Northampton Saints reach Premiership final with high-scoring victory over Leicester Tigers
Northampton Saints defeated Leicester Tigers 45-31 in a thrilling East Midlands derby semi-final at Franklin's Gardens to advance to the Premiership final at Twickenham. Tom Litchfield scored a hat-trick and captain George Furbank crossed twice in what was his final home appearance for the club before joining Harlequins next season. Northampton will face either Bath or Exeter Chiefs in the final, where they will look to defend the title they won at Twickenham in 2024.
Northampton Saints booked their place in the Premiership final with a 45-31 victory over Leicester Tigers in a high-scoring East Midlands derby semi-final at the Cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens. Tom Litchfield scored the fastest try in Premiership play-off history after just 87 seconds, going on to complete a hat-trick, while departing captain George Furbank added two second-half tries in his final home game for the club. The match was marked by relentless scoring from both sides, with Leicester's Ollie Hassell-Collins also crossing twice and Freddie Steward scoring on his return from thumb surgery. Northampton led 26-19 at half-time despite Leicester briefly taking the lead, and although Tigers kept threatening in the second half, Saints ultimately pulled clear — finishing with 14 men after Craig Wright was sin-binned in the 78th minute. Saints head coach Sam Vesty credited the speed of his team's ball and breakdown work as key factors, while Leicester coach Geoff Parling cited the physical toll of two short-turnaround fixtures compared to Northampton's rested squad. Northampton, who topped the regular-season table, will now travel to Twickenham to face the winners of Saturday's semi-final between defending champions Bath and Exeter Chiefs.
What different sources said
- BBC Top StoriesCenter
Northampton overcome Leicester in derby classic to reach Prem final
- The TelegraphRight
Northampton into Prem final after gloriously chaotic win over Leicester
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