Northampton Saints player ratings vs Leicester Tigers | 2025/26 Gallagher PREM

Northampton Saints player ratings: Northampton succumbed to a record derby loss to Leicester Tigers on Saturday, losing 41-17 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in the Gallagher PREM.

Here’s how the Northampton players rated:

15 George Furbank – 6
Winded heavily in the opening minute after chasing Fin Smith’s clever chip, but to his credit carried on. Produced the final pass in Northampton’s excellent opening try and carried more than anyone else on the field with 16 carries for 99 metres, though too much of that came from deep and under pressure. Defensively there were issues. Barely laid a hand on Ollie Hassell-Collins for Leicester’s second try and generally struggled to stem Tigers’ momentum out wide. The game rarely allowed him the space to counter-attack in the manner he usually thrives.

14 Tommy Freeman – 7
One of Northampton’s more threatening backs despite seeing limited quality possession after the opening quarter. Did well early on to gather a dangerous Ollie Hassell-Collins chip and took his first try confidently in the corner after slick Saints handling. Continued working throughout and supported Tom Litchfield brilliantly for Saints’ late consolation try. Finished with 70 metres, four defenders beaten and 10 tackles completed in a busy display.

13 Rory Hutchinson – 6
Produced an excellent moment in the build-up to Saints’ opening try, fixing three Leicester defenders to create the overlap outside him. Beyond that, his influence faded as Leicester’s midfield power gradually took over. Worked hard enough in defence with five tackles but struggled to generate attacking momentum once Tigers gained control physically.

12 Fraser Dingwall – 5
A frustrating outing for the Saints midfielder. Fell off the tackle on Will Wand in the build-up to Leicester’s second try and defensively looked unusually vulnerable throughout, missing five tackles overall. His attacking opportunities were limited and Leicester’s line speed prevented him from building combinations with Fin Smith in the wider channels. One turnover won and seven tackles completed showed effort was there, but Saints needed more leadership defensively.

11 George Hendy – 6
Started brightly with the initial linebreak in Saints’ classy opening try and looked dangerous whenever he found space. Unfortunately for Northampton, those moments became increasingly rare as Leicester squeezed the game territorially. Grabbed a late score in the final 10 minutes after good work from Henry Pollock, but by then the contest had long since slipped away.

10 Fin Smith – 6
Immediately tested Leicester’s defence with a clever chip in the opening minute and orchestrated Saints’ early attacking shape superbly. Northampton’s opening try had his fingerprints all over it and his willingness to play flat kept Tigers guessing initially. However, the game gradually drifted away from him as Leicester dominated collisions and territory. Missed his only kick at goal, conceded three penalties and defensively had a difficult afternoon with four missed tackles. Still showed glimpses of class, particularly with his linebreak just before half time.

9 Alex Mitchell – 6
Saints never truly established the tempo Mitchell thrives on. There were still flashes, particularly around the fringes where he made 25 metres and threatened around the breakdown, but Leicester’s aggressive defensive line prevented him from dictating play consistently. His service remained sharp enough, though Northampton struggled badly once they lost momentum up front.

1 Emmanuel Iyogun – 5
A tough afternoon against Joe Heyes. Wilted under the pressure of Leicester’s tighthead in the opening completed scrum and Saints never truly recovered at the set-piece. To his credit, he did carry with intent and finished with 12 metres from nine carries alongside 13 tackles completed, but Leicester targeted the scrum effectively throughout.

2 Robbie Smith – 3
Really struggled at the lineout and Saints’ set-piece instability badly disrupted their ability to build pressure. Was withdrawn at half time after a difficult first 40 minutes. Worked hard defensively with nine tackles, but the throwing issues proved costly against a Leicester pack thriving off momentum.

3 Luke Green – 5
Found himself under increasing pressure as Leicester’s scrum gained dominance. Defensively he put in a solid shift with 12 tackles completed, but Saints were unable to generate any platform through the set-piece. Like the rest of the front row, spent much of the contest retreating.

4 Chunya Munga – 6
A late replacement for Tom Lockett and arguably Saints’ busiest forward defensively. Completed a remarkable 17 tackles, the highest tally in the match, and kept throwing himself into collisions despite Leicester repeatedly carrying over the gainline. Didn’t offer much with ball in hand but showed real resilience in difficult circumstances.

5 JJ van der Mescht – 5
A relatively quiet game by his standards. Never truly imposed himself physically and Leicester managed to blunt his carrying impact effectively. Still chipped in defensively with six tackles and some important clearout work, but Saints needed much more punch from such a key figure in their pack.

6 Josh Kemeny – 7
One of Northampton’s better performers despite the yellow card. Produced an absolutely monstrous tackle on Will Wand early on to prevent what looked a certain try and consistently brought physicality to Saints’ defence. His yellow card shortly after half time was costly, arriving just as Leicester were building momentum again, but overall he remained one of the few Saints forwards capable of matching Tigers physically.

7 Sam Graham – 6
Worked tirelessly throughout and provided one of Saints’ better carrying threats in the first half, helping create Tommy Freeman’s opening try with a strong surge. Finished with 14 tackles and only one miss, but Leicester’s power game gradually drained his influence as the contest wore on.

8 Callum Chick – 5
A nightmare start after being yellow carded inside the opening 10 minutes while Saints were haemorrhaging penalties. Leicester immediately capitalised through George Martin’s try and Northampton spent much of the opening quarter scrambling. To his credit, he responded with some strong carrying and a linebreak which led to George Hendy’s late try, but the early disciplinary issues proved hugely damaging.

Replacements – 5
The bench struggled to shift the momentum of the match. Craig Wright was yellow carded for retaliating after Joe Heyes shoved him following Leicester’s maul try, summing up Saints’ frustrations. Henry Pollock at least brought some energy, touching the ball regularly, getting under Leicester’s skin and producing the final pass for George Hendy’s try. Tom Litchfield also made a strong impact late on with an excellent offload to put Tommy Freeman over. Elsewhere though, Saints never found enough physicality or control from their replacements to seriously challenge Leicester’s dominance.