Saracens began their PREM Rugby campaign with a 40-38 win over Leicester Tigers at Welford Road, surviving Nick Isiekwe’s second-half 20-minute red card before Rotimi Segun scored the decisive late try.
BBC Rugby Union reported that the visitors won a 12-try contest after exchanging leads repeatedly in the second half. Segun crossed twice while Saracens were a player down, with his second score arriving seven minutes from the end after Leicester replacement James Thompson had put the home side back in front.
The result gave Brendan Venter a winning start to his second spell in charge of Saracens. RugbyPass also reported that the match opened Saracens’ Gallagher PREM campaign, while BBC said it was the fourth away victory in five fixtures across the competition’s opening weekend.
Saracens establish a half-time advantage
Saracens made the stronger start and were 21-12 ahead at the interval. According to BBC, Juan Martin Gonzalez and Tobias Elliott scored converted tries in the opening 10 minutes, before Leicester responded through Solomone Kata and Gabriel Hamer-Webb.
Leicester reduced the gap before half-time when Freddie Steward released Hamer-Webb with an off-load, although Billy Searle missed the conversion. Elliot Daly then finished a move on the left to give Saracens a second-score cushion at the break. RugbyPass reported that Daly had started at full-back before operating at outside centre and then left wing during the match, illustrating the adjustments required after Saracens lost centre Olly Hartley to an arm injury and Elliott temporarily underwent a head injury assessment.
BBC reported that Saracens’ attack remained effective despite their altered back-line, with Ben Earl initially introduced as a centre because of the visitors’ 6-2 bench split.
Red card changes the contest again
Hamer-Webb scored twice more after the interval to complete a hat-trick, with BBC reporting that Aaron Wainwright contributed to both of those Leicester moves. Earl also crossed for Saracens after taking up a more familiar back-row role following Alfie Barbeary’s half-time withdrawal.
The pivotal sequence came in the 54th minute. BBC reported that Isiekwe received a 20-minute red card for a high tackle on Steward, while RugbyPass described the incident as reckless head-on-head contact. The contact came several phases before Adam Radwan scored Leicester’s next try from Jack van Poortvliet’s chip through the Saracens defence.
Radwan’s score put Leicester ahead for the first time, creating the prospect of the hosts exploiting their numerical advantage. Instead, Saracens responded with Segun’s first try, finished from Daly’s cross-field kick, to regain the lead with 14 players.
Thompson then burrowed over to swing the game Leicester’s way again. But RugbyPass reported that Leicester replacement loosehead Tarek Haffar was subsequently shown a yellow card, and Max Malins’ pass sent Segun over in the left corner for the winning score.
Turnovers frustrate Leicester
Leicester head coach Geoff Parling told BBC Radio Leicester that his side had worked hard and done positive things, but had been too inaccurate in important pressure moments. He said Leicester had conceded 17 turnovers compared with Saracens’ 11, and identified that difference as a significant factor in the outcome.
Parling added that Leicester’s attack had created opportunities when the side carried and cleared out effectively, but said the team had too often surrendered possession cheaply and early. Hamer-Webb’s hat-trick, along with tries from Kata, Radwan and Thompson, therefore did not produce a winning opening result.
Saracens head coach Joe Shaw told the BBC that his players had calmly adapted to the changing circumstances, particularly after Isiekwe’s dismissal. He highlighted Daly’s work across four positions and said the final six or seven minutes, when Saracens had returned to 15 players and Leicester had 14, were crucial.
Tomos Williams was named player of the match, according to BBC. His flat pass created Earl’s try, and the new Saracens scrum-half’s contribution helped the visitors turn a difficult afternoon at Welford Road into an opening-weekend away win.