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Watch - Freddie Burns' paradoxical reaction to Prem final winning dropgoal
By Ian Cameron
All the pre-game talk was about George Ford and Owen Farrell, but it was an England flyhalf of an older vintage that stole show in the Gallagher Premiership Final in Twickenham this afternoon.
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Freddie Burns held his nerve to slot a 79th minute dropgoal, edging Leicester Tigers clear of Saracens, setting up a tense restart reception for the Welford Road men to secure a first Gallagher Premiership in nine years.
The 32-year-old, who replaced Ford after just 20 minutes, proved he was more than capable of sealing the deal for Tigers.
His reaction to successfully scoring the 3 pointer – a kick he described as looking like a ‘dead duck’ to ITV television – was maybe the most entertaining element of the denouement.
There’s was no celebration, just blind panic from Burns, knowing that Tigers had to successfully secure the ball with Saracens desperate to win it back and give themselves a chance of snatching glory.
UN-BEL-IEV-ABLE 🔥🔥
Standing up when it matters @FreddieBurns to make @LeicesterTigers #GallagherPrem champions 🙌#GallagherPremFinal | #LEIvSARpic.twitter.com/mwRfnefCpB
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) June 18, 2022
Tigers duly retain posession and in doing so, their first title since 2013 with a 15-12 victory over the Londoners, their ninth Premiership title in their history.
“I’m all cried out, I need to top up on my fluids with some champagne and cider,” he told BT Sport. “I thought moments like this weren’t made for me… To do it for this crowd and club means the world.”
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"I'm all cried out, I need to top up on my fluids with some champagne and cider"
"I thought moments like this weren't made for me…"
"To do it for this crowd and club means the world"
Your match winner, Freddie Burns 🥇
🎙 @Sarraelgan #GallagherPremFinal pic.twitter.com/RMD5HkhjFZ
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 18, 2022
Burns returned to Leicester in 2021, having first joined the side in 2014. In his first stint he scored 603 points for Tigers in three seasons and 75 appearances, before moving to Bath ahead of the 2017/18 campaign and then to Japan for the 2020/21 season.
Burns began his professional career with Gloucester in 2007 and made his Test debut in 2012 after representing England Under-20s and Saxons.
He played for Toyota Jido Shokki in Japan for a season, before returning to Premiership, a move that has certainly paid off, with Burns now adding a Premiership title to his storied career.
