Squinting into the bright midlands sunshine in the first half it was as if the clock had been rewound to another era entirely. Mike Brown playing with the exuberance of distant youth, Chris Ashton riding shotgun and Jimmy Gopperth, allegedly now 39, still making things tick in midfield. So much for the oval-shaped episode of Last of the Summer Wine we were all meant to be watching.
The illusion could not be sustained indefinitely but even a furious second-half revival from Saracens failed to ruin the distinctly old school vibe. While the Tigers may have fielded the oldest backline in Premiership history – average age 33 years and three months – they ultimately had too much early vim and vigour for the competition leaders, previously beaten only once in the league all season.
There was a distinctly tense finish, however, as Leicester’s senior citizens were slowly reeled back in from 24-3 ahead. Held up over the line twice and saved by a couple of other costly Saracens misjudgments with a winning try beckoning, the Tigers needed a dollop or two of luck but are now back within four points of third-placed Northampton in an increasingly congested league table.
Saracens, pipped at the post by the same opponents in last summer’s final at Twickenham, were left to rue a desperately sluggish start and their second-half profligacy in their opponents’ 22. Just six points behind with half an hour to play, they appeared the more likely winners, a last-ditch turnover from Julián Montoya proving a particularly key intervention after Alex Lozowski had seemed certain to score.
The fit-again trio of Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry and George Ford have been included in England’s 36-man squad for the Six Nations match with Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
Northampton forward Lawes, an England vice-captain, and Sale duo Curry and Ford return after respective calf, hamstring and achilles injuries. Kyle Sinckler, who sustained a facial injury in the 31-14 victory against Italy at Twickenham, also features.
Curry’s brother Ben has dropped out of the squad, while Ollie Hassell-Collins is unavailable due to a knee issue.
Manu Tuilagi is not involved after receiving a red card in Sale’s Premiership loss at Northampton on Saturday. There are places for uncapped pair Fraser Dingwall and Cadan Murley.
England are third in the table with six points after bouncing back from a 29-23 defeat by Scotland with the Italy result, their first victory under head coach Steve Borthwick. Bottom side Wales are without a point after two games since Warren Gatland’s return, having lost 34-10 to Ireland and then 35-7 to Scotland.
Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Tom Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler, Will Stuart, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis.
Backs: Henry Arundell, Fraser Dingwall, Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, George Ford, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Henry Slade, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs. PA Media
Two further fumbles by the replacement hooker Theo Dan and a penalty conceded for backchat were other crucial moments but it would have been mighty tough on Brown, making his Tigers debut at 37, had his outstanding display at full-back not been rewarded with a victory. “It’s tough sometimes that people use age as an excuse to write you off,” said the man of the match, without a club after leaving Newcastle last summer. “It’s as if they’re desperate for you to give up and crawl away and die somewhere. It’s good to remind people sometimes. I’ve been out of the game but I can still do it in the top league in the world, in my opinion.”
So much for youthful potential, latent promise and future development. Off the field, too, it has been a tricky few days for Leicester, currently enduring a cash flow crisis that has necessitated a £13m cash injection from two of their directors, but this was as Tigger-ish a performance on it as their fans have enjoyed in some time. If staging this fixture in the Six Nations period – with a host of internationals from both sides missing – felt unfortunate there was nothing wrong with the entertainment value.
The first try also offered a prime example of what England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, who has recalled George Ford, Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Fraser Dingwall and Cadan Murley to his squad, requires against Wales on Saturday. Jasper Wiese thundered past a couple of tentative attempted tackles and, with Saracens’ defence all at sea, his fellow South African Handrè Pollard nipped over. It was a not dissimilar story when Leicester scored again just five minutes later, the purposeful Brown making 40 metres straight through the heart of the visitors before Cameron Henderson applied the final touch.
Sarries were looking alarmingly static and Leicester had a third try on the board inside the first half hour. This one really was a blast from the past, the 35-year-old Ashton putting his former England teammate Brown over in the right corner as if it were suddenly 2010 all over again. At 24-3 up, the Tigers faithful were not so much bouncing as levitating.
The visitors did pull a close-range try back through Kapeli Pifeleti just before the interval and in the third quarter a loose pass from Gopperth enabled Alex Lewington to race 65 metres to score at the other end. With Alex Goode, playing his 350th game for Saracens, adding a couple of penalties it was 24-18 with half an hour still to play. When it really mattered, though, a mix of stout defence and collective desire gloriously disproved any notions of these gnarled old Tigers being too long in the tooth.
