By Tigerstart
January 14 2003

Tigers fell behind to a combative and probing Northampton. Having trailed most of the game, 15-0 down, Tigers crawled their way back to a scoring opportunity but could not get through the Saints defence, losing 10-15. Tigers combined U21 players with first team members who required vital match practice - Tiernery to be match fit and Raynor to grasp the game plan. Tierney looked sharp, but tried to drop goals at various angles and kick up when other options would have been more desirable. Raynor looked unsure but made a few dazzling breaks, notably in 26th minute when he zig-zagged around two defenders. However, Raynor will now be nursing a suspected broken bone in his hand that will delay any first team appearances.

Saints swarmed all over Tigers right from the kick off and were on hand to sneak over Tigers line, especially as the Leicester defence was seriously stretched. McMullen provided a quick service, but woefully kicked ball from hand, as he pulled an attempted drop goal in the 25th minute. Tigers were put under a lot of pressure on their own line by a powerful Saints pack, but were able to turn possession. Gerry's gusto of tackling the defender far too early led to Saints captain Reihana easing Northampton into a 0-8 at half-time.

It took Tigers late into the game to comprehend the combative edge of the Saints pack and their running backs, as the usual supreme U21 forwards took charge of a simple game plan of lineout, catch and drive with Holford picking up two tries. Myring and Taylor chose the unlucky green kicking tee, as both conversions were missed. The second half surge saw Tigers pressure upon Saints line but Northampton held tight.

Northampton deserved the victory, as they often found a Tigers defensive line stretched and they were wise to dominating in the scrum, especially in a driving maul. Tigers Extras took a while to settle down to create a platform to work off, but Tierney looked sharp and playing with McMullen brought a decent pairing, if given an extended run at the half-back partnership together. Hipkiss made surging breaks from centre, where he looked strong and Ben Gerry was a good support player at the breakdown. In summary, Tigers worked hard at clawing their way back from 15 points down but with a dodgy referee they could not find the last spark to take full control of the game.

Scoring sequence:
17 mins Saints try by Harding 0-5
42 mins Saints pen by Reihana 0-8 (injury time)

42 mins Saints try by Howard and con by Reihana (in off the posts) 0-15
45 mins Tigers try by Holford 5-15
63 mins Tigers try by Holford 10-15

Date: Monday 13th January 2003
Time: 7pm k/o
Weather: Cold but dry
Crowd: 250
Referee: “Ruby”, as he was called when the touch judge asked for some replacements to be let on
Sin bin: 42 mins Gerry (took man out too early and not back 10) and 77 mins Saints rep 19
Man-of-the-match: Michael Holford
Viewing rating: 3/10
Match reporting team: TT, Gareth, Gareth Senior, Daddy NO.2, Bro, Inkworm and girlyfriend, and Tiger-ess

Tigers Team:
15 Tim Taylor
14 John Holtby
13 Adam Billig
12 Dan Hipkiss
11 Gareth Raynor
10 Craig McMullen
9 Tom Tierney (TT's namesake)
1 Michael Holford
2 James Buckland (capt)
3 Ricky Nebbett
4 Lee Morley
5 James Hamilton
6 Peter Short
7 Ben Gerry
8 Luke Abraham
Replacements: Peter Cook (71 mins Holford), Stuart Friswell, Rob Hurrell (68 mins Hamilton), Ben Wheeler, Tom Hayman (68 mins Gerry), Nathan Jones (71 mins Tierney), Luke Myring (38 mins Raynor and 49 mins Taylor), Steve Glitherow (14 mins Holtby BLOOD)

Saints Team:
15 Ina Vass
14 Jon Sleightholme
13 Mark Tucker
12 Mark Gary
11 Bruce Reihana (capt)
10 Ben Russell
9 Johnny Howard
1 Kelvin Todd
2 Dan Richmond
3 Chris Budgen
4 Matt Lord
5 Jon Phillips
6 Sasha Harding
7 Nick Hill
8 Darren Fox
Replacements: Simon Hepher, Arthur Brenton, Matthew Groves, Peter Bucknall, Matt Miles (all were used)