If the timing of his decision to join Sale Sharks next season may seem baffling with Leicester on the rise again, it does not appear to have had any detrimental impact on his game.

But Youngs was also a worthy contender, benefiting from a new conditioning programme this season that has left him looking as sharp as he has ever been. He was a constant threat from the fringes, at one point knocking Smith over with a fend as he soared into the Quins 22.

Appropriately Ford and Youngs combined for the decisive moment of the match, when, with Leicester leading 9-6 after a tight first-half, they instinctively paired up to expose Louis Lynagh, who had become isolated at the edge of the defensive line. Ford drew the young Harlequins wing into the tackle before putting Youngs’ clear up the left-hand touchline. The England scrum-half surged clear before displaying a sumptuous piece of skill by kicking the ball with the outside of his boot into midfield for Potter to collect and score under the posts.

Quins these days are a defiant side however and despite the momentum and conditions seemingly against them, they did not crumple and Lynagh would make amends with a thrilling try of his own, winning the race to his own chip ahead after quick hands by Smith had carved open half-a-chance.

Moments earlier Smith had landed his third penalty but he failed with his conversion attempt that ultimately cost Quins the chance to draw the match.

It was the champions’ profligacy that was their undoing however. Their golden opportunity came just before half-time, when Huw Jones overlooked a two-man overlap and instead tucked the ball and drove for the line, only to be held up by a brilliant tackle by Potter.

Alex Dombrandt had earlier been denied a try when accidentally colliding with referee Ian Tempest that prevented a tackle by Ellis Genge and deep into the second half the No 8 narrowly failed to hold a crosskick by Smith when a try looked on. But Leicester, who had lost Jasper Wiese to a yellow card at the end of the first half, had the wherewithal to grind out a victory of real substance.

“There has been a period here where games that Leicester Tigers were involved in were not perceived from the outside to be big games – or they were big games for the wrong reasons,” Borthwick said. “That is not where we want to be. The players have worked incredibly hard to lift this team from where it was and you have seen the crowds gradually increasing. Hopefully they are proud of what the team is doing right now.”