Segun's late try seals Saracens comeback win at Leicester despite red card

Rotimi Segun’s 73rd-minute try gave Saracens a hard-fought opening-weekend Gallagher Premiership victory at Leicester Tigers, with the visitors overcoming a red card and two separate deficits to win at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

Saracens head coach Joe Shaw pointed to his side’s composure under pressure as the defining factor, singling out Elliot Daly’s versatility as a key contributor. “The boys very calmly worked out what to do — Elliot Daly played four positions today and did very well in all of them,” Shaw said. “Then you get hit with the 20-minute red card at a place like this, where it’s been tit-for-tat.”

The afternoon had been complicated from the outset. Centre Olly Hartley departed early with an arm injury, and flanker Nick Isiekwe received a 20-minute red card in the second half, leaving Saracens a man down at a pivotal stage. Shaw was measured on the decision, saying he would reserve judgement until he had watched the incident back properly.

Tries from Juan Martin Gonzalez, Tobias Elliott and Daly had Saracens 21-12 ahead at the break, with Solomone Kata and Gabriel Hamer-Webb responding for Leicester. Hamer-Webb completed a hat-trick in the second half, either side of Ben Earl’s try, and Adam Radwan and James Thompson both put the hosts in front before Segun crossed twice to settle the contest.

“If you want to be in the top four, you’ve got to be able to keep your cool, work things out,” Shaw added. “I think in the last six or seven minutes — where we had 15 men and they had 14 men — were crucial. The adversity bit would be front and centre of what we’re pleased with.”

Leicester head coach Geoff Parling acknowledged his side had shown plenty of promise but identified a familiar problem. “I just think in the end our inaccuracy and failure to convert pressure moments is what hurt us,” he said. “The attack was good when we went hard and went through them first, and we carried hard and did the basics well — that opened up gaps. But on the same side in attack, we gave the ball up too cheaply and too early and that actually hurt us.”

Parling, whose side have now lost three games to open the season, urged perspective, noting that two of those defeats came in cup fixtures with younger players involved. “We know losing is not good enough for our team, home or away, but I’ve seen enough today that there’s lots of good things we can do,” he said.