There was definitely a pre-season element to some of the play in the second half.
Balls were flung left to right, then dropped and then kicked, before the whole process started again.
In between that, there were some superb tries and some lamentable defending.
It was strange to watch. Tigers were far too loose with plenty riding on it for them as they looked to avoid a trip to Allianz Park in the semis for a re-match.
They almost let a 24-8 lead evaporate but they hung on after leading 24-8 at one stage and will head to Franklin's Gardens on Friday for a tete-a-tete with their old mates down the A6.
Northampton warmed-up for that game by running in 11 tries and 74 unanswered points at home to Wasps.
Tigers will send a much-changed outfit for that game. But they will be crossing their fingers over three of the players who may be expected to feature in the starting XV.
Geoff Parling will be assessed for a bang on the head, while Owen Williams joined him as a first-half substitute after getting a dead leg and Blaine Scully suffered what looked like a nasty shoulder injury.
Add to that injuries to David Mele and Boris Stankovich – who would have hated leaving the field within the opening minute on his final performance at Welford Road – and Tigers will have a busy medical room this week.
In the grand scheme of things, their performance here did not matter a jot. It was job done. Five points and four tries.
They dominated territory but struggled to break down the visitors until the game became more unstructured after Sarries lost two men within two minutes.
Leicester led 10-8 at the break with a late penalty try pushing them ahead after a huge push on a five-metre scrum.
Within three minutes of the re-start, Michael Tagicakibau had been sin-binned for a tip-tackle on Marcos Ayerza and flanker Justin Melck had been red-carded for an alleged eye-gouging incident on Neil Briggs.
Whether scorned by criticism of the TMO system in recent weeks or not, referee Greg Garner surprisingly took the touch judge's word for it and dismissed Melck without 'going upstairs'.
Saracens were incredulous after the match and released an almost immediate statement on their website to announce they were going to try to get the card rescinded.
It looked to have changed the game. Manu Tuilagi ran in a try on 43 minutes and, just four minutes later, Blaine Scully finished a lovely try made by Tuilagi and Niall Morris.
That was 24-8 and Sarries would spend the rest of the game a man short, despite Tagicakibau's return from the bin.
They would, however, win the remainder of the contest 19-7 to pick up four tries in a game that director of rugby Mark McCall said "felt like a win".
Leicester took their foot off the gas, relaxed and paid the price. In scrum-half Ben Spencer and flanker Maro Itoje, Saracens had two players who typified their tenacity.
Itoje played his part in a rolling maul that earned a 55th-minute penalty try. And Spencer made a sensational finish from 70 metres when he intercepted Thomas Waldrom's pass and ran it in for their fourth try on 75 minutes.
In between that, Jack Wilson scored their third try when the busy Waldrom coughed the ball up coming out of defence and Itoje pounced to set up the winger.
Graham Kitchener's 58th-minute score meant Tigers always stayed ahead, but it was the second mini-collapse in two games after Sale the previous week.
For Tigers, Steve Mafi made a busy return to the starting line-up, Pablo Matera was big and aggressive and had cut out the infringements that marred his last start at Harlequins, and Tom Croft returned from eight months out to play 20 minutes at the end.
Indeed, it was his line-out steal with 30 seconds to go that finally sealed a topsy-turvy game for Leicester.
