The game’s only try was not one for the scrap books; only
the scrappy ones. Mat Tait, under no
pressure, had his poor clearing kick boomed back over his head by Lionel
Beauxis putting Tigers back on their own 22.
Tom Youngs and the Tigers forwards compounded that error by not securing
our own lineout ball before Luke McAlister put up a huge Garryowen. For a tactic named after a Munster club side
it is currently only really used by French sides, Brock James did it to Alesana
Tuilagi last year too. Mat “safe hands”
Tait, as no one calls him, juggled with the ball before finally getting his
hands on it. If only that was the
end. He tried to clear the ball, clearly
the right decision to his credit, but produced an air shot as he was tackled by
Thierry Dusautoir. With the ball
squirting away Yohan Huget slide through the sludge to claim the try.
Tigers had the best of the early exchanges, winning a scrum
penalty on half way before an Adam Thompstone break looked to have put Niall
Morris in for a try. It was not to be,
his own arm dislodging the ball as he went for the grounding, but Tigers
forwards were dominant again and won a penalty from Toulouse’s own feed. Flood made the difficult touchline kick look
easy and Tigers had the lead they would never surrender.
Tigers lost Steve Mafi on 15 minutes to a pulled hamstring
as he chased through a kick ahead, at the time it was a big worry but JC
stepped into the breach man fully to disrupt at the break down and carry
fantastically, he saved our bacon on more than one occasion sweeping up a loose
ball on the floor.
We rode our luck at times, Toulouse hit the post twice
within 4 minutes during a purple patch in the first half but so did they, along
with Niall Morris muffing the grounding he also dropped a clear run to the line
and kicked straight to touch when Ben Youngs was shouting for it on the inside
again clear to the line.
The second penalty was a tale of Toulouse errors
mounting. An overthrown line out was
hacked down field by Waldrom, under his pressure Doussain fumbled the ball and
Beauxis found a short touch. Parling was
found in the middle of the lineout and came up again to take an inside ball
from Crane for good metres. Tigers
spread the ball wide and the Toulouse backs came off their feet at the ruck. Flood made in 6-0 from in front of the posts.
On 35 minutes Toulouse gained two debateable scrum
decisions; winning a put in then a free kick.
Picamoles went for the line, Louis Deacon and Jordan Crane went for his
legs whilst Ben Youngs was at his terrier like best to get under the ball, the
call went to the TMO that completely missed Picamoles being stripped of the
ball by Flood before re-gathering, thankfully it also saw Youngs holding him up. At the next scrum Johnston dropped it and
Tigers could relieve the pressure.
The score moved to 9-0 with a monster penalty by Toby Flood
from within his own half. Geoff Parling
was taken out in the air by Gregory Lamboley during a lineout. Perhaps crucially the referee got the mark
massively wrong, giving the penalty just behind the half way line rather than
on the 10 metre line where the offence occurred. Those 8 metres were crucial with ball
sneaking over the bar.
The second half was really all about Toulouse’s attempts at
attack and Tigers’ defence snuffing them out.
Luke McAlister missed another penalty, after Niall Morris was left with
no option but to hold on, after the conversion for their try; in the end that
was crucial. Needing the try for the win
Toulouse had to turn down a host of kickable penalties in the closing minutes
and Tigers could defend to the edge of laws and often beyond.
Tigers could have been in real trouble in the 67th
minute; Toby Flood was charged down and in the melee was fingered by referee
George Clancy for a deliberate knock on.
For me it was a genuine attempt to catch the ball, or at least deflect
it backwards, but the refs are consistently over strict on this so it was not
too surprising to see the yellow card come out.
I do wonder about our game when a knock on is a yellow card but taking a
man out in the air, which can end players careers, is just a penalty.
From the penalty Toulouse turned down the kick at goal and
went for the corner, this is the advantage those missed kicks gave us. It told immediately as we managed to hold the
maul up and get the scrum put in. From
the scrum Ben Youngs’s box kick was touched in flight and we had cleared our
lines.
The final three minutes was a great piece of backs to the
wall play. Two penalties for Toulouse
had marched them 70 odd metres from their own 22 to 9 out from our line. Flood rejoined the action in time for the
final stand. Another penalty, this time
for an in at the side unseen by anyone else, led to another lineout. The crowd were roaring them on and Tigers
came up with the goods. Geoff Parling
leapt like a Salmon to disrupt the ball and Deacon made sure it was Tigers ball
with a poacher’s eye for the loose ball.
Toulouse came again left to right, sweeping forwards from
the halfway line to the 22. One dropped
ball, one loose pass, one moment without support and Toulouse were out. So who do you want carrying you forward at
these times? The inspirational
Dusautoir, the titanic Picamoles, the Johnsonian Argentinean Albacete? No, it fell to Yohan Montes the reserve
tighthead prop. He spilled it. They get a bad press props, but you have to wonder
at that time and in that moment why was he the one holding his hand up for the
work load?
Time for one more scrum, ruled referee Clancy. Déjà Vu of Gloucester from the last home game
a month ago. Again the opposition pack
run wildly round the outside, again the referee doesn’t spot it or at the very
least doesn’t give it but this time he just lets it play. Youngs is caught short and knocks it on,
visions of some Toulousain miracle are flooding the mind but no, my nightmare
is shattered by the piercing blow of the referees whistle. It’s over. We’ve won the game, we’ve won the group.
Onwards and upwards to the quarter finals where Jonny
Wilkinson and his Toulon chums lie in wait.
