Northampton Saints 40 Leicester Tigers 17: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

He was part of the tight-knit Northampton team of 2010/11 as they marched all over Europe and booked a place in the Heineken Cup final as well as the Premiership play-offs.

But Saints would eventually fall agonisingly short in both competitions, losing a brutal league semi-final at Leicester Tigers and a dramatic European showpiece to Leinster.

Saints ran out of steam in Cardiff as they were hit back a Leinster comeback, which saw the Irish side storm back from 22-6 down at half-time to win 33-22.

The black, green and gold had been so strong in Europe up to the break in that final, but the loss at Tigers and the first-half super-show in the Welsh capital completely took it out of them.

The ran out of steam and that talented team ended a memorable campaign with nothing to show for their immense efforts.

Saints were undone by the fact that they had to rely on virtually the same 15 men each week as they didn't have the depth necessary to keep players fresh for the final stages.

Jon Clarke, a regular starter at centre during the 2010/11 season, recently reflected on that period as he said: "We did feel like we were a team that was going to do the double. We just ran out of juice.

"I do remember the half-time of that Leinster gave and everyone was blowing out.

"We'd given everything and you've got super talented players in the Leinster team who will punish you.

"We played a lot of rugby that year and the Leicester game took a lot out us. It was a shock to lose that game and it took more out of us than we'd have hoped."

Fast forward three years and Dowson was part of a much deeper Saints squad.

Director of rugby Jim Mallinder had spent the time between the 2013/14 season and the 2010/11 endeavours building a group of players who could rotate seamlessly.

He was able to add big names such as Alex Corbisiero, Kahn Fotuali'i and George North to the team to add quality and take the strain off the likes of Alex Waller and Lee Dickson.

And Saints also developed players superbly, bringing in under-the-radar men such as Sam Dickinson and Luther Burrell to supplement an already talented group.

It meant that no matter what challenges they faced, they had a fresh enough squad to overcome them.

Dowson stood next to Tom Wood in Cardiff as they hoisted the European Challenge Cup trophy aloft, a week before they went to Twickenham and beat Saracens in extra-time.

They had the talent that the men of 2011 had, but they also had the energy that had sadly been lacking three years earlier.

And it paid huge dividends as that Saints squad etched their names into the storied history of this special club.

Fast forward another 10 years and Dowson is now the boss rather than a member of the back row.

Saints are again going for glory on two fronts as they sit top of the Gallagher Premiership, having progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions Cup.

Again, they have the talent to beat top teams, just as they did in 2011 and 2014.

And Dowson will be desperate to see them take the path of the double-winners rather than the incredible unit that couldn't quite get over the line.

With that in mind, he has set about developing the kind of group that can compete on two fronts.

He and his coaches have developed young players and unsung heroes to the point where he trusted his squad enough to make seven changes for a crucial derby-day date.

Eyebrows were raised ahead of the clash with Leicester Tigers on Saturday as the likes of Manny Iyogun, Courtney Lawes and Ollie Sleightholme were rested completely.

Fin Smith and Tommy Freeman were only named on the bench as Dowson and Co opted to give players who had recently seen off Saracens, Munster and Vodacom Bulls a breather.

Some may have seen it as a risky strategy, but the coaches trust all of their players to step up.

And why wouldn't they?

After all, so many unheralded men have continued to rise to the challenge.

From Tom Litchfield starting and starring at Gloucester to Charlie Savala coming off the bench against Toulon - players have come in from the cold and provided performances that have propelled Saints to precious wins.

It means they don't have to subject the same men to 80 minutes in the toughest of environments each week.

And it has paid off to the point where Saints have now won 14 of their past 15 matches.

You can have all the talent in the world but if you are too tired to make the most of it then you will come unstuck.

Dowson knows that so well.

And he got his strategy exactly right on a derby day when Saints came on so strong towards the end.

Yes they were up against 14 men for the final 20 minutes after Solomone Kata saw red for Leicester, but the way the home side ruthlessly put the game to bed was to be lauded.

Let's not forget, Munster played against a 14-man Saints team for more than a half at Thomond Park back in January yet found themselves blunted by Dowson's men and lost the match.

There was none of that for Saints against Tigers, who looked tired well before the dismissal of Kata.

Dan McKellar's team employed plenty of time-wasting tactics to try to slow the pace of the game down, frustrating the Saints coaches who could be heard shouting 'we want to play!'.

But after a first half in which their game plan worked to perfection, the men from Mattioli Woods Welford Road were eventually undone.

And while they were so often wasteful when big chances came their way, Saints were not in the second period.

They used the space they were given to devastating effect, scoring five tries after the break.

And the fact they dented their rivals' play-off bid while enhancing their own was a real bonus.

Because they will know that Tigers could be a hugely dangerous opponent in the play-offs should the two sides meet.

Leicester have men capable of delivering powerhouse performances when it matters, with the likes of Julian Montoya, Tommy Reffell and Jasper Wiese full of experience.

Saints felt the force of Tigers at Mattioli Woods Welford Road back in November, and derby days are never easy, as shown by the fact Tigers had won five of the previous six league meetings.

But Dowson's men set that record straight on Saturday afternoon - and they did it without expending a lot of the energy they will need in the weeks ahead.

How they rated…

JAMES RAMM – CHRON STAR MAN – held his position well to deny Tigers a try in the first half, was so solid under the high ball, helped to set up the Curtis Langdon score and also made the tackle that earned Tom James his five-pointer… 8.5

GEORGE HENDY – grabbed another try, finishing off a flowing Saints move and was largely solid throughout. Sin-binned late on… 7

TOM LITCHFIELD – made real inroads on a couple of occasions during the first half and looked strong throughout. Will just be disappointed an Alex Coles pass slipped through his grasp to deny him a birthday try… 7.5

FRASER DINGWALL – his contribution to the team is so often so important, and he was all-action again here, putting his body on the line time after time… 8

TOM SEABROOK – stripped Tigers of the ball when they threatened to score in the first half and looked to use his physicality when he could… 7

GEORGE FURBANK – got better and better as the game went on and really came into his own when Fin Smith was brought into the action as he could settle into a position where he caused even more problems. Showed real physicality at times… 8.5

ALEX MITCHELL – a typically sparky showing from the scrum-half, who came agonisingly close to scoring during the first half and who made his team tick while also doing some good defensive work… 8.5

ALEX WALLER – had a really strong day at scrum time and also used real force when he got the chance to get his hands on the ball… 7.5

CURTIS LANGDON – we say it every week but, seriously, what a player! He scored a memorable try as he turned on the turbos to outpace Tigers, and he was in the thick of the action throughout his time on the pitch… 8

ELLIOT MILLAR MILLS – was unlucky to be sin-binned early on but returned to the field to make some good contributions, including at the breakdown… 7

TEMO MAYANAVANUA – looked strong as he tried to get his hands on the ball and force Tigers back, also doing what he could to turn the ball over once or twice… 7.5

ALEX MOON – a quietly excellent performance from the hard-working lock as he put everything he had into the game, making big hits and carries… 8

ALEX COLES – another big shift from the forward, who started in the back row and was keen to get offloads away that could trouble Tigers, though he was grateful to escape after one found Harry Wells… 8

LEWIS LUDLAM – thundered around the field looking to get his team on the front foot, and made some good inroads with some nice footwork… 7.5

JUARNO AUGUSTUS – kept powering on for his team, getting better and better and the game progressed as his running power really started to cause problems… 8

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

TOMMY FREEMAN (for Litchfield 57) – class. The back was electric after coming on, racing through Tigers time after time and setting up Hendy for his score… 8