Sometimes a club final arouses emotions that even the grandest of Test matches cannot surpass. This was one of them, a spectacular finish made even more special by the sight of Tom Youngs, whose wife, Tiffany, died this month, hoisting the Premiership trophy to the heavens alongside Ellis Genge. Out of darkness into the light, for all connected with Leicester and the Youngs family.
The outpouring of joy – and relief – at the final whistle was also indicative of the long and winding trek the once-mighty Tigers have had to undertake to regain their old status. Not since 2013 have England’s erstwhile superclub been crowned domestic champions and the coup de grace could scarcely have been more dramatic, a last-gasp drop-goal from the replacement stand-off, Freddie Burns, breaking the deadlock.
