PLAYER RATINGS

LEICESTER made another statement win at Mattioli Woods Welford Road as they beat Saracens thanks to a last-minute penalty try.

In a wet and miserable day in the East Midlands, the game largely reflected the weather for most of the 80 minutes, with every point scored off the penalty tee until the final score.

The kicking battle and set-piece play dominated proceedings, but there were some standout Tigers performances, especially in the loose forwards.

Here’s how our reporters Adam Dickinson and Ethan Clamp rated the players out of 10…

FREDDIE BURNS: This really wasn’t the game for Burns to show his best from full-back, he spilled too many high-balls as Leicester lost the kicking battle to Saracens – that was the root of their problems. He was better in the second half as Leicester came out with better protection tactics, but Tigers really missed the assured presence of Freddie Steward at 15. 5/10

KOBUS VAN WYK: It wasn’t a day for the outside backs, and van Wyk barely touched the ball in anger over the afternoon. He inexplicably dropped the ball on one of his few chances to run it wide - although Tigers were carrying a penalty advantage at the time - but he made a solid tackle down the wing on Segun and an athletic high-ball take as he back-pedalled. 6/10

GUY PORTER: It was a minimalist performance from Porter before the 80th minute. He made a solitary carry before the clock went into the red at the end of the game, but none of that will matter to Tigers fans. He made the key drive around the left-hand-side before being illegally pushed into touch by Aled Davies, that led to the final lineout drive. 6/10

DAN KELLY: Looked lively early on, when both teams were still trying to make metres on the ground before they abandoned all hope of an entertainment. He made a good carry off the first attacking lineout and snared Max Malins in the backfield, but conceded a ruck penalty later for sealing off. 6/10

HOSEA SAUMAKI : Was Leicester’s top carrier for the 48 minutes he was on the pitch, and made all of those 20m from his big carry in the first-half where he ran over Farrell, but then conceded a penalty moments later - a play that really summed up Leicester’s afternoon with ball in hand. 6/10

GEORGE FORD: It’s a difficult game to evaluate for Ford. He made his kicks at goal and eventually put Leicester in a position to win on the final attacking phase. He took play back against the grain to the left several times in the lead-up to the Porter penalty and it was usually fruitful for Tigers. However, Leicester lost the kicking battle for the most part and Saracens were well-prepared for the kick-off variations Ford attempted to employ. While he sent one out on the full he had another kick charged down in open play. 6.5/10

BEN YOUNGS: Box kicking was a mixed bag. Too many went too long into Saracens territory for Leicester’s liking and the difference in competition through the air was noticeable. However, Youngs did still have an impact. He made a crucial clear-up of a bouncing ball in Leicester’s try zone and put through a good grubber of his own which was unlucky not to yield more for Tigers. He also did Farrell with a cool step, but on the whole Leicester looked a bit livelier when

Jack van Poortvliet replaced the 32-year-old. 5.5/10

FRANCOIS VAN WYK: The South African conceded two scrum penalties, the most of the frontrowers, and it made sense that he was the first to be replaced from the forwards. He got a nice hit on Billy Vunipola at the lineout and also cleared up a dangerous bouncing ball on the floor in the second half. 5.5/10

NIC DOLLY: Given the conditions the hooker was arguably the most important player on the pitch. The Leicester lineout largely ran smoothly - they won 25 through the game - although a poor throw from the 22-year old cost Tigers valuable field position in the first half when Nick Isiekwe picked one off. He also conceded a coach-killing penalty for not releasing in the tackle, but overall it was a really mature performance from Dolly on just his third Premiership start. 7/10

DAN COLE: The veteran had the better of early Saracens loosehead replacement Eroni Mawi in the scrum, in one of Tigers’ few positive points in the first-half. It was Cole’s 194th Premiership appearance against Mawi’s league debut and the 34-year-old won a pair of penalties at set-piece. He was unlucky not to win another in the ruck, although he did concede one for collapsing the lineout and another at scrum time just before he was replaced. 7/10

CALUM GREEN: Green was part of a trio of Tigers who wreaked havoc on the Saracens lineout throughout, although Chessum and Liebenberg were more prominent in that role. Always active around the ruck, he stripped Vunipola but did concede a penalty in his own 22. 6/10

OLLIE CHESSUM: Carried hard, especially in the endgame as Leicester poured forward, and caused headaches all day long at set-piece. That includes an absolutely crucial intervention when Saracens had a lineout just 5m from the line and he disrupted it to prevent a maul forming. He nabbed a few cleanly, too, although Jackson Wray returned the favour on one throw in the first half and Chessum did concede a maul penalty later on. 7/10

GEORGE MARTIN: It looked like his biggest intervention might have been wandering offside for Liebenberg’s charge-down late in the game, which would have been a shame because it was another solid game from Martin. He was strong in close quarters and as a body in the maul game - particularly early on - but perhaps faded as the game went on. He also conceded the penalty that ended Tigers’ first foray into Saracens territory, chances that were at a premium throughout the afternoon. 6/10

TOMMY REFFELL: The halfcenturion was the main man tasked by Steve Borthwick to disrupt the Saracens breakdown, and was effective at winning penalties within that role. Replaced with 25 minutes to go. 7/10

HANRO LIEBENBERG: Immense performance. The captain, above, led from the front throughout. He terrorised the Saracens lineout and his influence grew throughout the game, culminating in the South African being one of the main driving forces behind the winning maul. He ould have made the crucial intervention earlier when he charged down a Saracens box-kick under the posts, and he never stopped looking for work. He was awarded with the BT Sports player of the math for his performance. The main blot on his copybook was a silly penalty for taking out Aled Davies right in front of referee Christophe Ridley. 8/10

REPLACEMNETS

TOM COWAN-DICKIE (for Dolly, 77 min) N/A

ELLIS GENGE (for F van Wyk, 46 min) 6/10

NEPHI LEATIGAGA (for Cole, 66 min) N/A

HARRY WELLS (for Reffell, 53 min) 6/10

CAMERON HENDERSON (for Green, 66 min) N/A

JACK VAN POORTVLIET (for Youngs, 46 min) 6/10

JUAN PABLO SOCINO (for Burns, 64 min) 6/10

FREDDIE STEWARD (for Saumaki, 46 min) 6/10