Leicester ……….15pts
Tries: Liebenberg 15, Wiese 35
Conversions: Burns 28
Drop-goals: Burns 80
Saracens ……….12pts
Penalties: Farrell 5, 64, 76; Daly 31
FREDDIE Burns is not just a bench hero, he has entered the ranks of Leicester's legends for keeping an ice-cool head when it mattered most in this intense cliffhanger of a Premiership final to nail a dropgoal with 25 seconds of normal time remaining, giving Leicester their first title since 2013.
In a career of ups and downs, Burns has earned a reputation for being one of the game's harumscarum entertainers, but it was a classic case of cometh the hour, cometh the man. The utility back, who had started the match on the bench but had come on after 22 minutes when George Ford, Leicester's chief playmaker, rolled his ankle, stole the show.
He did so by showing the nerveless poise of a champion, stroking the ball over at the last knockings to reward a series of controlled drives by the Tigers pack – and scupper a late Saracens charge which had seen two Owen Farrell penalties leave the match in the balance at 12-12.
It was a fitting end to a final of high drama which Leicester dominated for the first hour – scoring two tries to none, thanks to their South African backrow tanks, Jesper Wiese and Hanro Leibenberg – before Saracens mustered their final quarter assault.
However, even though Saracens stayed in the fight in a determined attempt to reclaim the title they lost due to relegation for salary cap breaches, this was one of those rare occasions where they were not only outmuscled, but out-thought tactically.
There was a poetic justice about Leicester's victory given that they are the first team to finish a Premiership season having been top of the table for the entire campaign, even if there was not a great deal of flowing rugby poetry in a hard-bitten first half in which kick-chase took pride of place.
The final was also notable for two other decisive factors which swung the match Leicester's way, one tactical by Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick, and the other a towering individual display by Freddie Steward.
The decision by Borthwick to start Richard Wigglesworth at scrumhalf at the age of 39 may have looked high-risk, but it turned out to be a masterstroke. Having been an integral part of the Saracens team during their triumphal march to multiple Premiership and European titles, Wigglesworth might as well have the Saracens tactical blueprint tattooed on the back of his hand.
It showed as he started to ratchet-up the pressure on his former team-mates with a box-kicking game and allround authority which was tantamount to having a coach on the pitch – which is not surprising, because Wigglesworth's role at Welford Road is as a playercoach. He brought direction and nous, as well as a clear knowledge of how to turn the tables on Saracens, which proved critical.
Steward faced a great deal of competition for being the most influential Leicester player, not least from Wigglesworth, Burns, the full-throttle Wiese and non-stop Liebenberg, and Ellis Genge, who gave his all on his last appearance before joining Bristol.
However, Steward galvanised Leicester not just with his mastery of the aerial arts, rising high time and again to defuse the Saracens kick-chase, but also in the way his combination of physical presence and flair continually put Tigers on the front foot.
Saracens appeared to face an uphill slog in the second-half after coming second best in a combative kick-chase contest during the opening quarter, and then being outmuscled by Leicester in the 20 minutes before the interval.
Although Saracens took an early lead when Farrell kicked a penalty after a late tackle by Liebenberg on Nick Tompkins, they showed the first signs of frailty in the death-by-boxkick battle that followed.
The warning signs were there when Wigglesworth put up a hoist which Aled Davies dropped. As the domino effect took hold with Leicester forcing Saracens deep into their own 22, Davies then threw a hospital pass to Alex Goode, who was forced to concede a five metre scrum.
Saracens got off that hook thanks to scrum infringements by Genge and Dan Cole, but Davies was not clear of trouble, and was sent to the sin-bin after clipping Julian Montoya's chin with his shoulder in the 25th minute.
Leicester took full advantage of Saracens being down to 14, scoring almost immediately from a series of attacks from an Ollie Chessum lineout catch on halfway. Guy Porter carried hard up the middle and from the recycle Wigglesworth, Genge and Burns handled before Steward burst past Elliot Daly and fed Chris Ashton, who was stopped just short.
From the ruck Genge drove to within a couple of metres before Liebenberg used a low trajectory drive to ram over for the opening try, and, with Burns converting, Leicester led 7-3.
Although Daly trimmed it to 7-6 with a long-range penalty, Tigers should have scored again when Wigglesworth charged down a Farrell clearance but, although Ashton collected and put through a grubber, in the goal-line mayhem Farrell got back to ground the ball.
However, Leicester were not to be denied, and when Mako Vunipola collapsed the scrum five, Genge took a tap penalty to spring a well-rehearsed move. He set up the ruck, and, with Wigglesworth orchestrating, Wiese came on a diagonal burst around the corner, took a short pass from the veteran scrumhalf, and smashed through the tackles of Goode and Sean Maitland to score.
Burns could not add the extras but at 12-6 Leicester were in the driving seat before Davies returned, and stayed there not just until half-time, but until the hour mark. At that stage Saracens were not only losing the breakdown turn-overs 8-1, they had also not had a handling move in the Leicester 22.
The Tigers created another try-scoring opportunity when, in the 52nd minute, a pinpoint Burns cross-kick for Ashton was thwarted by a spectacular Daly overhead catch.
As the match moved into the final quarter Saracens, for whom Billy Vunipola stood out, finally found the throttle. An attack featuring Farrell and Alex Lozowski saw Farrell hit the target after a Tommy Reffell early tackle to make it 12-9, and then a blistering break by Andy Christie saw Saracens force a five metre scrum.
When Billy Vunipola's pick-up from the base was halted by a Matt Scott shoulder to the head, Scott was yellow-carded and Farrell kicked the penalty to level the account with five minutes to play.
The Leicester pack were not going to let it slip away after a remarkable transformation under Borthwick which has taken them from the bottom of the table two years ago to the title. Nor was Freddie Burns, who said afterwards that as a youngster his two ambitions were, “to play for England, and win the Premiership – and now I've done both”.
Burns' final flourish is something Leicester fans will never forget, because it has put them back at the summit of the English club game after a long absence.
