Chiefs Vs Tigers - Sat 3pm

[Banyans]

Woodburn has just taken Ashton out in the air. Officials doing their best not to give the decision. Ridley certainly going with the home crowd on the 50/50s so far.

Tigers winning the tactical battle but when we have the ball we're going for over complicated plays looking for quick tries and it's just giving Chiefs the ball back.

Wish there was option just to have the ref mic and to do away with Monye and Dayglo as they are talking absolute shite so far. It's like two drunks down the local pub commentating on the game.

Did Ashton get taken out by an Exeter player? It looked like he was taken out by his own players at first glance but I didn't see it shown again.

[Puja]

Surely Woodburn jumped beyond the ball and took Burns out there?

Puja

[FKAS]

Really sloppy end to the first half from Tigers. Kicking was long and aimless. Woodburn sets Chiefs off running and they score again. Tigers really not winning much under the high ball with no Steward and no Hegarty. Think we might change things at half time.

[FKAS]

Surely Woodburn jumped beyond the ball and took Burns out there?

Puja

I think he slapped the ball back which is why it was play on.

[Puja]

Woodburn has just taken Ashton out in the air. Officials doing their best not to give the decision. Ridley certainly going with the home crowd on the 50/50s so far.

Tigers winning the tactical battle but when we have the ball we're going for over complicated plays looking for quick tries and it's just giving Chiefs the ball back.

Wish there was option just to have the ref mic and to do away with Monye and Dayglo as they are talking absolute shite so far. It's like two drunks down the local pub commentating on the game.

Did Ashton get taken out by an Exeter player? It looked like he was taken out by his own players at first glance but I didn't see it shown again.

He did, although in the Exeter player's defence, he was being heavily shepherded by the Leicester players.

Puja

[FKAS]

Woodburn has just taken Ashton out in the air. Officials doing their best not to give the decision. Ridley certainly going with the home crowd on the 50/50s so far.

Tigers winning the tactical battle but when we have the ball we're going for over complicated plays looking for quick tries and it's just giving Chiefs the ball back.

Wish there was option just to have the ref mic and to do away with Monye and Dayglo as they are talking absolute shite so far. It's like two drunks down the local pub commentating on the game.

Did Ashton get taken out by an Exeter player? It looked like he was taken out by his own players at first glance but I didn't see it shown again.

Woodburn's arm made contact with Ashton and he then went down hitting another Tigers player on the way down.

[Mr Mwenda]

Not really sure why Leicester have gone all in on the kicking down the throat tactic, they seemed surprised when Young's decided the defence was confused enough and promptly gave the penalty away...

[Puja]

I was busy screaming that Simmonds had knocked that on (which he absolutely did), but I quite quickly became very okay with the ref missing that decision.

Puja

[FKAS]

Dan Cole charge down and then Dan Cole offload from the tackle for the Liebenburg score.

Tigers attack is all over the place, kicking strategy is being used to cover it up I think. A lot of players missing from the starting 15 currently and there is a real lack of cohesion.

[FKAS]

Sheesh Scott with mobile fluency of a pensioner when chasing that kick.

[Mr Mwenda]

It's certainly not covering up excitement. A bit embarrassing really.

[Puja]

Dan Cole charge down and then Dan Cole offload from the tackle for the Liebenburg score.

Tigers attack is all over the place, kicking strategy is being used to cover it up I think. A lot of players missing from the starting 15 currently and there is a real lack of cohesion.

We've got Youngs, Burns, Gopperth/Cokanasiga, Scott, Potter in the backline. We're missing Steward, but the rest of the backline should be familiar with each other or what've we been doing in preseason?!

Puja

[FKAS]

It's not great but this season has been more like it. Applying more pressure but still lacking much cutting edge. Cure for insomnia for the neutral I'd have thought.

Cokanasiga looks to be the only back that will get over the gain line for Tigers. Puja might take that as a morale victory.

[Mr Mwenda]

Wow, look what Exeter can do if they actually try to play. They should try that more often.

[Puja]

Get out of jail free card there for Leicester. We were owed a marginal decision from Ridley, but he could easily have not given that.

Puja

[FKAS]

Get out of jail free card there for Leicester. We were owed a marginal decision from Ridley, but he could easily have not given that.

Puja

I was shouting knock on in real time so I feel vindicated there.

Two great hold up tackles. Unsure how the ref or TMO missed the neckroll but hey ho the TMO seems to doze off, wake up with a start and then wade in.

[FKAS]

TMO wakes up with a start and gives Tigers one there. Makes a nice change.

[Puja]

That is a very harsh yellow card. That's just balanced out the rub of the green for the first half to my mind.

And we've lost the lineout so the pressure's back on us. Balls.

Puja

[FKAS]

Third hold up over the tryline. Sinfield has been working on that with the defence over the summer hasn't he.

[Mr Mwenda]

That win predictor is a really shit thing.

[FKAS]

That win predictor is a really shit thing.

Yep really dislike that.

[Mr Mwenda]

Well done, Exeter. A reward for trying to play. That second half was a fair bit better.

[FKAS]

Nonsense penalty that 99.9% of the time would never be given.

Fair play to Chiefs for using the trick quick lineout to set up position for the final try. That was cute.

Some hard questions will be asked of the Tigers backline though, the attack was woefully in-cohesive. Gopperth's passing was awful, Burns went for the miracle play repeatedly which just gave the ball away, Scott looked useless and I don't think we actually ran a backs move at any point.

I'm expecting a few changes for next weekend. The pack worked but the backs really let the side down.

[Spiffy]

Exeter left it a bit late. They made a bad tactical mistake in attempting to take on Tigers with their own kicking game, so that two thirds of the game was a boring kick fest. When Chiefs finally decided to move the ball, they looked a different team. Still - what a Tigers defence, but wish they would show a bit more enterprise and invention in attack.

[Puja]

Terrible decision by the ref to give the penalty against Liebenberg - he was retreating and actively avoided tackling Maunder until he was well back onside - but can't complain that we lost that because we were utterly rubbish. Lineout let us down at key points, we had no ambition or fluency, and the backline looked like they'd met in the carpark before the game. Plenty of players missing, but the only one who's a recent loss is Watson - this set of players is who have been there for all of preseason and the missing internationals are no excuse for such a disjointed performance.

We'll get better, but what a terrible start to the season, both in terms of performance and of boring the shit out of any casual viewer.

Puja