TIGERS KO’D
Horne suffers... but so do Leicester
SAINTS skipper Rob Horne suffered a 12-second knockout but his side got off the canvas to stun Tigers.
Aussie Horne was rushed to hospital after a first-minute collision with Leicester No.8 Sione Kalamafoni and with him sparko his team sparked out the hosts.
Leicester have slipped out of the play-off spots and have games against Newcastle and Sale to come – with both of them chasing the top four.
Centre Horne was awake and talking at Leicester Royal Infirmary last night and his side – smashed by Saracens last weekend – gave him something to talk about.
They shipped 60 points then and have nothing to play for but still won here for the first time in the league since 2007.
No one outside the club saw it coming but stand-in boss Alan Dickens reckons he saw the signs in midweek. He must be psychic.
Dickens said: “The training session on Wednesday was as good as we have had for a long time.
“Was it a surprise? No. The players stood up. We asked for an 80-minute performance and that is what we got.
“We had players who played today who haven’t got a contract for next season, so I thought it shows what you can do when you pull together.”
Northampton have been a shower this season and conceded 48 secondhalf points against Saracens. Tom Wood, the flanker not playing here, said they had downed tools since winning the Premiership in 2014 and they have had a stinker. Kiwi Chris Boyd takes over as top dog next season and the Hurricanes chief will visit the club on Monday to sort out pre-season plans. And Saints travelling fans must have feared the worst even though they led 17-12 at the break with scores from Ben Foden and scrum-half Cobus Reinach. Foden’s five-pointer in the ninth minute was started by a break from a rejuvenated prop Paul Hill and Reinach’s grea tfinish was courtesy of Teimana Harrison’s neat pass.
Tigers scored through Telusa Veainu and Matt Toomua and when Ahsee Tuala made a mug of George Ford on 44 minutes Saints led 24-12.
Ford closed the gap with his boot but Stephen Myler (left) got a penalty when Leicester infringed at a scrum.
Tigers scored on 78 minutes when sub Jonah Holmes scampered over but it was chalked off for obstruction by George Worth.
Ref Matt Carley got that one right but Tigers did not agree. Boss Matt O’Connor said: “It is never an obstruction. The beauty of slow-mo and over-analysing those situations is that sometimes you get them wrong.”