Tigers Flood with Confidence

Tigers secured their 9^th straight playoff semi final with a thumping 6 try 42-22 victory away to Sale.  First half tries from Vereniki Goneva and Toby Flood gave Tigers a 14-3 half time lead to which Tigers quickly added, racing to a 35-3 lead before falling off and allowing 3 consolation scores to Sale.

Previous trips to Sale have required sterling second half comebacks but this one was a more comfortable affair as Tigers squeezed Sale in defence whilst finishing our own chances relatively clinically.

Sale had the early territory and possession but could not make it count, a knock from Tom Brady spoiling a 7 phase spell inside the Tigers 22.  Sale varied their game well, keeping the Tigers defence on their toes with a mix of pick and goes with distributing to the wider channels. 

Tigers opened the scoring on their first real attack.  It was a classic multi-phase Tigers score.  Anthony Allen kept the defence honest, straightening from a strong Tigers scrum.   Tait went wide and we recycled through Slater.  Sale’s defence was up fast and twice was on Youngs before he passed.  Allen though swept up the loose ball and straightened, silkily off loading to Ayerza whose back hand flip set Morris through the middle.

Quickly it went right and a hint of an overlap was extinguished, but not before Mulipola rumbled to within 5.  This caught full back Tom Arscott in the ruck.  With inexperienced wingers Tom Brady and Charlie Ingall unaware it was Owen Williams who exploited the gap with a delicious Andy Goode-esque chip off the outside of his right boot.  Tuilagi and Goneva were first to it with the Fijian claiming his 14 score of the campaign.

Sale quickly claimed their first points following a terrific break from kiwi Michael Paterson, Jamie Gibson was harshly ruled to have not released the man and media darling Danny Cipriani nailed the 3 points from in front.

Tigers lead should have been more but for 3 uncharacteristic penalty misses by Owen Williams.  The first when the score was nil all went wide right and the next two skewed left.  6 from 9 in total though can hardly be considered a poor return.

A try was also inexplicably ruled out in the 22^nd minute.  Ed Slater made a lovely inside break from Williams’ pass; Niall Morris executed a dead eye grubber which Anthony Allen pounced on to finish strongly.  Referee JP Doyle however chose to go back and check the midfield pass he had ruled fair in the build up.  Quite how the hands were ruled to be going forwards I’ll never know.  Compare that try to Jonathan Joseph’s given in the home game against Bath by the same referee.

Compare also to the try in Toulouse v Clermont where the man running on the angle throws the ball on the inside, clearly travels 3 yards forward but is allowed as the hands were going backwards. 

Tigers were quickly in the ascendency again; Goneva steaming in but unable to hold Ben Youngs’ delayed pass.  Sale adventurously countered from behind their own posts.  Leota’s inside pass to Fihaki sent the number 8 on a gallop from one 22 to the other.  Anthony Allen made a superb try saving cover tackle on Tom Brady, injuring himself out of the game in the process.  In the after match analysis Sale will be disappointed with the option chosen by Fihaki, Allen’s hips were turned and an inside pass available.

It was his replacement Toby Flood who grabbed the next try.  Owen Williams made a good break, handing off Moldovan prop Codilas and out pacing flanker Gaskell, before Ben Youngs and Jordan Crane found Flood against Cobilas and his propping partner Lewis-Roberts.  The props had 4 defenders to mark in far too much space and Flood easily ran between them.

The second half saw Tigers continue in the same rich vein of form.  Niall Morris, returning after 3 months of injury, capped his 50^th start with a try.  The Irishman was on hand with a terrific supporting line to take Williams’ pass from contact following a nice break from the Youngs brothers combining down the blindside.

A fourth try and the bonus point to secure a semi final was quick in coming just 8 minutes later.  A midfield obstruction by Henry Thomas gave Leicester good ball inside the Sale 22.  Tigers were finding the Sale defence much tougher this time being driven backwards and forced wide, the key to unlocking it came from a glorious off load from Jordan Crane.  A little diamond of skill the number 8 slipped the pass behind his back, attracting the defence and allowing Gibson to slip up the inside.

With the Sale defence now stretched it took one more phase before Toby Flood, running his trademark fast and tight line from Ben Youngs, went over for his 2^nd try.  Danny Cipriani sportingly patted Flood on the back rather than try and tackle him.  What a nice chap.

Flood was almost in for his hat trick moments later.  Tigers had gained possession in the Sale 22 from a weaving Ben Youngs break and a Sale offside.  Goneva’s dummy line attracted the Sale defence as Morris swept behind him; the Irishman straightened and found Flood but good defence, and perhaps an early tackle, from Tom Brady prevented the grounding.

It hardly mattered though as Tigers scrum marched the Sale pack at a rate of knots to earn the penalty try.

With the game secured in the 60^th minute there was a marked drop in Tigers' intensity and the bench was emptied.  Sale grabbed three tries but never really looked like getting the most unlikeliest of comebacks. 

First it was Michael Paterson exploiting Toby Flood’s poor decision to blitz and racing in at the corner, then Henry Thomas scored following a line out front peel.  David Mele and Vereniki Goneva looked completely uninterested in tackling the 20 stone of Bath bound beef on the hoof and really can you blame them when winning by such a margin?

There can be no complaints on Johnny Leota’s score though as the Samoan raced in from half way with a lovely swerve to beat Niall Morris.  Tigers though will be disappointed with Waldrom’s first up tackle and Mele’s miss in open field.

The diminutive Frenchman made amends though with the final score.  Niall Morris had a good chance for a second score of his own but fumbled the grounding, with Sale now running everything Tigers were able to turnover an ambitious cross field kick before gaining a penalty.  With the scrum taken but not marching forwards like the previous one Waldrom picked up and backed into the halfback, off loading to Mele for the easy dive in.

A stonking scoreline and 9^th successive Play Off semi final, all in all a good day at the office in anyone’s book.  Tigers though will not be happy with the spurned chances.  Tom Croft is rumoured to be fit again and what a boost in the search for an 11^th Championship that would be.

Awesome Foursome Line Up For Quins Test

Champions Leicester Tigers travel to Harlequins knowing that a win will secure themselves a place in the play offs for the 10th straight year.  A win will also put Tigers above Northampton and into position for a home semi final, for 48 hours at least.

Despite recording a maximum 5 points in the win against Wasps Richard Cockerill makes 5 changes to his starting XV.  The entire front row swaps over as Marcos Ayerza and Logo Mulipola start at prop with Stankovich and Balmain going onto the bench.  Neil Briggs makes his first start in 3 months as he is preferred to Rob Hawkins as hooker.  Tom Youngs is rested in line with EPS requirements.

In the backs former captain Toby Flood is reunited with Ben Youngs, Anthony Allen and Manu Tuilagi.  The awesome foursome have not played together in almost a year, the last time the quartet all started was against Northampton in last year's victorious play off final against Northampton.  Domestically they have lost only 1 of their 15 games together.

Owen Williams is unlucky to miss out but Cockerill has commented that after 6 straight starts he feels the young player needs to rest and mentally recuperate from some tough atmospheres.

Harlequins have become a bogey side for Tigers.  Quins failed to beat Tigers in 14 straight games from 2003 to 2010; but in the last 6 games the Londoners have won 5.  Tigers sole win was last year's Play Off Semi Final at Welford Road. 

The league meeting earlier this season was scarred with controversy; Julian Salvi received his only ever yellow card for the club on Tigers 2nd penalty of the match and Quins scored two tries, including one ruled fair on the controversial "momentum" interpretation of a forward pass, during those 10 minutes.  The referee that day was Tim Wigglesworth and fresh from his contentious refereeing of the fierce Gloucester-Bath derby the RFU have once again turned a deaf ear to controversy.  

Harlequins tactics of deliberately holding defenders down off the ball was highlighted by BT Sport this week, hopefully Wigglesworth was watching as without a keen eyed referee teams are helpless against the cynicism of the Harlequins machine. 

Harlequins name an unchanged side from the one which secured their own bonus point win away to Sale.  Full Back Mike Brown has been gaining rave reviews for his England performances whilst Nick Evans looked back to his best against the Sharks. 



Leicester
15 Mat Tait
14 Blaine Scully
13 Manu Tuilagi
12 Anthony Allen
11 Vereniki Goneva
10 Toby Flood
9 Ben Youngs
1 Marcos Ayerza
2 Neil Briggs
3 Logovi'i Mulipola
4 Ed Slater (c)
5 Graham Kitchener
6 Jamie Gibson
7 Julian Salvi
8 Jordan Crane
Replacements
16 Rob Hawkins
17 Boris Stankovich
18 Fraser Balmain
19 Geoff Parling
20 Pablo Matera
21 David Mele
22 Owen Williams
23 Niall Morris
Harlequins
15 Mike Brown
14 Ollie Lindsay-Hague
13 Tim Molenaar
12 Jordan Turner-Hall
11 Sam Smith
10 Nick Evans
9 Danny Care
1 Joe Marler
2 Dave Ward
3 Kyle Sinckler
4 Charlie Matthews
5 George Robson
6 Luke Wallace
7 Chris Robshaw (C)
8 Nick Easter
Replacements
16 Rob Buchanan
17 Mark Lambert
18 Paul Doran Jones
19 Tom Guest
20 Maurie Fa'asavalu
21 Karl Dickson
22 Ben Botica
23 Ross Chisholm

Referee: Tim Wigglesworth
Touch Judges: Andy Watson & Roy Maybank TMO: Sean Davey

Toby's Tigers Ton Up

Tigers make three changes to the starting line up that last Friday conceded defeat to Ulster.  In the forwards Graham Kitchener and Thomas Waldrom replace Louis Deacon and Jordan Crane who take their places on the bench; the other change sees Californian winger Blaine Scully recover from injury to oust Miles Benjamin from the wing.  Benjamin was rusty in Belfast after so long out but needs must and he gave a Tigers effort in trying circumstances.  He will be back, he will be better.

The changes see Tigers lose some direct power in the tight exchanges but Kitchener and Waldrom are far more dynamic carriers, with Kitchener's pace also a terrific asset in defence.

Tigers M.I.A. list contains internationals Marcos Ayerza, Tom Croft, Steve Mafi, Pablo Matera, Anthony Allen, Manu Tuilagi, Scott Hamilton and Mat Tait.  8 internationals and 7 of those would be key men in the 23.  The injuries are a staggering as they are varied.  Anthony Allen ruled out with what was essentially a rotting thigh muscle.  Lovely.

Captain Toby Flood will be making his 100 appearance for the clubs since his debut away to Gloucester in 2008.  Logovi'i Mulpola at Loosehead makes his 50 appearance for the First XV whilst Thomas Waldrom makes his 75th start in the back row.

Treviso come to Welford Road for the 4th time in 6 seasons.  This ties the Ospreys for the most common group stage opponent in the history of Heineken Cup.  An ample demonstration of both the stagnation of European Rugby thanks to "Regions" and the skewed system used to draw the pool stages which makes similar draws more likely.

Last season we beat Treviso in both games, as we have every Italian opponent in the Heineken Cup, but only by 8 points at home and by the slimmest margin, a lone point, away.  Treviso have beaten both Bath and Wasps in the past; so whilst we might remember them from their late noughties slump historically they have always been a competitive side.  At some point we will lose to them and the gloating from the London press will be deafening.  Lets make sure it is not now!

Treviso have recalled summer signing Mat Berquist at Fly Half.  Berquist hit the heights in Dan Carter's absence for the Canterbury Crusaders in 2011 but has failed to hit those standards since his transfer to Europe.  First he spent a year, mostly injured, in Dublin with Leinster then he tried the delights of the Top 14 with Biarritz.

Italy seems to be agreeing with him more as he has two tries in two starts and steered the Leoni to victory over Munster in September. 

On the wing dope smoking Japanese-Tongan winger-cum-flanker Christian Loamanu has been a power packed addition to the side since his 2012 switch from Toulon.  

The real strength of this Treviso side though is in the back five of the scrum.  Pavenello is a fantastic captain, though he can be accused of having a touch of the Borthwicks, whilst number 7 Alessandro Zanni is one of Europe's finest flankers.  At the forefront of Italy's win against France last year Zanni is not a Neil Back type at 7 but more the continental style ball carrier work horse.  Think Juan Fernandez Lobbe.  Think new Tiger Pablo Matera.

The back row is completed with two imported Italian test players; Manoa Voaswi from Fiji initially burst onto the scene with Overmarch Parma but has settled with Treviso as a yet another physical carrier.  Bob Barbieri is a Canadian Number 8 who was picked up after the incredibly scientific method of an FIR official seeing his name on a Canadian U-19s team sheet and presuming he had some qualification!  A contract in the Super 10, as it was before "regionalisation" of Italian rugby, quickly came and the allure of the 6 Nations secured him for the Azzurri. 

French referee Pascal Gauzere will referee his 4th Tigers game; all 3 previous occasions have also been against Italian sides. 

Leicester Tigers
15 Niall Morris
14 Blaine Scully
13 Vereniki Goneva
12 Dan Bowden
11 Adam Thompstone
10 Toby Flood (c)
9 Ben Youngs
1 Logovi'i Mulipola
2 Tom Youngs
3 Dan Cole
4 Graham Kitchener
5 Geoff Parling
6 Ed Slater
7 Julian Salvi
8 Thomas Waldrom
Replacements
16 Neil Briggs
17 Boris Stankovich
18 Fraser Balmain
19 Louis Deacon
20 Jordan Crane
21 David Mele
22 Owen Williams
23 Terrence Hepetema

Benetton Treviso
15 Luke McLean
14 Andrea Pratichetti
13 Luca Morisi
12 Alberto Sgarbi
11 Christian Loamanu
10 Mat Berquist
9 Tobias Botes
1 Michele Rizzo
2 Enrico Ceccato
3 Lorenzo Cittadini
4 Antonio Pavanello (c)
5Valerio Bernabo
6 Manoa Vosawai
7 Alessandro Zanni
8 Robert Barbieri
Replacements
16 Franco Sbaraglini
17 Ignacio Fernandez Rouyet
18 Pedro di Santo
19 Marco Fuser
20 Dean Budd
21 Marco Filippucci
22 Fabio Semenzato
23 James Ambrosini

Referee: Pascal Gauzere
TV: Sky Sports 1 Red Button

Heavenly Tigers silence Sandy Park crowd

A dominant first 20 minutes was enough for Tigers to see off a spirited final hour from Exeter as they triumphed 21-9 at Sandy Park.  Renowned by some for a terrific atmosphere Sandy Park was a strange cross between a morgue and a library as Tigers had a choke on hold on the game, and even though their grip loosened in the second half they never let go completely.

Tigers started the game terrifically as the heavyweight pack selected by Richard Cockerill acted like a wrecking ball through the Exeter midfield.  Great awareness from Toby Flood spotted occasional full back Phil Dollman out of position and took advantage with a dinked chip for Niall Morris.  He looked to have scored but the T.M.O. ruled that his fumble in the grounding went forwards.  To my eye that went backwards and he was next to ground it for a try.

Tigers went close again as a Jordan Crane looked to free Ben Youngs round the side of a driven maul.  He tripped though and referee Wigglesworth ruled holding on.  The mighty Leicester pack was not to be denied however and it was from a similar move that Ben Youngs squirmed over, this time it was elder brother Tom Youngs who drew the last man.

Flood missed the conversion but atoned with a penalty not too long afterwards.  Tigers’ backline defence was excellent with Blaine Scully’s defence immaculate.  Vereniki Goneva, in his favoured position of outside centre, was particularly quick off the mark and showed an excellent work ethic to get back to the outside if he was beaten.

Typical Tigers to find the Fijian good at all the dull things to go with his magic feet.

Exeter finally arrived in the second quarter as they finally got some ball and field position to use it.  Usually it is the away side you say were “still on the bus” but Exeter’s minds looked elsewhere for long periods of the first half.

Goneva’s never stop work rate was rewarded on the stroke of half time when he pounced on Jason Shoemark’s loose pass to race away under the posts.  Toby Flood converted for a 15-0 half time lead.

Tigers’ mega-sized back five finally tired in the second half.  Ed Slater brings immense physicality around the field and as an option in the lineout he is fantastic, but what you gain in those stakes you lose out on the floor of the ruck.  

With only Julian Salvi as a true flanker Tigers struggled to stem the Chief’s flow in the second half.  Consequently they lost out on possession, territory and the chance to claim the try bonus point.

Tigers were out on their feet for much of the second period and the injection of fresh legs from Kitchener and Gibson helped somewhat to turn the tide back in the Leicester favour.   

2 of the 3 second half penalties from Exeter were simply due to speed of ball and pressure.  The other a fairly bizarre scrum penalty for Tom Youngs standing up, despite the Tigers pack marching forwards at the time.

I look forward to seeing Dylan Hartley penalised off the park next week.

With 70 minutes gone Tigers still had the chance to press for a third try and open up the possibility of the try bonus point.  Tigers were finally getting some ball in the Exeter half and had earned a scrum penalty.  At 9 points up the penalty insured against a two score Exeter come back but a kick to the corner might have opened the game up for an extra point ourselves.

This summed up both sides as neither was really positive enough to take hold of the game in the second half, so Tigers first half stranglehold held firm.

At the end of the match Ben Kay’s man of the match Vereniki Goneva let slip Tigers tactical master plan.  “I’d like to thank the Lord” he said.  With the Almighty as our 16^th man no wonder our defence seemed omnipotent!

Flood injuries mars Tigers win

It’s an interesting exercise trying to describe foul play that you missed and have only heard second hand reports of.  Especially when there is no big screen to get slow-mo replays or even an on hand recording to verify other’s events.

The facts are that Ulster lock Dan Tuohy broke through the line carrying the ball on about halfway; the referee immediately blew his whistle for a foul and sin binned him.  Toby Flood was immobile on the pitch for over 10 minutes and was taken by stretcher straight into the pitchside ambulance.  From the terrace I could not see him moving at all.

So it certainly had an ugly outcome; but what exactly did happen?  Reports from those that claim to have seen it is that there was a swinging arm to Flood’s head.  Now taking the risky gamble that referee Tim Wigglesworth was correct in a yellow card what could have happened? 

On one extreme is that it was a stationary but prominent elbow that caught Flood in the head; the other is that after Flood had grasped him in the tackle he swung an elbow at his head to break him off.  One of those isn’t a penalty; the other, even in these days of yellow cards for manslaughter, is a clear red.  So it must have been something in between those two extremes. 

Best guess?  Dan Tuohy had his arm tight to his chest, Martin Corry style, and rather than taking contact then pushing off, which most refs see as legal, he pushed off prematurely swinging into Flood’s head in the process.

That or he’s a dirty Irish thug who deliberately injures opponents.  Probably the accident.

Well that’s 280 words on the injury what about the tries?

It was nil all when Flood came off and Ulster ended the 14 men stretch 3 points up, Tigers had levelled the score after a clumsy/lazy high tackle from former Northampton player Roger Wilson. 

It was a cracker of a try.  We won’t score too many better this season.  A nothing penalty from Ulster on our 22 was tapped quickly by David Mele.  He had spotted Tom Court, hobbling after the last ruck, exposed as the last man on the end of the line.  Mele to Lamb then Allen inside the 22 before Goneva was freed to round the luckiest Lion since Andy Nicol.  Goneva took it up to about half way before Niall Morris was given it sweeping up from full back.  He showed to give it to Hamilton then burst straight, his pace taking straight to the line from halfway.

A not too dissimilar move ended with Goneva chucking it at Thompstone’s ankles about ten minutes later.

The second try was the kind of masterful manipulation of a forward pack and a blindside that was reminiscent of Adel Kardooni in his pomp.  The maul had been going well, driving Ulster back 15m on the previous occasion before Wigglesworth had blown for an Ulster scrum, and Tigers were now within yards of the line.  It had been a back ball so there was a nice large blindside.  Wary of another random scrum to Ulster this time Tigers decided to get it moving then release the ball. 

Mele was le petit general as he bossed flanker Salvi to burst left and draw the man before seeing of an Ulster challenge to dot down in the corner.  C’est magnificent. 

After halftime Tigers quickly scored another beaut as Dan Bowden’s cut out pass to Hamilton tore the Irish defence to shreds; a lovely out the back of the hand flick to Anthony Allen, lurking on the wing, finished the move.

Ulster came back into it with some nice attacks.  Speedster Paddy Marshall went close after a good bit of broken field play following a Neil Briggs charge down.  Jerome Schuster was sin binned for an impossibly thick bit of play on his own goal line.  With the ball already slow and going nowhere he piled into the scrum half through the side of the ruck.  Now a yellow was harsh given it was the first offence by the entire team that half and the ball was nothing anyway but it was a stupid penalty to give away.  Tigers turned the ball over the next phase so it really was for nothing.  Ulster used the space from the missing man for Chris Henry to score under the posts.

That meant we got to see Fraser Balmian though, and he impressed shoring up the wobbly scrum and clearing rucks aggressively.

The scrum.  Ah, the scrum.  Apparently we have solved it.  So the internet nerds and the Telegraph twitchers tell me.  Well it looks like the Emperor’s New Bollocks to me.  I counted 6 free kicks and 3 penalties, with one highly suspicious squirt out of a scrum that looked suspiciously like it came out the tunnel.  Several collapses and re-starts were present and correct but what scrums we did get seemed de-powered and unstable with far more lateral movement than is normal.

Now we had duff games under last year’s rules too so I’m not poo-pooing the new rules just yet, but Richard Cockerill’s allegations of swapping one mess for another seems on the money after that display.

Back to the game and there was one final try as Tigers pushed for the imaginary bonus point.  Always good to train the mind as well as the body.  Perry Humphreys, last year’s title winning Under 18s full back, was fed a superb inside ball by Ryan Lamb and gained some good ground.  He recycled and the ball went left.  A huge cut out pass from Lamb found Waldrom on the charge who went close to the line, off loading for De Chaves who was driven over by Briggs to score in the corner.  Had there been a TMO I’m sure he would have been consulted but there wasn’t so we got a try rather than a wait.

Lamb’s conversion hit the post to round out the score at 30-10.

Tigers win Blandy Park Kick Fest

4 penalties from the boot of captain Toby Flood were enough to see of a physical Exeter side 12-9 at Sandy Park.  Flood was a perfect 4/4 from the tee whilst his opposite number Northern Irish Gareth Steenson left a last second penalty agonisingly short to leave both himself and his team 3 points off the pace.

This was my first visit to Sandy Park and it has to win the award for most difficult ground to find, despite it looming large over the M5.  I came off at Junction 30 and followed a sign to “”Rugby Parking”, that took me past the ground through a small newly built estate and then back past the ground again on the same road before depositing me back at the Junction 30 roundabout.  Needing some diesel and a toilet break I ducked into the motorway services and asked for some directions.  A pretty simple “Go over the roundabout, up the hill then it’s on your left” was the reply.  

Thankfully now in possession of an empty bladder and a full tank, rather than the other way round, I restarted my intrepid journey to find somewhere to park the car.  Oh but it were as simple as the shop assistant said!  I know some of our Kiwi players find the concept of traffic lights on the Victoria Park roundabout confusing but they have seen nothing until they have attempted to go straight on from the Exeter services!  I was stopped on red at my entrance, the traffic to my right was also stopped on red as was the traffic past a large yellow bow where both of us wanted to go, the traffic trying to join at that entrance was also stopped on red.  The only people with the green light seemed to be the only road with no one on it.  But that’s not the end of it.  Eventually the traffic actually on the roundabout was allowed to leave, with the traffic straight in front where I wanted to go moving and also the traffic from my right sweeping in behind it.  But when it came to my turn to come on to the roundabout the lane to go straight on was again on red and already queuing back into the yellow traffic box!  I was there in plenty of time so decided to be valiant and not block the road, but after seeing the exact same thing repeat 5 minutes later, still waiting to get on to the infernal roundabout I chanced my arm and got myself into the madness.  Another lifetime went by and I managed to finally leave the roundabout and find the industrial estate to park.  £3 was not too bad for parking, not the usual free street parking I prefer but Exeter City Council seemed determined to stop you from doing that and given the trouble I’d had finding a signed car park less than a mile from the services I didn’t much fancy poking about in the back streets to find where the restrictions ended.

In all the confusion to find the parking I’d got thoroughly lost so after a brief chat with the car park’s charity bucket shaker I was walking in the direction of Sandy Park, which some how I’d managed to get on left.  It gets a good reputation, Sandy Park, but I can’t really see why.  It’s ruinously expensive to do anything, £22 to stand at pitch level with no elevation, £27 to stand on the cowshed terrace at the side, £43 to sit in the “Grandstand”, £5 for a pasty and the stands look and feel like they’re made out of scaffolding.  No wonder they make a profit on those prices! 

Anyway back to the match and Tigers played pretty poorly in all honesty.  We managed to carve out 2 or 3 very good chances; Mat Tait managing to butcher the simplest chances near the end of the first half before Tom Croft was turned over stretching for the line, ESPN showed he may have got the ball onto the line but the TMO was not called for, and in the second half Castro had try ruled out for a block by fellow prop Logovi’i Mulipola that was pretty marginal, again the option of letting the try stand and checking it on the TMO was not used. 

There was a gale blowing into Tigers faces in the first half, holding the high balls up well and for once allowing our chasers the chance to compete for the ball.  Despite the wind we had the vast majority of the territory and should have had the wit to break down a determined and stodgy Exeter side.  Tigers’ first half points came from Exeter going off side after a Ben Youngs break, Hoani Tui turning in at a scrum and for not rolling away from the ruck whilst Tigers were faffing about going side to side inside the Chiefs’ 22.

The second half was a very drab affair as neither side could break down the other and neither side wanted to risk much it was a nip and tuck game.  Tigers had the try from Castro ruled out and that would have probably blown the game open but instead had to settle for another Toby Flood penalty when Exeter were caught off side again.  The wind would come back to be Tigers friend again as the last seconds on the clock ticked past and Steenson was lining up a kick to tie the game.  It had been awarded after the referee decided it was only Castro not binding in a scum roughly ten meters out and ten meters in from touch.  Steenson is said to know more about the winds of Exeter than the Met Office but this time his touch deserted him and he left his kick short.

If only that was the end of it!  Tom Croft, perhaps not aware of or not trusting the countdown clock, carried the ball back out into play rather than hoofing it off the end or putting down over the line.  The Tigers players piled into the ruck to secure possession and not waste the previous 80 minutes of effort.  It was done and Ben Youngs had the ball at the back of the ruck, but again Tigers couldn’t get the damn thing out, this time players scrambling to the ruck blocked Youngs passing and kicking options as he was swallowed up by the Chiefs defence.  Again the forwards smashed their way in to retain possession and retain the valuable 4 points but this time they could not.  Thankfully referee Wigglesworth decided that rather than holding on or not rolling or going off our feet this was merely a pile up and the game was ended.

Those 4 points, combined with Sunday’s results have pushed us back into 2^nd place and a home semi final slot.  We never looked like breaking Exeter down enough to secure 4 tries and aren’t in competition with them this season so there point means nothing to us, so whilst that was a dreadful Tigers attacking performance it hasn’t really cost us any points.  To beat Toulon, or Saracens or Harlequins, i.e. to win a trophy, surely we have to offer better than that but then again we didn’t against Toulouse and the Awesome Foursome of Youngs-Flood-Allen and Manu remain undefeated domestically.

Flood to face Italians

Stuart Lancaster makes 5 changes to his England side for the challenge of Italy this Sunday, naming 7 Tigers in the 23.  Tigers' Toby Flood is restored to the line up after Owen Farrell failed to recover from a leg injury suffered in the France test match, while his clubmate Ben Youngs drops to the bench in favour of Stuart Lancaster's favourite Danny Care.  Given that Youngs and Flood are one of the most feared half back partnerships in world Rugby it seems bizarre to go with the Yorkshireman, especially given Youngs's outstanding form.

Manu Tuilagi earns his 20th cap at the age of only 21 in the midfield whilst Tigers also have 3 players named in the forward pack.  Tom Youngs is restored to the starting line up after being dropped for the France match, whilst I'm happy for the bulldozing Youngs I wonder what Lancaster expected from Hartley in his 50 minutes against the French.  Dan Cole and Geoff Parling continue their ever present 6 Nations in the front and second row respectively.

Returning to International Rugby after almost a year's absence with injury is flanker Tom Croft.  Croft was in world class form last weekend against Sale and his return to the fold is thoroughly deserved.


England Team to face Italy
15. Alex Goode (Saracens, 9 caps)
14. Chris Ashton (Saracens, 32 caps)
13. Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers, 19 caps)
12. Brad Barritt (Saracens, 14 caps)
11. Mike Brown (Harlequins, 14 caps)
10. Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers, 55 caps)
9. Danny Care (Harlequins, 39 caps)
1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 7 caps)
2. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 7 caps)
3. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 38 caps)
4. Joe Launchbury (London Wasps, 7 caps)
5. Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers, 15 caps)
6. James Haskell (London Wasps, 48 caps)
7. Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, capt, 15 caps)
8. Tom Wood (Northampton Saints, 16 caps)
Replacements
16. Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints, 45 caps)
17. David Wilson (Bath Rugby, 24 caps) 
18. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 8 caps) 
19. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 18 caps)
20. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers, 36 caps) 
21. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 31 caps) 
22. Freddie Burns (Gloucester Rugby, 1 cap)
23. Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby, 2 caps)

Ben's 30th Already

Ben Youngs will win his 30th cap when he steps out on the Aviva Stadium turf this Sunday.  3 years after his debut away to Scotland the Tigers ace has already played in wins over Australia and New Zealand for England and beaten South Africa with Leicester.  Alongside him will be older brother Tom making his 6th consecutive start after his debut this Autumn.  The Tigers in the starting line up are rounded out by Dan Cole, winning his 37th cap, and Geoff Parling, winning his 14th.

Manu Tuilagi is named as a replacement for the first time in his 17 match test career, and only the 6th time in his senior career.  He is joined on the bench by Toby Flood, who in contrast will earn his 20th cap from the bench, and number 8 Thomas Waldrom. 

England (v Ireland, Sunday 3pm, Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
15 Alex Goode (Saracens, 7 caps)
14 Chris Ashton (Saracens, 30 caps)
13 Brad Barritt (Saracens, 12 caps)
12 Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester, 1 cap)
11 Mike Brown (Harlequins, 12 caps)
10 Owen Farrell (Saracens, 13 caps)
9 Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 29 caps)
1 Joe Marler (Harlequins, 6 caps)
2 Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 5 caps)
3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 36 caps)
4 Joe Launchbury (London Wasps, 5 caps)
5 Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers, 13 caps)
6 James Haskell (London Wasps, 46 caps)
7 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, 13 caps) (c)
8 Tom Wood (Northampton Saints, 14 caps)
Replacements
16 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints, 43 caps)
17 David Wilson (Bath, 23 caps)
18 Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 5 caps)
19 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 16 caps)
20 Thomas Waldrom (Leicester Tigers, 4 caps)
21 Danny Care (Harlequins, 38 caps)
22 Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers, 54 caps)
23 Manusamoa Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers, 17 caps)

Ford Focused on Bath Time

Today’s Leicester Mercury reports that George Ford will leave at the end of the season and join Bath.  Tigers have offered him a two year deal, described as “lucrative”, but apparently what he is really after is a guarantee of “game time”.  Given he currently has had more game time than Toby Flood he clearly doesn’t mean any old game time he means he wants to be first choice for the Heineken Cup and top of the table Premiership clashes.  This is very admirable you wouldn’t want a player in the squad who doesn’t want to play in the important games, but he seems to want to start regardless of form.  Ford is a good young player who has become Premiership class very quickly, but based on their 10 odd starts each this year I can’t fathom how he can honestly expect to start ahead of Toby Flood.

It is worth remembering the pickle we were in at Fly Half before we signed Flood from Falcons.  We’d had success with a young Andy Goode being mentored by Pat Howard then tried every man and his dog before going back to Goodey to steer the ship.  Whilst he was at the helm of arguably our best ever side in 2007 even his biggest fans, and I included myself in that, could be left tearing their hair out at his inconsistency.  The problem was that you could never tell when he’d play badly or when he’d be the best Fly Half of his generation.  He won us as much as he lost but when the offer for his services came in from Brive I think a lot of us were happy to leave on good terms, pocket a transfer fee and try our luck with a talented young lad from Newcastle.

Flood’s transformation from a rather down beat, physically and mentally questionable 22 year old to the strident leader of men he is today has been remarkable.  I remember when we signed him Shaun Edwards questioned whether he could lead a club like Leicester, or whether he would wilt under the pressure; he has more than banished the doubters, he is now arguably the biggest influence on the side and the biggest voice within the club.  He has brought stability to the side after years of searching for a fly half like Hernandez or Wilkinson and with Allen, Tuilagi and Ben Youngs has formed a mid field foursome that has an incredible track record. 

I honestly believe if he hadn’t missed the 2009 Heineken Cup final the Leinster era would have been still born whilst we’d have beaten Harlequins last summer too, just compare the game at the Stoop where he was available to coolly guide the come back and the final with Ford.

Once Ford has laid down what effectively is an ultimatum, it’s him or me, the club was left with no choice.  Flood is a mature leader, who’s just approaching his peak, who’s had 5 great years with us and at only 27 is more likely than not to have another 5 great years.  How can you really justify destabilising the whole club to massage the ego of a 19 year old who has shown glimpses but no more than that? 

I wonder whether Ford has really got what he wanted and whether he has set his sights too high.  Did he really enter into negotiations only willing to stay if the club moulded the entire side round him for the next 10 years?  Because if what the Mercury says is true then that is the position he has ended up in.  I suppose we are only in January and talks would have only started in November at the earliest so perhaps that was his opening gambit.  Ford has been told from an early age that he is Jonny Wilkinson re-incarnate and I wonder whether it has gone to his head.  Looking at the stark facts he is the youngest ever player for the first team, has played 33 games before his 20^th birthday and is currently only being kept out of the side by a 50 cap current England international in the prime of his career.  He’s hardly stuck behind some honest John club slogger is he?  

Is Bath really where he wanted to go?  Moving to a club where his Dad works is a risky business, especially when he will be in direct competition with Tom Heathcote and Ollie Devoto, a year older and younger than him respectively, both of whom are local lads to Bath.  Bath is a proud city and there will be significant blocks of support for the two locals until Ford proves that he is well beyond the both of them, and whilst he is doing that the whispers will follow every bad game that he’s only being picked because his Dad’s the coach and that the local boys are being frozen out.  I suppose given the stick he’ll get in Leicester for the rest of the year if he hasn’t got a hide as thick as a rhino’s already he will have by June.

But we can’t get too het up about him moving on to further his career, after all it’s the only reason he is with us or in Rugby at all.  We signed him from Bradford Bulls in the Superleague at 16 because he felt that there was more money and more glory in Rugby, but before that he’d already been at Wigan.  4 clubs before your 20^th birthday is hardly the sign of a man who values loyalty or patience.   This isn’t meant to be a character assassination, just presenting some of the facts that might have been missed by other people in the rush to condemn Cockerill for any number of sins.  On the positive side there has been next to no discussions about money in the public sphere, so it doesn’t seem to be motivated by cash, unlike Billy Twelvetrees’s two day about turn after Gloucester wafted £50k in his direction.

But that is why it is more baffling and more frustrating.  Cockerill does what he thinks is best for the club, he doesn’t hold vendettas and doesn’t really have golden boys (though some seem to be held in much higher regard inside the clubhouse than outside), if Ford had impressed significantly in the ample opportunities he has had or is about to have during the Six Nations he would have been given the shirt. 

It is also instructive to think about what sort of development he will get at Bath compared to Tigers.  In Leicester he is near as damn it guaranteed Heineken Cup rugby every year and few years outside the play offs, whilst at the moment he won’t play 100% of those games he will play some, this weekend he played in a decisive Heineken Cup winner takes all pool decider against Toulouse; Bath played against Bucharest in the Amlin Challenge Cup.  Last season he played in the semi-final and the final of both major domestic competitions, the last time Bath got to the Premiership final was 2004.

At the end of the day though if he wants to leave he wants to leave and we should just take the £45k compensation and move on.  If we think Dan Bowden can be our reserve number 10, and given his form for London Irish last year there is every reason to think he can, then he can simply slip into 10 and we can look to recruit a centre or another young fly half.

International Action Round Up

In Aberdeen Steve Mafi got a last minute yellow card for a petulant tip over after the whistle, but it mattered not as Tonga secured a shock 21-15 over the Scots, their first against a home nation.  Marcos Ayerza was not as lucky as Argentina were pummelled by Ireland 46-17.

At Twickenham some muddled thinking by both players and management cost England a victory, Toby Flood scored 6 points before departing early.  Manu Tuilagi tried valiantly to keep England in it with a series of powerful bursts as Dan Cole and Tom Youngs went well.  Ben Youngs and Geoff Parling round out the England contingent that was close but not good enough. 

In Florence Martin Castrogiovanni and his Italy chums came agonisingly close to a maiden victory against Australia as they lost 19-22.  In Tbilisi Vereniki Goneva played at 12 and grabbed a try as Fiji pulled off a close victory 24-19 against Georgia, confirming a whitewash for the hosts and preventing one for themselves.