Northampton 26 (21) Tries: Drahm, Ruud, Cohen Con: Drahm Pens: Drahm (2) Drop: Drahm Leicester 11 (11) Tries: Lloyd Pens: Vesty (2)

Northampton hauled themselves off the bottom of the table by producing one of the biggest Zurich Premiership upsets of the season against Leicester.

Saints pounced on every Tigers' error to score first-half tries from Shane Drahm and John Rudd, with Drahm adding a conversion, two penalties and a drop.

Leon Lloyd's try and two penalties from Sam Vesty got Leicester back on track.

But they failed to build momentum and were punished when Ben Cohen struck five minutes from time to seal the win.

Northampton were missing six key players because of injuries and international calls, while runaway league leaders Leicester went into the game on a high after their 83-10 trouncing of Newcastle.

The boys have found a bit of belief - Leicester were stripped bare of several internationals but you've got to play the game in front of you and if it's Leicester it's always going to be big Saints coach Budge Pountney

But Saints produced their most passionate opening spell for months and punished their opponents with points in the first 20 minutes.

Northampton kept up the momentum while the visitors over-complicated and infringed before Neil Back was sin-binned in the 13th minute for wrapping up the ball at the bottom of a ruck.

Drahm punished that offence with a penalty, then drilled over a left-footed drop-goal before Vesty's 21st-minute penalty got Leicester on the board.

Then it was Bruce Reihana's turn to get into the act from full-back, surging down the blindside and putting wing Rudd in for the second Northampton try on the right in the 24th minute, with Drahm converting.

Saints played with a passion, enthusiasm and urgency which we expected - we never gave up, but we weren't able to match it Tigers coach John Wells

Drahm's second penalty edged the hosts further ahead before the Tigers finally got a foothold in the game by driving down the right.

Vesty slipped Lloyd through a midfield hole to the line, then added a penalty at the end of the half to ensure John Wells' men only trailed by 10 points at the break.

Leicester duly reverted to a route one offensive after the break, playing for position and launching their familiar driving maul from lineouts.

Austin Healey then missed two penalties and when Tuilagi lost the ball Cohen found room to squeeze over in the right hand corner as Franklin's Gardens erupted.

Northampton: Reihana, Rudd, Starling, Stcherbina, Cohen, Drahm, Howard, Emms, Richmond, Morris, Lord, Browne, Fox, Krige, Blowers.
Replacements: Human for Starling (56), Sturgess for Morris (79), Budgen for Lord (80), Seely for Browne (53), Soden for Blowers (76). Not Used: Fulton, Myring.

Leicester: Rabeni, Holtby, Lloyd, Gibson, Healey, Vesty, Bemand, Holford, Chuter, Morris, M. Johnson, Hamilton, W. Johnson, Back, H Tuilagi.
Replacements: A. Tuilagi for Rabeni (68), Hipkiss for Holtby (77), Buckland for Chuter (68), Rawson for Morris (78), B. Deacon for W. Johnson (50), Abraham for H. Tuilagi (68). Not Used: Warren.

Referee: Ashley Rowden (RFU)