extra time on our hands. We are in for a cracker.
Recent form of the two sides (all Gallagher Prem)
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Northampton:
Harlequins 38 Northampton 31
Northampton 36 Gloucester 32
Northampton 94 Bristol 33
Leicester 41 Northampton 17
Northampton 41 Bath 38
Leicester:
Bath 24 Leicester 22
Leicester 26 Exeter 35
Sale 33 Leicester 47
Leicester 41 Northampton 17
Saracens 19 Leicester 15
Daniel Schofield: My week with Northampton was one of constant laughter... and a few haymakers
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Monday: Welcome ‘Trent Crimm’
A queue of season-ticket holders is already forming outside the Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens as seats are released for Northampton Saints’ home play-off match. Inside the ground, Phil Dowson, the club’s director of rugby, is giving a tour to Telegraph Sport, which has been given an access-all-areas pass leading into Saints’ final regular-season match at Harlequins. As he explains to the assembled squad and support staff at a team meeting later that morning, the outside world sees barely five per cent of Northampton’s working week on a Saturday afternoon. By throwing the doors open, he is hoping to shine a light on the cogs that make the machine whirr on a match day.
The day started with a 7am coaches’ meeting. An hour later, strategy meetings begin with individual units around attack, line-out, scrum and defence. Sam Vesty, Saints’ head coach, leads the attack strategy meeting but spends as much time discussing various players’ Saturday night excursions as he does reflecting upon the 36-32 victory over Gloucester.
Just a few weeks ago...
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Granted it was at Welford Road but how much of a psychological boost would Leicester have taken from thrashing Northampton last month?
You know it is summer when these shirts come out...
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Teams
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Northampton Saints starting XV: 15. George Furbank (captain), 14. Tommy Freeman, 13. Tom Litchfield, 12. Rory Hutchinson, 11. George Hendy; 10. Fin Smith, 9. Archie McParland; 1. Emmanuel Iyogun, 2. Curtis Langdon, 3. Elliot Millar Mills, 4. Alex Coles, 5. Ed Prowse, 6. Josh Kemeny, 7. Tom Pearson, 8. Henry Pollock.
Replacements: 16. Craig Wright, 17. Danilo Fischetti, 18. Luke Green, 19. JJ van der Mescht, 20. Tom Lockett, 21. Callum Chick, 22. Jonny Weimann, 23. Fraser Dingwall.
Leicester Tigers starting XV: 15. Freddie Steward; 14. Adam Radwan, 13. Will Wand, 12. Orlando Bailey, 11. Ollie Hassell-Collins; 10. Billy Searle, 9. Jack van Poortvliet; 1. Nicky Smith, 2. Jamie Blamire, 3. Joe Heyes, 4. George Martin, 5. Ollie Chessum (captain), 6. Hanro Liebenberg, 7. Tommy Reffell, 8. Joaquin Moro.
Replacements: 16. Charlie Clare, 17. Archie van der Flier, 18. Will Hurd, 19. Cameron Henderson, 20. Olly Cracknell, 21. Tom Whiteley, 22. Solomone Kata, 23. Izaia Perese.
Which East Midlands rival will make the final?
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The Gallagher Prem semi-finals kick off with an East Midlands Derby as Northampton Saints host Leicester Tigers at Franklin’s Gardens, fighting it out for a place in next weekend’s final at Allianz Stadium. These sides met just over a month ago at the start of May, with Leicester dominating the game at Welford Road, running out 41-17 winners. However, Northampton did win the reverse fixture 32-26 on this ground back in October.
Northampton finished top of the tree in the regular season and earned the right to rest some key players last weekend on the final day of the regular season having already sealed top spot with a game to spare. After winning their second Prem title two years ago in 2024, they finished down in eighth last year.
“It is going to be hugely exciting this week and it is why we want to play the game; a home draw in the semi-final against Leicester,” Northampton DOR Phil Dowson said. “They had the upper hand a month ago so it is made, it is a great narrative. We know the crowd and the media will respond to that and it will be well built up.”
Leicester missed out on the chance to claim a home semi-final on the final day of the regular season as they played a winner-takes-all game at Bath last weekend. Had they won that game, they would be at home in the semi-finals this weekend but they lost by just two points. They made the play-offs last season, beating Sale in the semi-finals before losing by just two points to Bath in the final.
“I am sure it is going to be two teams going at each other from the off, we know what we are about and what they are about,” Leicester head coach Geoff Parling said. “It is a chance for the players and the group to go and push on and perform and put themselves out there again. I always think our game can improve, every part of it. So let’s just keep ripping in and see where we can push to. It is a big game with lots of history but for us it is a new game with new moments and we will prep in general like we prep most weeks.
“For me it is about which team does the basics best and which team stays clear in the moment, they are probably the two most important things in this game. What an opportunity, what a chance and I think this week we can either sit back with a bit of trepidation or you can just embrace it and get into them so let’s have smiles on our faces, let’s go about our business and get stuck in.”
The omens are not in Leicester’s favour; since the play-offs were introduced, the home team has won 86% of the games. Leicester though did manage it in May 2008, when they won at Gloucester.
Tomorrow, the second semi-final will take place at The Rec as defending champions Bath host Exeter Chiefs. Kick-off from Franklin’s Gardens is at 7.45pm.