Leicester vs Montpellier (Twickenham, Friday 20:00)

[loudnconfident]

The European Rugby Challenge Cup Final, of course.

Only starting the thread before the teams are announced as I wondered if any RR members are going? I bought a ticket last Saturday - listening to Tigers vs Quins they mentioned that seats were available so booked one. I'll dig out my Tigers shirt (circa 2003. I used to work for Hewlett-Packard and, somewhat accidentally, hosted the HP Customer Table at the game vs Bath, a week or so after the RWC. Bit of a fair-weather fan )

Looks like Twickers will be Covid-compliant to the maximum - but at least you can buy a beer, as long as you drink it at your seat.

Not many spectators, of course, so perhaps less of a crush at the Eel Pie or Wm Webb Ellis...

[Puja]

Gods, I wish. Money's a bit tight at the moment though, so I can't really justify. Were the tickets easy to get your hands on?

Puja

[loudnconfident]

Yes, quite easy. I paid £45 + fees for mine - very scattered seating due to Covid. Strange atmosphere I expect. Tix at:

https://www.twickenhamstadium.com/whats-on

[FKAS]

No chance with work and family to skip the four hours down to Twickenham on a Friday for the game. Could maybe have made it work on a Saturday but Friday night no chance. Trying to get home afterwards would have been a mission unless I could guilt a cousin to putting me up for the night. No another one from the sofa for me.

Hopefully those that go create some noise for the Tigers lads to feed off.

[Puja]

Teams're up:

Leicester: Steward; Porter, Moroni, Kelly, Nadolo; Ford, Wigglesworth; Genge, T Youngs (capt), Cole, Wells, Green, Liebenberg, Brink, Wiese

Replacements: Clare, De Bruin, Heyes, Henderson, Reffell, B Youngs, Henry, Murimurivalu

Montpellier: Bouthier; Vincent, Goosen, Serfontein, Rattez; Lozowski, Paillaugue; Forletta, Guirado (capt), Haouas, Verhaeghe, Willemse, Ouedraogo, Camara, Becognee.

Replacements: B du Plessis, Rodgers, Lamositele, Duguid, J du Plessis, Reinach, Pollard, N'gandebe

[Puja]

I just plain don't get the Wigglesworth selection. He was a solid option at the start of the season, but he's been getting slower and slower as time wears on and is an active liability. I can only assume that the plan is to go boring early and hard and have the option to accelerate towards the end - with torrential rain and 20mph winds forecast, it could be a valid plan. Still, with the form Youngs is in, I'd still rather have him playing the bulk of the game.

Big bulky tackling back row, horrible weather, kicking scrum-half, George SPIRAL BOMB Ford - anyone know what Bouthier is like under the high ball? Cause I suspect he's gonna receive one or two.

Puja

[Oakboy]

I just plain don't get the Wigglesworth selection. He was a solid option at the start of the season, but he's been getting slower and slower as time wears on and is an active liability. I can only assume that the plan is to go boring early and hard and have the option to accelerate towards the end - with torrential rain and 20mph winds forecast, it could be a valid plan. Still, with the form Youngs is in, I'd still rather have him playing the bulk of the game.

Big bulky tackling back row, horrible weather, kicking scrum-half, George SPIRAL BOMB Ford - anyone know what Bouthier is like under the high ball? Cause I suspect he's gonna receive one or two.

Puja

Wigglesworth??? I was starting to have a bit of respect for Borthwick (having never liked the player or coach previously) but that 9-shirt selection seems very odd.

[fivepointer]

The Wiggy selection raised my eyebrows too. His play now is sub pedestrian. Assume Martin isnt fit. Great test for Steward.

[FKAS]

I think Martin might be rested as he's played quite a bit of rugby over the last few games for a young bloke and the Montpellier pack is massive. The selection looks like we're going to take it to them in the set piece (no Lavanini on the bench and Henderson instead gives us much better lineout impact). Montpellier have a good rolling maul so maybe we are going to try and contest in the air to stop it forming.

Wigglesworth, I wouldn't have picked him. Youngs as Puja says is in great form and can do 80 minutes. Just let him loose, he made Care look rank average last weekend. I guess the first half is going to be us trying to wear them down, make their pack work hard and then look to our bench to turn the knife in the second half. A favourite Borthwick tactic.

Reffell on the bench worries me, however, because when we've invited pressure on to ourselves previously and Reffell hasn't been on the pitch it's not gone well for us. We generally concede penalties and yellow cards. Reffell played out of his skin against Quins. In Borthwick we trust.

[Cameo]

Is Scott injured or just not in your best team? Couple of strange selections there - are you resting people for the prem?!

[Scrumhead]

Is Reinach regularly on the bench for Montpellier?

I loved watching him in the Premiership and he’s surely way too good for a bench spot behind Paillaugue (who I’ll freely admit I’ve never heard of).

[Puja]

Is Scott injured or just not in your best team? Couple of strange selections there - are you resting people for the prem?!

I think it's a rotation plus horses for courses. There's not too much to choose between Kelly and Scott on form (I'd have Scott, but it's not an obvious choice).

Reffell on the bench worries me, however, because when we've invited pressure on to ourselves previously and Reffell hasn't been on the pitch it's not gone well for us. We generally concede penalties and yellow cards. Reffell played out of his skin against Quins. In Borthwick we trust.

That's a major worry for me as well. Thinking about the first half against Ulster where they battered us physically and we had no answer to their short-range carries - Reffell's habit of picking up a last ditch turnover would've been invaluable in that match and I don't want to see a repeat performance.

Puja

[FKAS]

Exactly my thought Puja the Ulster game, didn't Reffell come on at half time in that one? Gave us a genuine 7 and helped take the momentum away from Ulster. I'm not sure looking at the Montpellier bench that we can play the second half momentum swing with as much confidence as previously. It's not like Ulster when the lost Cooney and lost all control the Montpellier reserve halfbacks are arguably better than the starting ones, I think both are coming back from injury though and the starting ones have been part of the club's good run of form.

Re the Scott Vs Kelly thing I agree that's close. Borthwick does like to rotate and I think Scott can be guilty of over playing things. He does get some great plays in but he also makes more errors. Kelly offers maybe a touch more physicality but can be maybe more low risk. I say that now and he's guaranteed to give away some penalties. In Borthwick's mind I think Kelly is the future 12 for Tigers, Borthwick moved him from 13 to 12 and has repeatedly selected him in that position as part of the midfield rotation with Scott moving to 13 when they play together. If I remember rightly Kelly played 13 for Ireland under 20s at the tender age of 18 after being spotted playing for Loughborough University.

My only concern with starting Kelly is if Moroni goes off injured then you have either Murimurivalu at 13 which isn't his best position and up against Goosen it's a tough ask or you bring Steward into the midfield and then have a very young combination.

[Puja]

My only concern with starting Kelly is if Moroni goes off injured then you have either Murimurivalu at 13 which isn't his best position and up against Goosen it's a tough ask or you bring Steward into the midfield and then have a very young combination.

Well, that'd be the same with Scott, wouldn't it? And I'd imagine we'd put Porter into 13 and play Muri on the wing in that scenario.

ETA. And a google tells me Reffell wasn't in the XXIII for the Ulster game - Brink was our back row sub. I do remember watching that first half and thinking "This situation desperately needs Reffell," but we managed to pull it out without him.

Puja

[Wilts Tiger]

I think the bench selection is based on the strength of the team in the last 20mins & the abilty at the rucks plus moving the ball about in hand

[FKAS]

My only concern with starting Kelly is if Moroni goes off injured then you have either Murimurivalu at 13 which isn't his best position and up against Goosen it's a tough ask or you bring Steward into the midfield and then have a very young combination.

Well, that'd be the same with Scott, wouldn't it? And I'd imagine we'd put Porter into 13 and play Muri on the wing in that scenario.

ETA. And a google tells me Reffell wasn't in the XXIII for the Ulster game - Brink was our back row sub. I do remember watching that first half and thinking "This situation desperately needs Reffell," but we managed to pull it out without him.

Puja

I remember now we started Martin and Liebenburg on the flank and then brought Brink on at half time and he just contested everything. Well that makes me feel a bit better, same again please Cyle.

[Peej]

Is Reinach regularly on the bench for Montpellier?

I loved watching him in the Premiership and he’s surely way too good for a bench spot behind Paillaugue (who I’ll freely admit I’ve never heard of).

Paillaugue is the team's kicker, I think.

[Peej]

I just plain don't get the Wigglesworth selection. He was a solid option at the start of the season, but he's been getting slower and slower as time wears on and is an active liability. I can only assume that the plan is to go boring early and hard and have the option to accelerate towards the end - with torrential rain and 20mph winds forecast, it could be a valid plan. Still, with the form Youngs is in, I'd still rather have him playing the bulk of the game.

Big bulky tackling back row, horrible weather, kicking scrum-half, George SPIRAL BOMB Ford - anyone know what Bouthier is like under the high ball? Cause I suspect he's gonna receive one or two.

Puja

I'd also be targeting Vincent on the wing

[Scrumhead]

Is Reinach regularly on the bench for Montpellier?

I loved watching him in the Premiership and he’s surely way too good for a bench spot behind Paillaugue (who I’ll freely admit I’ve never heard of).

Paillaugue is the team's kicker, I think.

Fair enough. I would have thought that what Reinach brings would more than make up for OK kicking from Lozowski.

[Digby]

It's having someone like Pollard on the bench I find more amusing. I don't know what the Montpellier player spend is, but when one side has Pollard on the bench and the other Henry then one club's spend is likely some multiple higher

[Puja]

It's having someone like Pollard on the bench I find more amusing. I don't know what the Montpellier player spend is, but when one side has Pollard on the bench and the other Henry then one club's spend is likely some multiple higher

Hah, hadn't noticed that! You'd've thought Pollard would've been a better selection for an evening match in horrible rain and howling wind, wouldn't you? Maybe Montpellier didn't bother looking at a weather forecast before naming their team?

Puja

[francoisfou]

It's having someone like Pollard on the bench I find more amusing. I don't know what the Montpellier player spend is, but when one side has Pollard on the bench and the other Henry then one club's spend is likely some multiple higher

Montpellier are owned and financed by Mohed Altrad, a Syrian billionaire in the scaffolding and cement-mixing industry, so writing out hefty cheques for players' salaries is chicken feed for him.
He allegedly got into bed with FFR president Bernard Laporte to sponsor the French XV and we now have ALTRAD emblazoned on the French jersey!

[Raggs]

The Tigers program has Youngs starting, Wigglesworth on the bench. Late switch? Fitness concerns perhaps?

EDIT - In fact it's very different.

[Puja]

The Tigers program has Youngs starting, Wigglesworth on the bench. Late switch? Fitness concerns perhaps?

EDIT - In fact it's very different.

What the hell use is a programme that lists a "Probable Team"?! How much did you have to pay for that piece of sh*t?!

Puja

[Magic_sponge]

Great start from Leicester. Against a "monster" pack they've had good dominance so far... Let's hope that continues!