Trailing 8-0 after Jongi Nokwe's eighth-minute try, Tigers hit back with a brilliant score from Argentina international Lucas Amorosino and 17 points from the boot of scrum-half Ben Youngs.

A couple of late penalties from Ruan Pienaar then brought the Springboks to within a score but the Tigers defence, roared on by the home crowd, held firm for a memorable victory.

Tigers made two late changes in their pack. Loosehead Marcos Ayerza was replaced by Boris Stankovich while Ben Kay was replaced by Dan Hemingway. Craig Hammond, who was on loan from Nottingham, came in among the replacements alongside new signing Lote Tuqiri and hooker George Chuter.

New Zealand international Aaron Mauger captained the team and partnered scrum-half Youngs at half-back. Outside him Academy prospects Andy Forsyth and Manu Tuilagi combined as the centre partnership.

Youngs took on the kicking duties with an early penalty after South Africa failed to roll away at a ruck but miscued his effort to the right.

Instead it was the visitors who took the lead after five minutes through Pienaar's penalty from the edge of the Tigers 22.

South Africa threatened from the restart with a break on the left by Wynand Olivier but his kick ahead intended for Nokwe was gathered by Scott Hamilton, who cleared to touch.

The visitors continued to press and scored the first try of the game after eight minutes when full-back Earl Rose spotted a gap behind the defence and pushed a grubber kick through for Nokwe to score in the left corner.

Tigers made an instant response and put their first points on the board when the pack won a penalty in front of the posts that Youngs knocked over to give Tigers a foothold in the game. It also gave them a momentum that resulted in 16 unanswered points.

Tuilagi took the attack to the Springboks' midfield with a couple of thrusts before Johne Murphy knocked on as he tried to catch his own chip ahead in the South Africa 22.

The South Africans, meanwhile, were looking dangerous on the counterattack. That was typified by Rose's hack ahead from a Tigers knock-on that threatened to open up the defence before Murphy and then Hemingway cleared the danger.

It proved important as Tigers took the lead for the first time with a thrilling try moments later. Murphy collected Pienaar's long kick and began a counter-attack from inside the Tigers half that flowed through Tuilagi to Amorosino on the left. The Argentina international picked a line through the South Africa defence to score under the posts. Youngs converted to put Tigers 10-8 ahead.

The Tigers pack was in good form against an experienced South Africa front five, and won another penalty at a scrum on halfway that Youngs kicked to extend the Leicester lead to 13-8. Youngs added his third penalty of the half before Pienaar hit back for the Sprinboks with the last kick of the half as Tigers went in 16-11 ahead at half-time.

A quick tap out by Hamilton and burst by Tuilagi had Tigers on the front foot immediately after the restart before Amorosino was tackled into touch.

The Tigers scrum won another penalty after driving the South Africa pack towards their own 22 that Youngs kicked for a 19-11 lead five minutes into the second half.

Murphy then produced an excellent tackle on Ashley Johnson as the South Africa No8 looked to have broken the Tigers' defence from the restart. It was typical of the Tigers defence as the visitors' struggled to find a way through.

The pack was on top and won another penalty at a scrum on halfway that Youngs kicked to put Tigers 22-11 ahead with 20 minutes left.

Pienaar reduced the Tigers lead to 22-14 with a penalty from the left with 15 minutes remaining for their first points of the second half. He missed the chance to cut the lead even further with five minutes left with a penalty from a central position that struck the right post and bounced to safety.

But the South Africa fly-half was on target moments later as the Tigers scrum was penalised for the first time in the game to cut the lead to 22-17.

It set up a tense finish with the South Africa forwards going through phase after phase inside the Tigers 22 and the clock having long run down.

But the Tigers defence held firm and forced Odwa Ndungane to knock on five metres from the line and, in doing so, seal a famous victory.