The fat lady has been warming up here for so long that she must have a sore throat, but yesterday she finally burst into song as Leicester formalised what everyone has known for several months, taking the title with three matches remaining.
The atmosphere was ceremonial as Leicester took the field in front of a full house, more like champions than champions-elect, while the feeling among the hardcore fans was that gaining the title by beating the side coached by Rob Andrew - who has put in his tuppence worth about Leicester's playing style in the past - would be sweet indeed.
Newcastle, however, had not read the script and clung on within a score until Freddy Tuilagi's try put Leicester eight points clear after 68 minutes. But had the visitors achieved the unthinkable and prevented Leicester from taking their run of home victories to half a century, the Tigers would still have been crowned as second-place Gloucester fell at Northampton.
In a first half dominated by two dead-eyed kickers, Tim Stimpson and Jonny Wilkinson, who slotted four and three penalties respectively, the highlight was the England fly-half's colossal effort from close to his own 10-metre line in the swirling wind shortly before half-time. That levelled the scores at 9-9 before Stimpson edged the home side ahead after Rob Arnold was sent to the sin bin on the stroke of half-time for punching Perry Freshwater.
After the break Newcastle first went level with a Wilkinson penalty, and then would have gone clear had the No10 not missed a straightforward kick or had Tom May elected to pass with a three-on-one to his left. But Stimpson edged the home side ahead in the 56th minute with a penalty - although he fluffed three further kicks and missed his chance to clock 200 League points this season - as Dean Richards brought on the cavalry in Neil Back, Austin Healey, Dorian West and Graham Rowntree.
The internationals had the desired effect, and Leicester duly raised their game. A lengthy spell of uninterrupted possession with forwards and backs combining well ended with Healey spinning the ball wide to Back, and Glenn Gelderbloom feeding Tuilagi.
The title was assured, but not quite in the style the Leicester faithful might have desired.
Leicester: Stimpson; Booth, Lloyd, Kafer (Gelderbloom 52), Tuilagi; Goode (Healey 59), Ellis (Hamilton 57); Freshwater (Rowntree 59), Cockerill (West 59), Garforth, Johnson (capt), Short (Kay 70), Corry, Moody (Back 52), Balding.
Newcastle: Botham; Stephenson, Noon, May, Maclure (Tuigamala 60); Wilkinson (capt), Charlton (Armstrong, 75); Ward, Brotherstone, Hurter (Devonshire 75, Vyvyan, Grimes, Taione, Arnold (Peel 70), Dunbar (Lam 65).
Referee: Roy Maybank (RFU).
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