George Furbank spent the build-up insisting that fairytales have to be earned. On Friday night at Franklin's Gardens, he went out and earned his.
In his final home appearance for Northampton Saints before joining Harlequins, the England full-back crossed twice — the second six minutes from time — to settle a frantic East Midlands derby as the Premiership's regular-season leaders beat Leicester Tigers 45-31 to reach the final at Allianz Stadium next Saturday.
Tom Litchfield was the headline act with a first-half hat-trick, the opener arriving after just 87 seconds. Tommy Freeman and Archie McParland also touched down, and fly-half Fin Smith was named man of the match in a display that carried Saints to 111 tries in the league this season. Leicester, who finished fourth and were booed onto their rivals' pitch, refused to fold: Ollie Hassell-Collins scored twice, with Hanro Liebenberg, Freddie Steward and Orlando Bailey also crossing in a five-try effort.
For Furbank, a boyhood Saints fan and academy graduate who captained the club to the 2024 title, the night carried a weight beyond the scoreboard. He had spent the week bracing for it.
"It would be a dream, a fairy-tale ending, but I'm pretty aware they don't happen just like that — you've got to go out and earn it," Furbank said before the game. "So that's what we're looking to do."
He admitted the goodbye had been creeping up on him. "It's pretty exciting, a bit emotional," he said. "I obviously had a nice little send-off in that Gloucester game last month... It's going to be weird. I'm relishing the game and a Friday night at home is going to be a pretty epic way to go out at the Gardens."
A decade at the club he supported as a child made the occasion hard to rationalise. "Being a fan of this club growing up, playing here for 10 years, it's all I've ever known," Furbank said. "It's a place you come and it feels like home... it's definitely something I'm going to miss."
The 262nd meeting of two clubs separated by less than 30 miles lived up to its billing, exactly as the players had promised. Leicester winger Adam Radwan, who joined from Newcastle in early 2025, said the fixture carried a charge unlike any other.
"There is always a little bit of extra fire," Radwan said. "I'm not a Leicester lad by origin, but as soon as you come to the club you understand the importance of these games... It's like a really infectious energy and we are just trying to bottle that up and keep it there for Friday."
Saints centre Rory Hutchinson, who watched the clubs' epic 2014 semi-final from the stands as a teenager, had hoped for a repeat of that atmosphere. "I'll never forget that game," Hutchinson said. "Dad and I were sat somewhere over in the Church's Stand and I just remember it was unbelievable, so if that atmosphere is anywhere near close to that, it will be nothing short of amazing."
Northampton now wait to learn their opponent. Defending champions Bath host Exeter Chiefs on Saturday for the right to meet Saints at Allianz Stadium on 20 June. Whoever comes through, Furbank has one more game in black, green and gold — and the fairytale he insisted he would have to earn is now 80 minutes from completion.
