Northampton tighten grip on top spot with thumping defeat of Leicester

20/04/2024 18:40

• Northampton 40-17 Leicester
• Five-try victory over rivals maintains Saints' excellent form

Another week, another thumping win for Northampton, who could afford to leave out a handful of their star names and still put arch-rivals Leicester to the sword with plenty to spare. This was their fourth home match in a row and with the scrum-half Alex Mitchell in fine fettle, their fourth resounding victory to continue their two-pronged assault on silverware this season.

It was a painful afternoon for Leicester, who huffed and puffed on Dan Cole's 235th club record appearance in the league and stayed competitive until Solomone Kata's red card for a high tackle on Fraser Dingwall on the hour mark. That Northampton could call on Fin Smith and Tommy Freeman for impressive cameos - all the while leaving Courtney Lawes and Ollie Sleightholme out of the squad all together - demonstrates the gulf in class between these two sides at present.