6 try Tigers keep Euro dream alive

A dominant Tigers performance kept our slim European hopes alive with a 6 try thrashing of an injury stricken Llanelli side.  Tries from Miles Benjamin, Jordan Crane, Adam Thompstone, Sam Harrison and a brace for Tom Youngs secured a 40-23 win for hosts.  Llanelli's tries came from prop Rob Evans and two late scores for wing Harry Robinson.

Tigers knew they needed the full 5 points.  I wish they needed 5 points every week.  Early indications were given when Tigers turned down the chance for 3 points and kicked the opening penalty to touch instead.  For the lineout Mulipola was withdrawn and fed for a rumble.  After gaining good front foot ball it was whipped away, Adam Thompstone's tight pass was crucial as Benjamin used his strength and trickery to beat two men for the finish.

Just 5 minutes later and Tigers again kicked an attacking penalty to the corner.  This time the pack kept the glory for themselves, rumbling forward for Jordan Crane to dot down.

Both tries were excellently converted by Freddie Burns.

Rhys Priestland had nibbled away at Tigers lead with two penalties to make it 14-6.  Tiger never make it easy for themselves though and just after coughing up a certain try, Ben Youngs' firing a bullet at Mulipola who was just a couple of feet from him and would surely have crashed over with a sympathetic pass, they found themselves down to 14 men.  Graham Kitchener was baffling yellow carded on the half way line and the Scarlets scored from their own maul, prop Rob Evans the beneficiary.

Into the second half and Tigers were still playing with ambition.  Croft and Kitchener combined on turnover ball inside our 22 to break out to half way, with Kitchener adding a glorious dink chip on the end.  Thompstone also made a strong break down the right and was rewarded on 46 minutes as he scored his first try since March 2014.  It came from an attacking move from a scrum.  Yes such things do still exist.  Llanelli were probably so surprised to see a first phase attack they didn't know what to do.

The bonus point was secured after the introduction of Ayerza and Tom Youngs saw the scrum go from secure to totally dominant.  A penalty at a scrum saw the ball kicked for the touchline.  Like the first half Tigers drove and were unstoppable.  This time Tom Youngs was sequestered at the back of the charging pack.

Youngs secured his first ever brace for the club 5 minutes later, picking a beautiful inside out line from his brother's snipe around the fringe of the ruck.

With the bonus point and match secure Tigers took their foot off the gas and allowed some excellent handling from Llanelli to slip Harry Robinson round the corner and in for a try.  Points difference is the new tie breaker this season for European Rugby, these late tries may still be the death of us.

Tigers struck one back through substitute Sam Harrison feeding off Robert Barbieri's break and pass before Robinson finished the scoring with another effort for the west Walians.

Tigers were impressive with Bai & Crane particularly to the fore.  If we can keep up the forward interplay of the last few weeks but combined with a more miserly defence we can still make a late season for the Premiership title.  Europe is in hit and hope territory.  Our best bets to better as second places all play after us next Sunday so we must simply win and win well.  If we are knocked out on a tie break then so be it.

Goneva the Great Roars Tigers to Victory as it all goes Pear shaped for Worcester

2 moments of Fijian brilliance lit up Welford Road as first Josh Matavesi then Vereniki Goneva scored scintillating individual tries.  Worcester’s Matavesi brought the Warriors to within 10 points in the second half after his loop round the back of a ruck was swiftly followed by an outrageous dummy which did for Ed Slater, Anthony Allen and half the crowd.

Not being the quickest player to grace the Welford Road turf he only just made it in the corner following pressure from Niall Morris and Julian Slavi.

But not for the first time Vereniki Goneva cast his spell and the Tigers crowd was enchanted, as was the Warriors defence, he stepped inside one, two, three, back outside round four, five, six before wriggling through seven and eight to claim the bonus point try with only 6 seconds to go.  

Tigers started brightly; Lamb spotted the overlap and Tigers went from their own 22.  The ball was spread from Parling onto Thompstone who raced away into the Worcester half.  Zimbabwean Mike Williams flopped an arm round the side of the ruck and dragged the ball onto his side, the referee spotted it and Lamb made no mistake putting Tigers up 3-0 early.

Tigers extended their lead to 8-0 when Adam Thompstone pounced on Niall Morris’s delicately weighted kick through.  Anthony Allen had run the dummy line to hold the midfield and Goneva had swept round the back, beautifully passing almost 15 meters to find Morris also joining the line.

Lamb and Mieres exchanged penalties to make it 11-3.
 

With the clock now past 40 Tigers were attacking into the Worcester 22.  Jordan Crane made a powerful burst through the middle of the ruck, twisting to free his hands and make the pop the pass to the onrushing David Mele who scooted in to score on his competitive debut for the club.  Mele scored only twice in his 7 years at Perpginan but along with his pre-season tries against Ulster and Jersey that is already three in his first month at the Tigers!

Lamb’s simple conversion made it 18-3 at half time.

Tigers further stretched their lead when Jordan Crane was on the back of a driving maul.  Young referee Luke Pearce spotted the grounding and thankfully awarded the try without re-course to the TMO, if we had had to go “upstairs” they might have struggled to see the grounding.

Worcester were down to 14 men at this point after Mike Williams’s late charge on Ryan Lamb.  Dean Ryan was not a happy bunny, sarcastically declaring “I'd forgotten you're not allowed to touch a Leicester No10 at Welford Road, I should have mentioned it to everyone before the game.”  How anyone could forget such a basic tenant of the game is beyond me.

Tigers’ lineout then started to malfunction with 2 misses and one scrappy win destroying momentum.  Pearce harshly ruled Parling was blocking on what the lineout nerds describe as a “shift drive”, which was what I thought Americans called manual cars but apparently is when the catcher pass down to another player to set up a maul.  Either way the opportunity was gone and Worcester grasped this chance at the last chance saloon with both hands, drinking deep.

Professional arsehole Chris Jones was introduced to the action at this point and annoyingly managed to slip through the challenge of Logovi’i Mulipola to get the Worcester side back into contention.

Cornish born Fijian Matavesi was next to enter the stage with his outrageous dummy that fooled everyone.

Ryan Lamb had started the game fantastically but as the pressure came on his game fell apart, he seemed to suffer from mental fatigue; getting bored and just hoof it away after a handful of phases.  That is not the way to get the best out of Tigers muti-phase tactics and he was hooked off before it all went pear shaped and Worcester got any closer.

Owen Williams didn’t have long, only 5 minutes, but this briefest morsel of a cameo had the Crumbie stand slathering for much more than an amuse bouche next time.  Williams’s long pass sent Tom Croft galloping down the touchline.  The roar went up as the crowd anticipated another trademark Tom Croft score.  But face stamping scrum half Paul Hodgson showed some shoe in the other sense to get across and make the try saving tackle.

Showing his nous earned from 171 First class games for Leicester, England & the Lions Croft kept his ankles in the air, the ball in play and kept the chance of the bonus point try alive.  Mele spread it to Williams who found Goneva in at inside centre.  Then the Flying Fijian’s magic feet bamboozled the tiring Worcester defence and found the try line to rapturous applause from the Leicester faithful.

After the game there was some concern that Dan Cole might have bitten Ignacio Mieres in the 76^th minute.  Replays however showed that the Argentine play maker’s hands in Cole’s mouth and no reaction until the tackle collapsed on the floor.  Now Rugby’s “justice” system can never surprise with its ability to ban players for nothing; but surely we can safely say that the offence of having your mouth fingered whilst tackled is not going to be added to the list that now includes swearing in the vicinity of a touch judge.

3 Tigers named in Saxons Side to Face Ireland Wolfhounds

In the week that it was announced he was leaving Leicester due to his career stalling George Ford has been named as starting 10 for England Saxons as they face the Ireland Wolfhounds in Galway.  Our Lord and Saviour JC has been named as the captain of the side from number 8 whilst impressive young lock Graham Kitchener revives the partnership with George Robson that went so well in the South Africa Tour's mid week side.  Ed Slater will provide cover on the bench.  Tigers transfer targets Jamie Gibson and Matt Mullan are also on the bench.

Team: 
E Daly (Wasps)
C Wade (Wasps)
J Tomkins (Saracens)
J Turner-Hall (Harlequins)
T Biggs (Bath)
G Ford (Leicester)
R Wigglesworth (Saracens)
N Wood (Gloucester)
J Gray (Harlequins)
P Doran-Jones (Northampton)
G Kitchener (Leicester)
G Robson (Harlequins)
G Kruis (Saracens)
W Fraser (Saracens)
J Crane (Leicester, capt).
Replacements: R Buchanan (Harlequins), M Mullan (Worcester), S Knight (Gloucester), E Slater (Leicester), J Gibson (London Irish), J Simpson (Wasps), G Lowe (Harlequins), K Eastmond (Bath).

10 Great Heineken Cup Moments

Ollie Smith gasses O’Driscoll

2^nd April 2005

This is the moment.  We know we can do it.  We can beat these.  It’s a Leinster throw in after a booming clearance by Andy Goode.  Louis Deacon rises above the Irish international pair of Mal O’Kelly and Leo Cullen to steal the ball.  It goes through the hands to Ollie Smith.  He’s up against the Blackrock bullet.  The best centre in the world, the best player in the world.  He’s about to be confirmed as Lions captain.  He’s Brian O’Driscoll, talisman of the Leinster challenge.  He doesn’t stand a chance.  He thinks he can cover the inside runner, leave a gap to his winger.  He’s Brian O’Driscoll.  Walloper of Wallabies, frier of Frenchies.  He can give this Young Turk from Hinckley the outside no problem.  I’m standing on the terrace behind the action at this end, where the old gouge in the terrace was, I can see the gap “GO! GO! GO!”  Ollie is miles ahead of me.  He’s gone, gone, gone.  O’Driscoll is left grasping at air.  The knot of Tigers on the terrace goes wild.  Believing is half the battle.  Half the battle has been won.

The Hand of Back

25^th May 2002

Neil Back was a bastard.  A tough bastard.  A great bastard.  But a bastard none the less.  This was the triumph of his bastardness.  It’s the 79^th minute, though in real time it is more like 90, and the score stands 15-9 to Leicester.  Munster are lucky to be this close.  Johnson’s already had a try ruled out as has Freddie Tuilagi.  Munster’s wing O’Neil came close, only a super human tackle by Austin Healey kept him out.  John Hayes and Graham Rowntree’s scrum tussle has got the referee Joel Jutge’s attention.  He’s on that side as the scrum goes down.  It all happens in a blur.  Peter Stringer is flapping his arms about, Corry has the ball at his feet and Healey fires the ball towards the touchline.  Has Dorian West just won it against the head?  No.  Neil Back, that magnificent bastard, has instead.  Replays show that Lewis Moody tried on the previous scrum what Back achieved to so much derision at this one.  He won the ball.  He “cheated”.  But then, so what?  He wasn’t the only the player to risk a penalty for a turnover that day.  The Corinthian ideal of fair play was old hat when Tom Crumbie was knee high to grass hopper.  You do what you can to win, and if you win then you’ve made the right calls.  Neil Back was a bastard alright.  But he’s my bastard.

Healey rolls over O’Gara

25^th May 2002

 This try epitomised everything that was great about Healey.  He’d been in iffy form in the run up to the final, it wasn’t certain he’d start at all let alone at 10.  But Deano was no mug.  He knew a big game player when he saw one.  And Healey knew a weak tackler when he saw one.  He had Ronan O’Gara in his sights.  A dummy to Rod Kafer was all it needed, O’Gara was bent out of shape showing Healey a weak shoulder and an inside track.  It was a purposeful and powerful burst, the sort that got him 50 England caps on the wing, as he ghosted through O’Gara and his attempted tackle.  Under the posts and after grounding the ball he flicked the Munster fans behind the goal a cheeky V sign.  V for Victory perhaps?

Stimpson hits the bar then post

April 28^th 2002

Llanelli.  In Nottingham.  It wasn’t going exactly to plan.  They’ve been all over us, though have never threatened the try line.  It doesn’t matter.  Llanelli 12 Leicester 10.  The final’s to be in Cardiff against Munster.  The clock is ticking down and Llanelli are safe in Tigers’ territory.  It’s a scrum just past the Tigers’ 10 meter line.  Darren Garforth gives one almighty shove.  Martyn Madden buckles under the pressure and referee David McHugh whistles for Garforth.  We know the script from here: kick for the 22, maul it forward, ruck it centrally and have Goodey, Geordie or Stimmo drop the goal.  West and Johnson are deciding where to chuck it in, when Stimpson has a different idea.  “I’ve got it” he says.  On the angle it is 60 meters easily, even on a short football pitch like this.  Behind the refs back he steals a metre.  Has he got the legs?  Only one way to find out.  It starts to drop, is it going to make it?  Short, oh my god its short!  BANG off the cross bar, its ballooning up.  The Leicester fans in the Trent End are blowing it over, the Llanelli fans behind the posts blowing it out.  BOFF off the post.  Splodge in the mud.  The crowd roar as the touch judges raise their flags.  We’re going to Cardiff.  Thank god for that metre.

Healey’s break, Lloyd’s finish

19^th May 2001

This was of course the greatest of them all.  20,000 fans travelled to the Parc Des Princes.  And we were losing.  Diego Dominguez had kicked 9 penalties and a drop goal to give Stade a 30-27 lead with only moments to go.  How long?  Nobody really knew.  This is France, there was no clock.  Obviously.  Why would we need a clock?  It’s only the European final!  It’s a lineout about the half way line, just inching into the Stade half.  Its slapped back on the Leicester side and Hamilton flings it towards Healey.  The Stade defence is rushing up.  But it isn’t in a line.  There are more dog legs than a Korean buffet.  Venditti is the unlucky one singled out.  Healey is through the gap with only Christophe Dominici between him and the line.  But he’s slowing, he’s cramping up.  Not now Austin any time but now!  Leon Lloyd is steaming in on his outside from his right wing position.  Healey spots him and times his pass to perfection.  Lloyd is now in foot race with Dominici to the corner flag.  To the victor the spoils.  To the victor a European title.  Nobody beats Lloyd to the corner.  Not today. 

Ospreys’ wings clipped

December 18^th 2005

This was an ugly game, Ian Evans has taken Ellis out with as vicious donkey kick after the whistle and Gavin Henson has kicked Moreno in the head after breaking his nose with an elbow.  Tigers are deep in their own 22 with the clock showing 80.  Down 15-10.  This is going to take some doing.  Ospreys have never lost a game at the “Liberty Stadium”.  We need some magic, some inspiration.  We need Andy Goode.  I remember the two keys moments of this move differently.  The first I remember the TV view, the second from my seat.  The first: It’s a ruck inside the Tigers 22, the defence of the Ospreys is narrow.  Tom Varndell is not in acres of space, he’s in hectares of space.  Goode finds him with the cross field kick and he is haring into the Ospreys half.  Stefan Terblanche is the last man back and makes his tackle.  If we’re not careful we’ll lose this.  Ollie Smith arrives in the nick of time.  His rucking is superb, he hefts Terblanche out the way but stops himself so he can bridge over the ball and keep it in the ruck.  We’re now back into my view, high up the stands on the 22 we’re attacking.  The ruck is on the other touchline.  Leon Lloyd is the senior back and takes charge; the ball comes out to him in the middle of the field.  He finds Dan Hipkiss on his outside.  Is this the moment?  No.  It’s another ruck.  Lloyd is still bossing the play and runs a switch to set up another ruck.  Hipkiss is back up and is on the blindside wing, near to us.  Lloyd is still playing fly half.  He goes to the line.  He attracts the defenders.  Hipkiss is arching his run in to support him through the contact.  But Wait!  No he isn’t, he’s got the pass.  He’s slipped through the net.  He’s round the posts and the Tigers faithful erupt.  That’s why Lloyd was playing fly half, he’s a bloody genius at it.  What bushel has he been hiding that under?  Goode converts and Tiger have a famous victory.

Dupuy’s dummy

11^th April 2009

This is Vesty’s moment.  This what he dreamed of watching Jez Harris growing up, this is what he dreamed of:  The drop goal hero against the most hated of foes.  Bath. Spit.  He remembers 1996 and 1994 and 1989.  Bastards.  This one’s for Dusty, for Dosser, for Deano.  Bath know it too.  The scion of the club.  4^th generation Tiger.  His name has always been destined to be written in the stars.  He lines up in front of the posts to drop for glory.  The ball is whipped back and the Bath defence is on him in a second.  He’s no time for the kick.  The Bath defenders look pleased.  Then the roar.  They turn to stone.  A funny sick coloured stone but stone none the less.  The Leicester team is streaming into the end zone.

What’s happened?  Dupuy has happened.  The Bath defence is so quick on to Vesty he never passes the ball, slipping through the fringe defence and grateful for Nick Abendonan’s turnstile defence he’s under the posts.  Sept points.  Always in the shadow in of others in France in Leicester he’s found the limelight.  He couldn’t look more French if he had a string of garlic cloves around his neck a Gauloises between his lips and a wife on one arm a mistress on the other.  He couldn’t be a bigger Leicester hero if he’d been berthed on the Crumbie.

JC kicks us to Edinburgh

3^rd May 2009

We’ve bottled it.  14 points up “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” ringing in the Welsh ears and we’ve blown it.  Jamie Roberts has destroyed us, he’s going on the Lions tour and you can see why.  We hang on into extra time, JC tries an outrageous cross field kick which Tom Croft takes to within an inch of the line.  Who does he think he think?  Forwards don’t kick we all know that. 

It comes down to penalty kicks, the first time since the 1981 French Championship, though no one remembers that at the time.  Cardiff get first shot.  To begin with it’s all going swimmingly, Vesty, Dupuy and Geordan Murphy have slotted kicks as have Blair, Robinson and Halfpenny.  Disaster.  Johne Murphy the Naas winger has hooked it left.  His John Lilley inspired technique has let him down.  Tom James the Cardiff winger has his kick for the first ever Welsh final.  I couldn’t even look.  People talk about heart in the mouth moments, but in reality it’s more like stomach hanging half way out your arse.  Relief.  He’s shanked it wide right and I haven’t shat myself either.  Scott Hamilton the unflappable Kiwi is not flapped as he buries his kick into Glanmor’s Gap.  Richie Rees squeaks his in the bottom right corner.  What’s happening now?  Tigers have sent flanker Craig Newby up.  Lions tourist Harry Ellis is available, surely as a back he’d be better?  It matters not, his slow and rhythmic style ticks another over.  It was probably the best kick so far.  Martyn Williams is up for the Blues.  Pontypridd’s finest is considered a footballing flanker, surely he’ll have no problem?  He looks nervous, shifty like a golfer with the yips.  He snatches at it.  It’s missed.  I’m going wild in the stands.  This is it boys!  Lion Harry Ellis will slot it and we’ll be heaving into Edinburgh before you know it.  Wait.  That’s not Harry Ellis, its Jordan Crane!  Blonde hair slicked back with sweat, the baby blue scrum hat left back on half way.  He lines it up.  The contrast with Williams couldn’t be more different.  This is a man who knows his place.  He trusts his skills.  Pandemonium in the Leicester end, across the aisle in the Cardiff block its rock bottom, dejection.  As he finishes his kicking stroke JC celebrates, is he yawning?  Is it some bizarre red Indian pow wow gesture?  He’s enveloped by Scott Hamilton.  We don’t care and drunk on victory (as well as the beer) we celebrate the night away in Cardiff.

Much later we find out JC kicked in his school team ahead of Shane Geraghty and Ryan Davies.  No wonder he was confident.

Varndell’s try sinks Stade

April 1^st 2007

I can still see this try in my mind’s eye.  Hipkiss, who never passes, has the ball going towards the Alliance & Leicester stand, he steps one man and is left with two defenders in front of him and Tom Varndell on his right hugging the Crumbie touchline.  Bergamasco straightens his shoulders for just a second.  BANG. The pass, and Varndell with it, is gone.  He’s destroyed him taking 10 meters before Bergamasco can blink or think.  Made him look an April Fool.  Under the posts, Goodey converts and Tigers have their 1 point lead they never lose.

Tiger’s pack, O’Connell’s folly

20^th January 2007

It’s 8-6 to Tigers.  60^th minute.  Tomas O’Leary’s kick through has got Munster a penalty 5 meters out.  Penalty for the lead or Try for the win?  Try to crush the soul and the spirit?  Try is what O’Connell wants.  Scrum down he tells Joel Jutge.  Scrums, Jutge, Munster and Leicester, what could go wrong?  Heave 1, and it’s down.  Heave 2, and it’s up.  Heave 3 and Julian White monsters Marcus Horan, splinters the Munster pack and the moment is lost.  Soul intact.  Spirit higher than ever.  7 minutes later Ollie Smith seals the win and Thomond is demolished both in fact and mythology.

Teams named for Final Rematch

Our Lord and Saviour JC will captain the side in his first start of the season, due to the absence of Geordan Murphy with a knee injury.  Other changes see Manu Tuilagi, Tom Waldrom, Logovi'i Mulipola and Dan Cole rested with the later 3 on the bench.  Matt Smith, JC, Boris "the finger" Stankovitch and Martin Castrogiovanni are the able replacements, whilst Niall Morris replace's fellow Irishman Geordan Murphy.

Tigers:
15 Scott Hamilton
14 Niall Morris
13 Matt Smith
12 Anthony Allen
11 Vereniki Goneva
10 Toby Flood
9 Sam Harrison
1 Boris Stankovich
2 Tom Youngs
3 Martin Castrogiovanni
4 Graham Kitchener
5 Geoff Parling
6 Steve Mafi
7 Julian Salvi
8 Jordan Crane (c) 
Replacements
16 George Chuter
17 Dan Cole
18 Logovii Mulipola
19 Rob Andrew
20 Thomas Waldrom
21 Patrick Phibbs
22 George Ford
23 Adam Thompstone

For the Champion Quins outside centre George Lowe is missing and is replaced by former Plymouth Albion and Cornish Pirate centre Matt Hopper.  Bloody Tom Williams is sure to get a hot reception from the Crumbie terrace where his betrayal  of Deano has never been forgotten.  Otherwise the side is unchanged from the XV that triumphed at Twickenham.
Quins:
 15. Mike Brown
14. Tom Williams
13. Matt Hopper
12. Jordan Turner Hall
11. Ugo Monye
10. Nick Evans
9. Danny Care

1. Joe Marler
2. Joe Gray
3. James Johnston
4. Olly Kohn
5. George Robson
6. Maurie Fa'asavalu
7. Chris Robshaw ©
8. Nick Easter
Replacements
16. Rob Buchanan
17. Darryl Marfo
18. Will Collier
19. Charlie Matthews
20. Tom Guest
21. Karl Dickson
22. Rory Clegg
23. Ross Chisholm