Leicester Tigers earned an impressive 28-7 victory over defending champions Northampton Saints at a soaking Mattioli Woods Welford Road. Saints led at half-time but had no answer as the Tigers scored four tries after the restart. Leicester now enjoy a third win in four league games and have beaten their East Midlands rivals at home for a fourth season running, moving up to second in the table.<br><br>The wet and windy conditions played a part early as Northampton grabbed the opening try after seven minutes when Fin Smith chipped towards the Leicester line, Billy Searle fumbled, and James Pater pounced to score.
Freddie Steward kicked a penalty to make it 7-3 at half-time.<br><br>Leicester dominated the second half. Jamie Blamire grounded from a driving maul, Cameron Henderson scored in the corner, and Finn Carnduff crashed over from close range after a Saints maul collapsed illegally. Searle added a penalty and Steward touched down under the posts for a bonus-point try.<br><br>Bristol Bears moved third with a hard-fought 20-7 win over Exeter Chiefs in appalling conditions at Ashton Gate.
It was their fifth successive league victory over Rob Baxter's men after an old-style war of attrition in heavy rain and strong winds. Exeter squandered several scoring opportunities in the slippery conditions, while Bristol's superior handling let them apply sustained pressure before pulling away.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing