Kings of the North

Tigers have announced the games that will replace the LV Cup fixtures on Season Tickets for next year.  After Bath, Gloucester and Exeter announced a triangular West Country series mouths were watering that Tigers may be able to replicate that with derbies against Northampton and Wasps.  

Instead the club has arranged to play Newcastle and Sale.  Real pedigree fixtures to get the fans excited.  More than that they have titled this triangular tournament "Kings of the North", a nifty on-trend title nicely referencing both Game of Thrones and King Richard III, but unfortunately rather missing the fact that Leicester is not in the "north" of any thing.  Leicestershire perhaps, at a push.  

And that both these Kings were prematurely killed and not only defeated but their whole dynasty was routed.  Perhaps not the best title to contest?

It seems bizarre that given a free hand to arrange fixtures with any club that would have us we have sided with the two poorest clubs in the league, in both supporter numbers and financially, who we share little history and zero rivalry.  Neither club will bring many fans on the long trip down to Welford Road, neither side will entice many floating non-season ticket holding Tigers fans attentions away from the World Cup and surely TV companies will show no interest in broadcasting any of these matches.

I don't even care enough to Photoshop this image properly

For the traveling fan Kingston Park is the most remote trip in the league at 191 miles compared to 186 miles to Exeter's Sandy Park, Sale meanwhile is the fourth longest trip by driving time only beating Bath because of the lack of motorways to darkest North-East Somerset.  If these away games get moved to Friday night or Sunday it would be the icing on the cake.

So a decidedly dodgy name, unattractive fixtures unlikely to pack in the punters or attract a TV audience and extra-long away trips for our most dedicated away travelers.  I cannot think of a worse pair of clubs to arrange a triangular tournament with.