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From the kick-off Leicester were penalised for coming over the top and Lacroix kicked his first penalty

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From the kick-off Leicester were penalised for coming over the top and Lacroix kicked his first penalty.In the loose both Martin Corry, who at one point left Lacroix for dead, and Neil Back, twice stopped just short of the line, were causing mayhem. Stimpson's strikes were to prove the turning point of the match.There is no doubt that Leicester's enterprise deserved its reward. From the kick-off they had signalled their intentions when Austin Healey, loitering with nowhere in particular to go, suddenly spotted a gap. Only once, however, did they surrender the lead, when Thierry Lacroix kicked his second penalty to put Saracens ahead 20-17. But three minutes later Stimpson kicked the first of two colossal penalties, the first from fully 52 metres, the second on the stroke of half-time, to restore their lead and to put a proper prospective on the play.

First-half tries scored by Geordan Murphy and Dave Lougheed were both the result of Leicester's irrepressible desire to keep the ball moving, despite the seemingly insurmountable odds presented by Saracens' defence.As a consequence it was a match of vivid movement in which Saracens played their part, albeit this was limited to their well-marshalled forces, particularly at the scrummage. In an effort to overcome Leicester's shortcomings, Dean Richards introduced Fritz Van Heerden into the pack as early as the 24th minute, at the precise moment that Saracens had been awarded a scrummage a couple of yards from the Tigers' line. The ploy failed on this occasion because Saracens scored from the scrum. And for most of the game they put the Leicester line-out under pressure, principally through Kris Chesney and Scott Murray.Laudable as it was, Leicester's determination to progress by the more adventurous route often led them up blind alleys. But by making the most of their lively back division they at times made a mockery of the Saracens defence.More accustomed to playing a supporting role, the Leicester backs grabbed the limelight, and in their Australian Pat Howard had the most penetrative and imaginative runner on the field. But in the wider context of the league season it was hugely significant. In the coming weeks Leicester entertain all the leading sides at Welford Road and on this form that will be a thoroughly unpleasant prospect for the visitors Saracens, formidable opponents, were routed. For so long renowned for their overwhelming superiority in the line-out and at the scrummage, Leicester looked surprisingly vulnerable in both departments.

Long before the end they were a sad and weary shambles of a side, having been swept away by Leicester's all-consuming style.The Tigers scored five tries all of them from long range and, to add to Saracens' misery, Tim Stimpson put the boot in with 23 points from five penalties and four conversions.It was, for the first half at least, a classic contest in which there was a significant role reversal. But in the wider context of the league season it was hugely significant. This was an important enough result in itself for Leicester, in both the size and manner of the victory. This was an important enough result in itself for Leicester, in both the size and manner of the victory. It's a very hard language."If Jones-Hughes is not feeling homesick, perhaps it's because home is where the heart is "The Welsh get everywhere," he said. "My mum gave me a list of people to contact, and there are 30 that I can call family, from North Wales to Plymouth to London." It's not easy keeping up with the Jones-Hughes's..

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