Saints try-scorer and scrum-half Robinson spins the ball away

Leicester: (0) 9
Pens: Humphreys 3

Northampton: (3) 10
Tries: Robinson
Pens: Myler
Cons: Myler

Northampton stunned Premiership leaders Leicester at Welford Road to give their survival hopes a huge boost.

The Tigers have not lost to an English team at home since a Powergen Cup loss to Gloucester in December 2004, their last league loss back in January 2004.

Mark Robinson ran in a stunning try and Stephen Myler kicked five points on his Premiership debut for Saints, who had lost six of their last seven games.

Ian Humphreys kicked three penalties for Leicester but Saints hung on.

The Tigers were left rueing two missed penalties and were denied a 67th-minute pushover try when television replays proved inconclusive.

Myler, making his first Premiership start at fly-half after Carlos Spencer was ruled out with a calf strain, missed a penalty in the 11th minute but did land the only points of the first half before the half-hour.

Leicester should have drawn level on the resumption but Paul Burke sent his penalty attempt wide.

The miss proved to be costly when Robinson picked up Sam Vesty's kick and set off on a 50 metre run to the line.

He shrugged off Brett Deacon's last-ditch tackle to cross with Myler landing a difficult conversion to make it 10-0 after 44 minutes.

Leicester made changes and Humphreys, on for Burke, kicked a 47th-minute penalty.

The Tigers piled on the pressure and Humphreys booted another to reduce the gap to four points, but missed with a further attempt.

Humphreys sent his next penalty into touch to set up a catch and drive, from which Tigers claimed a try but the television replay was inconclusive.

Humphreys kicked another penalty five minutes from time to set up a grandstand finish, but Leicester could not find a way through the Saints defence.

"We have a strong enough squad to win regardless of the absence of six internationals.

"But we constructed so little and I'm very disappointed. That's two weeks in a row when missed opportunities have cost us.

"We could have finished things off but we lost our way. I think that's the worst performance since I've been at Welford Road."

"Stephen kept us going and has a big future. He has that air of quality that makes it look like he has time on the ball in pressured situations.

"There's a bit of relief in the dressing-room but this is just one step on a difficult journey.

"We played with a lot of passion and attitude and that's half the battle. We came here with no expectatioins from anyone. We were big underdogs and sometimes that allows you to throw off the shackles."

Leicester: Vesty, Rabeni, Hipkiss, Smith, A Tuilagi, Burke, Bemand, Ayerza, Hickie, Moreno, Cullen, Kay, B Deacon, Jennings, Crane.
Replacements: Buckland, Holford, Croft, Abraham, F Murphy, Humphreys, Gibson.

Northampton: Reihana, Diggin, Mallon, Quinlan, Cohen, Myler, Robinson, Smith, Hartley, Tonga'uiha, D Browne, Short, Tupai, Fox, Hopley.
Replacements: Cortese, Budgen, Lord, Rae, J Howard, Going, Bourett.