Northampton Saints 32 Leicester Tigers 26: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

As the old saying goes - the game isn't played on paper, so while Saints called for the cavalry ahead of Saturday's East Midlands derby, victory was far from guaranteed.

As shown when they were humbled 33-0 on home soil by their nearest and not so dearest back in March, it often takes Saints time for the pieces to be put successfully back together.

So though they were able to recall their four British & Irish Lions stars, none of whom had played a single minute since the summer tour of Australia, it was still a big ask to beat a Tigers team whose game plan allows them to click into gear faster.

That was what happened on that horrible night seven months ago, when Saints got absolutely nothing going and put absolutely no points on the board on derby day.

Fin Smith came straight back into the team on that occasion, just six days after finishing the Six Nations, and it was so tough to steer a ship he'd been away from for so long.

But he and his Saints team-mates clearly learned a lot from that sobering experience, and they put it into practice on Saturday afternoon.

It was far from perfect, it was never going to be, but this time Saints refused to go quietly into the night.

Instead, they found a way, any way, to get pieces of their game back together.

And it proved to be just about enough as their character, which was on full show in the nerve-shredding win at Gloucester last Sunday, came to the fore once again.

It was no coincidence that the stars of this particular show were players like Tom Pearson, Callum Chick, Edoardo Todaro, Tom Litchfield and Anthony Belleau - men who have been able to get into their groove to incredible effect during the start of the season.

With the Lions players unavailable and a laundry list of injuries, those men had stepped up in the opening three competitive matches to make sure Saints had not been beaten.

And you could tell how much their match practice helped them on the big stage on this occasion.

But you could also see the class of the Lions stars, too, as they settled back into this Saints picture far more seamlessly than could really be expected.

That speaks to the experience they have gained and the quality they have, that they were able to come back into key positions and have real influence at key times.

And it bodes well for Saints as this is a team that, once is shakes off its rust, is able to become so formidable, as shown towards the end of last season.

The black, green and gold bounced back from that Tigers mauling in March to make it all the way to the Investec Champions Cup final, getting better week on week as they really got into their stride with players having more time to settle alongside each other.

Saints' game style relies on connections and after a largely clunky opening to the game against Tigers, you could see them starting to build those relationships all over the field again.

It meant they were able to score a couple of trademark team tries while taking advantage of two favourable bounces of the ball, which, it must be said, were made by the bravery of the decision making from Alex Mitchell and super-sub Belleau.

Tigers refused to go quietly - they never will - and Freddie Steward was quite majestic in the air as his team played to their strengths.

But Saints found a way to ultimately ensure their game style trumped that of the men from up the M1.

And how important it felt on a day when Phil Dowson's side were able to maintain momentum that they will hope only grows stronger in the weeks and months to come.

How they rated…

GEORGE HENDY - such a shame for this man, who is just having no luck with injuries. He had to be helped from the field and Saints will have to hope for the best for him

TOMMY FREEMAN - his 100th appearance didn't quite go the way he wanted as he was forced off early in the second half, but he still got to celebrate a win and he did produce a couple of trademark moments of class... 7

RORY HUTCHINSON - took the belief he showed in the win at Gloucester into this game, showcasing some typically crisp passing while also looking determined to keep his physicality levels high... 7.5

FRASER DINGWALL - the centre produced a couple of key passes in this match and also stood tall in defence, as ever, for his team... 7.5

EDOARDO TODARO - CHRON STAR MAN - Edo again, Edo again, Edo again, olé, olé, olé! The incredibly talented young Italian back produced another huge showing, in which he notched a try assist and a try... 8.5

FIN SMITH - celebrated his new contract with a try and made some big hits for his team against some big men as he once again demonstrated his immense quality... 8

ALEX MITCHELL - a fantastic return from the scrum-half as he not only engineered two tries in attack but he also raced across to make a series of key tackles to stop Tigers in their tracks... 8.5

MANNY IYOGUN - didn't get the rub of the green at scrum time as he was penalised twice for angling in, but he made a huge hit in open play and gave everything for the cause... 6.5

ROBBIE SMITH - made his first start since last October and put himself about throughout his time on the pitch, grabbing possession on the ground on a couple of occasions to stop the Tigers threat... 7

TREVOR DAVISON - soldiered on in this one after appearing to take a first-half knock, and he was an important presence once again... 7.5

TOM LOCKETT - his power in defence disrupted Tigers on a couple of occasions and he carried hard whenever he got the chance... 7.5

JJ VAN DER MESCHT - his best game in a Saints shirt so far as he made some humongous carries that Tigers found so hard to stop... 8

ALEX COLES - a towering presence wherever he plays and he was able to show his breakdown prowess as part of his all-round ability... 8

TOM PEARSON - after watching the game back, you can see the immense contribution this man made to it. He seemed to be everywhere at times, displaying incredible physicality, and he even capped the performance with a try... 8.5

CALLUM CHICK - what a warrior and what a workhorse. He just keeps ploughing on, game after game, taking at least two opposition players with him at a time as he blasts holes in defences... 8.5

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

TOM LITCHFIELD (for Hendy 22) - a huge showing from the powerful centre as he played on the wing and provided a try for Todaro by displaying excellent composure... 8

ANTHONY BELLEAU (for Freeman 43) - we've said it before and we'll say it again... what a signing! Having started the season at fly-half, he dropped to the bench and then dropped an incredible cameo from full-back, scoring twice and also racing across to stop a Tigers try... 8.5

CRAIG WRIGHT (for Smith 50) - a huge performance from the bench from the hooker as he thundered into collisions, kept the lineout steady and won one vital breakdown penalty in front of his own posts... 7.5

DANILO FISCHETTI (for Iyogun 50) - had a big impact here as he helped Saints to get the better of Tigers at scrum time and he was also very useful in the loose... 7.5.

JOSH KEMENY (for JJ van der Mescht 51) - a crucial cameo from the Australian, who pouched the ball late on to effectively put an end to the game... 7.5

LUKE GREEN (for Davison 57) - a first PREM appearance of the season for the tighthead prop, who will be important going forward due to Saints' injury issues in that position. Did a really good job here... 7