Saracens beat Leicester 40–38 after Isiekwe red card and two Segun tries

Saracens beat Leicester Tigers 40–38 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Sunday, 27 September, surviving a 20-minute red card for Nick Isiekwe and several changes of lead in their PREM season opener. Rotimi Segun scored the last of the match’s 12 tries with seven minutes left, giving the visitors a two-point lead they held to the finish.

The result was especially hard on Leicester winger Gabriel Hamer-Webb, whose three tries helped turn an early 14–0 deficit into a second-half lead. Saracens, however, found answers after both Leicester’s first surge and Isiekwe’s dismissal. Their six tries matched the hosts’ six; the difference on the scoreboard also reflected five conversions by Fergus Burke against four by Billy Searle.

Saracens’ fast start, Leicester’s response

Juan Martín González gave Saracens a try inside two minutes after Leicester failed to intercept an attacking move. Tobias Elliott added a second before the 10-minute mark. New scrum-half Tomos Williams was involved in both early scores, according to the Guardian’s match report, as the visitors established a lead Leicester would spend much of the afternoon trying to overturn.

Leicester’s reply came through Solomone Kata, then Hamer-Webb, who finished an attack sparked by Jack van Poortvliet. Saracens struck again before the interval when Elliot Daly crossed for their third try. The visitors went into half-time 21–12 ahead, but the contest remained open: Leicester had already shown it could break through after Saracens’ rapid start.

The red card and the final swing

Saracens’ task became harder when Isiekwe received a 20-minute red card for a challenge on Freddie Steward in the buildup to Radwan’s try. The Guardian described it as a high tackle, while Saracens’ club report said the tackle was deemed illegal. The sanction left the visitors with 14 players for a period in which Leicester had a chance to protect its newly gained lead.

Instead, Daly’s crossfield ball found Segun for his first try, putting Saracens back in front while Isiekwe was off the field. Planet Rugby reported that Saracens outscored Leicester 12–7 during the 20-minute red-card period. That return was central to the win: the visitors scored twice despite the sanction, although Leicester still managed another reply.

Replacement James Thompson went over from close range to restore Leicester’s lead. Tarek Haffar was then sent to the sin-bin, leaving Leicester with 14 players too. With seven minutes remaining, Segun finished another Saracens attack in the corner for his second try. It proved decisive; the visitors defended their two-point advantage through the closing stages.

A winning start for Venter

The win marked the start of Brendan Venter’s second spell as Saracens director of rugby. Head coach Joe Shaw told the Guardian that the side had come to Leicester to win and to show what its forwards had worked on in pre-season. He also stressed the need to keep composure after a 20-minute red card at a ground such as Welford Road. Venter did not speak to the media after the match, the Guardian reported.

Williams, signed from Gloucester over the summer, was named player of the match, according to Planet Rugby. Shaw described the scrum-half as a ‘massive addition’ and praised how quickly he had learned the new team’s demands. His involvement in Saracens’ early attacks helped establish the lead that Leicester later overturned, while Segun’s two finishes settled the match after the hosts had twice led late on.

Saracens’ own match report called the victory their first bonus-point win of the season. It said the team was due to face Sale Sharks in North London on Sunday, 4 October. For Leicester, Hamer-Webb’s hat-trick and the first lead secured by Radwan were not enough to prevent defeat in the opening round. The result establishes a winning start for Saracens, but it is too early to draw conclusions about either side’s season.