A Leicester side at 60 per cent of full strength hammered a Northampton XV who were at 54 per cent. Yes, it's the 'comparative' phase of the Premiership, and this result was bad news for the rest. They will be well aware that Leicester have attributed their last three titles to their results during the autumn internationals.
Coach Dean Richards was almost euphoric, as he praised his side's 'excellent defence' and argued that none of yesterday's Tigers could be regarded as 'replacements', such was the depth and experience in his squad.
Equally, it will be a huge blow to Northampton, who opened their new Church Stand - and sold out the game a week in advance - not to have offered a serious challenge in this long-standing derby. Their coach Wayne Smith could only pay credit to his 'kids' for battling away and stopping a potential 40-point loss.
The missing international players may have meant that effective defence was more obvious than attacking wit. None the less, there was no obvious weakness in the Leicester XV. Harry Ellis at scrum-half looked much happier than his opposite number, Johnny Tucker, and at full-back Geordan Murphy was no less a presence than Tim Stimpson. Up front, Josh Kronfeld launched himself again and again on charging, wriggling, runs - and was the beneficiary of the line-out drive that produced the game's only try.
Northampton's bright moments were pitifully few. They amounted to not much more than a couple of well-angled, long touch-finders from Paul Grayson. Grayson twice pushed long penalties wide, while Murphy succeeded twice from testing angles on the left.
But Northampton's big failings were most transparent when they had the ball. They always appeared heavily outnumbered and never threatened the gain-line, let alone the try-line. It was quite a shock to see that renowned stepper John Leslie desperately shuffling his feet only to be stopped dead in his tracks.
Leicester's half-time lead was only 6-3, and then their forwards crushed their opponents as Northampton desperately threw on subs. It was a bit like putting youngsters in the trenches. The contrast between Leicester's comfort zone and Northampton's plight was starkly illustrated when the home side's last replacement saw Mark Connors, the former Australian forward, forced off with what looked a serious shoulder injury, while the Tigers' several replacements were all unenforced. These included Darren Garforth for Frank Tournaire - one international prop for another - and even captain Dorian West was rested. It amply made Richards's point.
Northampton: Beal (Reihana 52); Sleightholme, Tucker, Leslie (capt), Ripol; Grayson, Howard (Vass 58); Morris, Richmond, Budgen (Sturgess 58), Phillips (Hunter 64), Connors (Miles 67), Seely, Blowers, Soden (Fox 58).
Leicester: Murphy; Lloyd, Smith, Kafer, Booth; McMullen (Vesty 55), Ellis (Hamilton 52); Freshwater, West (capt; Chuter 64), Tournaire (Garforth 61), Deacon, Corry, Johnson, Kronfeld, Balding.
Referee: D Pearson (Northumberland).
