Pienaar's Saracens plan falls apart

With their other specialist anchor-man, the Irish Lion Paul Wallace, also injured, crises are springing up all over the place. White, who had surgery on a bulging disc in his neck two months ago, will undergo a medical examination this week before knowing whether he can put his head back on the block without any rest.

'My arm went completely numb,' he said. 'I know it doesn't sound very good but the surgeon did say that might happen because of inflammation after the operation. The arm feels fine now. I don't think it's too serious.'

The same can hardly be said of Sarries' overall condition, which has deteriorated rapidly during the four weeks since they led the Premiership, three points clear of Leicester. They are now seven behind at the halfway mark, as good as out of the Heineken Cup and dismissed from the Tetley's Bitter.

For all Nigel Wray's money, they are a well short of realising their ambition of conquering Europe and becoming 'the Manchester United of rugby'. They look more like an oval-ball Chelsea.

They missed crucial early penalties, MacRae failing twice from less than 30 yards with goals which would have nudged Sarries ahead, despite Leicester repeatedly outflanking their defence on the right where Tim Stimpson, Martin Corry and Geordan Murphy poured through at will.

Pienaar ought to have feared the worst when Martin Johnson led Leicester out and collided with the Tiger mascot on the field, an accidental clout on the snout which left nobody in any doubt that the returning England contingent meant business, especially abrasive scrum half Austin Healey.

'I'm going to stop worrying and get my sleep pattern back,' he said after much fretting over the loss of his England place. 'I'm just grateful to get a game, for a change.'

The inevitable Tigers onslaught resulted in four second-half Leicester tries, hooker Dorian West loitering on Freddy Tiulagi's wing before cutting inside to score the second in a manner which the pony-tailed Samoan would have been hard pushed to beat.

Despite throwing the fourth away, Sarries replied with three of their own, Tom Shanklin making two and scoring the other thanks to reserve scrum half Nick Walshe's sharp eye for a gap.

Leicester, unsuccessful in close-season bids for Carlos Spencer and Robert Howley, will discover this week whether they will have any better luck in closing a deal with Newcastle's out-of-favour centre, John Leslie. Their stylish removal of Saracens left the former Scotland captain suitably impressed. 'They were outstanding,' he said. 'They played such good rugby that the score flattered Saracens.'