Leicester Tigers 29-15 Northampton Saints
The Tigers leapfrog the Saints in the league
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The boot of Jeremy Staunton helped Leicester Tigers pick up a 29-15 win over Northampton Saints at Welford Road.
Despite missing 18 players to international duty and injury Staunton converted five penalties to see the Tigers leapfrog the Saints into fourth place in the league.
Four penalties from Jeremy Staunton helped the Tigers to a 19-12 half-time lead but tries from Christian Day and Chris Ashton kept the Saints within touching distance.
A late Anthony Allen score in the second half killed off the Saints and ended their hopes of picking up a bonus point in the process.
Steven Myler tried his luck with a long-range drop goal after the Saints had made a strong start to the match, pinning the Tigers back inside their own 22, but his attempt drifted inches wide.
But it didn't take long for the visitors to take the lead with lock Day scoring six minutes into his first Premiership start of the season.
The Tigers lost possession on half-way allowing Myler to feed Ashton who stepped inside Johne Murphy and sent Day over for a simple try. Myler put his conversion straight through the uprights to make it 7-0
And it was 7-3 six minutes later, Jeremy Staunton slotting a simple penalty after Regardt Dreyer had driven into the side of a ruck and the outside half brought his side to within a point with another penalty with 20 minutes on the clock.
Leicester were beginning to dominant and were soon ahead albeit off the back of a Saints attack.
Myler threw a loose pass in the Tigers 22 and winger Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino raced the length of the pitch to touch down in the corner. Staunton continued his success with the boot by adding the extras to put his side 13-7 ahead.
Myler had a chance to make amends for his error moments later but screwed a penalty attempt well wide of the right hand upright after the Tigers had been caught offside.
With half-time approaching Staunton stretched his side's lead with two more penalties but Saints were given hope with an Ashton try with seconds of the half left.
Bruce Reihana brushed off two weak Tigers' tackles before offloading to Ashton who stepped outside Scott Hamilton and slid in at the corner. The half-time whistle followed Myler's unsuccessful conversion attempt.
The second half began slowly and it was 14 minutes before the score changed again. Staunton adding his fifth penalty after Neil Best had gone in high on Martin Castrogiovanni.
But Myler cancelled those points out immediately after Johne Murphy went off his feet at the ruck, yet Saints still trailed 22-15 with 20 minutes remaining.
That score put the Saints right back in it and they almost clawed five more points back but Lee Dickson's leg was adjudged to have been in touch before he went over in the corner.
With five minutes to go and Saints pushing to draw level substitute Barry Everitt literally threw the game away.
The second choice fly-half's long, wild pass was picked off by Allen who strolled under the posts to secure a 29-15 win.