A clinical and brutal Leicester Tigers performance saw off local rivals Northampton Saints in a tight PREM Cup battle.
Tries from Joaquin Moro (x2), Tom Whiteley, Will Wand and Ollie Allan saw a handsome 34-22 win for the hosts over their nearest and dearest at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
The victory means Tigers retain a strong lead in PREM Cup pool B.
Tigers drew first blood in a frantic opening. A well-placed kick from Whiteley caused indecision in the Saints backfield, and then when the ball bounced Moro was on hand to scoop up the loose ball and canter over. The perfect start for Tigers coming within three minutes.
It was a cold evening at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, but there is nothing better than an East Midlands Derby to warm the extremities, especially when the Tigers forwards front up and overpower the opposition early on.
Northampton tried to hit back immediately with a driving lineout, but a big maul defence effort from the Tigers pack forced uncontestable ball and a home scrum. The away side continued to press though, and soon forced a score to equalise the try-count through lock JJ Van Der Mescht, although Brett Deacon's side retained the lead as the conversion was missed.
Northampton should have soon taken the lead, but were held back by a brilliant try-saving tackle from Whiteley as he held back the bigger and stronger Craig Wright and forced a loose pass into touch.
Saints had all the momentum though, and soon had the try to show for it. Again it was a close-range carry from the South African giant Van Der Mescht.
Whiteley continued his all-action game and almost created a solo-try from nothing as he sniped around the blindside and chipped over to score. He wasn't to be denied though, and owes a huge debt of gratitude to his pack. The ABC (and friends) pushed Saints off their own ball and gave the 29-year-old his score.
George Furbank took the lead back for Northampton with a cool drop goal, but it wasn't for long. Just before the break, a period of sustained pressure in the away side's 22 saw Moro force his way over for his second of a player-of-the-match performance for Tigers.
Half time score Leicester Tigers 19-15 Northampton Saints
In front of a crowd of 17,140, the start of the second half was a tight affair. Both sides fought for physical superiority but the half remained scoreless for 17 minutes. The Breedon Terrace was as loud as ever though, particularly when there were minor disagreements between all 30 players.
Will Wand broke the truce with a pick-up-and-gather after some fantastic play from Billy Searle. Tigers' ten skated through a hole in the away midfield and nudged the ball through for a classic assist as his outside centre took the glory.
Searle's penalty on 67 minutes extended the lead to 14 points and there was still time for a cherry to top the cake.
Ollie Allan forced his way over with a Ben Youngs-esque snipe from the base to extend the lead beyond 20 points and although Oliver Scola scored a consolation in the 80th minute for the visitors, the clock was in the red and the game done.