Bath v Leicester

[Banquo]

lol @dunn v the oil tanker, just seen it

[FKAS]

lol @dunn v the oil tanker, just seen it

I hate that we've reverted to getting Freddie to try and cover the pass. It's something we did away for the first half of the season, he'd just smash the ball carrier and try to force the error. Since the new defence coach he's gone back to trying to cover with predictable results.

It's a two on one and basically the easy drill from every basic attack session most players have done for years. Why our defence coach thinks the 17 stone 6ft5 giraffe is going to somehow manage a magical intercept or cover both players I really don't know.

I'd much rather he negated his lack of agility with brute force.

He did play centre in the second half for a bit. Made a couple of passable carries but otherwise unremarkable.

[Banquo]

lol @dunn v the oil tanker, just seen it

I hate that we've reverted to getting Freddie to try and cover the pass. It's something we did away for the first half of the season, he'd just smash the ball carrier and try to force the error. Since the new defence coach he's gone back to trying to cover with predictable results.

It's a two on one and basically the easy drill from every basic attack session most players have done for years. Why our defence coach thinks the 17 stone 6ft5 giraffe is going to somehow manage a magical intercept or cover both players I really don't know.

I'd much rather he negated his lack of agility with brute force.

He did play centre in the second half for a bit. Made a couple of passable carries but otherwise unremarkable.

Tbh I wasn’t blaming Freddie but it made me laugh. I remember being dummied by a prop in a trial match once when playing 15. You live and learn.

[FKAS]

lol @dunn v the oil tanker, just seen it

I hate that we've reverted to getting Freddie to try and cover the pass. It's something we did away for the first half of the season, he'd just smash the ball carrier and try to force the error. Since the new defence coach he's gone back to trying to cover with predictable results.

It's a two on one and basically the easy drill from every basic attack session most players have done for years. Why our defence coach thinks the 17 stone 6ft5 giraffe is going to somehow manage a magical intercept or cover both players I really don't know.

I'd much rather he negated his lack of agility with brute force.

He did play centre in the second half for a bit. Made a couple of passable carries but otherwise unremarkable.

Tbh I wasn’t blaming Freddie but it made me laugh. I remember being dummied by a prop in a trial match once when playing 15. You live and learn.

We've all been there. Our president signed us up for what he assumed was a local tens tournament at a neighbour rugby club. Turned out it was an invitational event. Got done by a chip and chase by a prop. Spent a lot of that day practising the jog from the try line to halfway.

[Epaminondas Pules]

lol @dunn v the oil tanker, just seen it

I hate that we've reverted to getting Freddie to try and cover the pass. It's something we did away for the first half of the season, he'd just smash the ball carrier and try to force the error. Since the new defence coach he's gone back to trying to cover with predictable results.

It's a two on one and basically the easy drill from every basic attack session most players have done for years. Why our defence coach thinks the 17 stone 6ft5 giraffe is going to somehow manage a magical intercept or cover both players I really don't know.

I'd much rather he negated his lack of agility with brute force.

He did play centre in the second half for a bit. Made a couple of passable carries but otherwise unremarkable.

Tbh I wasn’t blaming Freddie but it made me laugh. I remember being dummied by a prop in a trial match once when playing 15. You live and learn.

I’m sure you were just letting him have his moment

[Mikey Brown]

Only just caught up with this. Chessum is very lucky.

Interesting to hear Healey saying "with all this chat about Steward converting to inside centre". Hadn't realised that was a thing at all outside of here, to he honest.

Woodward looks a good all rounder.

[Danno]

Only just caught up with this. Chessum is very lucky.

Interesting to hear Healey saying "with all this chat about Steward converting to inside centre". Hadn't realised that was a thing at all outside of here, to he honest.

Woodward looks a good all rounder.

There's a horrible sounding podcast (Lol is a host) that had Freddie as a guest a week or so back where he (Steward) said he was open to the idea

[Which Tyler]

Interesting to hear Healey saying "with all this chat about Steward converting to inside centre". Hadn't realised that was a thing at all outside of here, to he honest.

Came from SCW didn't it?

[Mikey Brown]

Interesting to hear Healey saying "with all this chat about Steward converting to inside centre". Hadn't realised that was a thing at all outside of here, to he honest.

Came from SCW didn't it?

I genuinely wasn't sure if current Leicester 12 Woodward was SCW's boy, but it seems he just has a different son called Joe. It would have been funny if his suggestion ended up knocking his son out of the side.

I did genuinely like the idea. Why would Leicester bother to move Steward at this point though? I know there are concerns around his defence at 15, but they have other centres and little else at 15. Brown and Shillcock are both off I think?

[FKAS]

Interesting to hear Healey saying "with all this chat about Steward converting to inside centre". Hadn't realised that was a thing at all outside of here, to he honest.

Came from SCW didn't it?

I genuinely wasn't sure if current Leicester 12 Woodward was SCW's boy, but it seems he just has a different son called Joe. It would have been funny if his suggestion ended up knocking his son out of the side.

I did genuinely like the idea. Why would Leicester bother to move Steward at this point though? I know there are concerns around his defence at 15, but they have other centres and little else at 15. Brown and Shillcock are both off I think?

Steward got asked on a podcast, he said he'd played 12 at school and moved to 15 when he joined the Tigers academy. He also played 10 at school iirc and 13 on loan at Loughborough University. Because it was Steward saying he's played there before and that he was open to playing there again some in the press have gone a bit mad with it.

He finished the game Vs Bath at 12 with Kelly at 13. Kelly having already come on for Woodward and then Kata having to go off with Shillcock the last sub and going to 15.

Can't see Tigers moving him there full-time, especially with four senior centres and three decent development centres on the books but no alternative specialist fullback on the books bar Steward. Pearson and Kinder are in the development squad as current cover.

[Mikey Brown]

Came from SCW didn't it?

I genuinely wasn't sure if current Leicester 12 Woodward was SCW's boy, but it seems he just has a different son called Joe. It would have been funny if his suggestion ended up knocking his son out of the side.

I did genuinely like the idea. Why would Leicester bother to move Steward at this point though? I know there are concerns around his defence at 15, but they have other centres and little else at 15. Brown and Shillcock are both off I think?

Steward got asked on a podcast, he said he'd played 12 at school and moved to 15 when he joined the Tigers academy. He also played 10 at school iirc and 13 on loan at Loughborough University. Because it was Steward saying he's played there before and that he was open to playing there again some in the press have gone a bit mad with it.

He finished the game Vs Bath at 12 with Kelly at 13. Kelly having already come on for Woodward and then Kata having to go off with Shillcock the last sub and going to 15.

Can't see Tigers moving him there full-time, especially with four senior centres and three decent development centres on the books but no alternative specialist fullback on the books bar Steward. Pearson and Kinder are in the development squad as current cover.

Aha. Healey hasn’t been reading the EMB then.

That makes more sense. Cheers.

I guess it might be a useful tick for versatility in Steward making an England 23, but that’s probably not much different to Earl technically being able to play there.

[FKAS]

I think it would be beneficial for him to develop some positional versatility, as you say it makes him getting more England caps likely but would also be good for working on some of his skill elements. Would hopefully see him develop his offloading game and kicking/passing under pressure.

[Which Tyler]

Chessum sited (rightly) https://www.leicestertigers.com/news/250520-sn-sa
Not seeing any reporting of Ewels being sited (should be)

[Puja]

Only just caught up with this. Chessum is very lucky.

Not that lucky - he's been cited and faces the beak this evening. I can't find any video of his tackle on the interwebs to check, but I remember it feeling like a yellow to me on first viewing as there was a lot of movement. Was I wrong in that?

Would be terminal to Leicester's Prem hopes if they do rate it as a red and ban him, although I'd be surprised if he got a long enough one to affect the Lions. A google tells me he did the tackle school back in 2022 - can you do it again after a certain time?

Puja

[Danno]

Only just caught up with this. Chessum is very lucky.

Not that lucky - he's been cited and faces the beak this evening. I can't find any video of his tackle on the interwebs to check, but I remember it feeling like a yellow to me on first viewing as there was a lot of movement. Was I wrong in that?

Would be terminal to Leicester's Prem hopes if they do rate it as a red and ban him, although I'd be surprised if he got a long enough one to affect the Lions. A google tells me he did the tackle school back in 2022 - can you do it again after a certain time?

Puja

It's here if you want a gander

Muir's knees are bent, and it's a double tackle, whether that's enough to avoid a ban I wouldn't dare to guess

[Puja]

Chessum sited (rightly) https://www.leicestertigers.com/news/250520-sn-sa
Not seeing any reporting of Ewels being sited (should be)

Beat me to it! I like that the Leicester website have clearly hunted for a picture that coincidentally happens to include Charlie Ewels as well.

Puja

[Puja]

Only just caught up with this. Chessum is very lucky.

Not that lucky - he's been cited and faces the beak this evening. I can't find any video of his tackle on the interwebs to check, but I remember it feeling like a yellow to me on first viewing as there was a lot of movement. Was I wrong in that?

Would be terminal to Leicester's Prem hopes if they do rate it as a red and ban him, although I'd be surprised if he got a long enough one to affect the Lions. A google tells me he did the tackle school back in 2022 - can you do it again after a certain time?

Puja

It's here if you want a gander

Muir's knees are bent, and it's a double tackle, whether that's enough to avoid a ban I wouldn't dare to guess

Thank you - I could only find the short highlights which didn't include it. The one angle that video shows suggests the ref's right about it being shoulder to chest first, but the fact he's been cited suggests the other angles are more damning.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

For me, yellow at the time was about right, but it's in that area where either colour is about right.
I'd have no problem with 6 weeks down to 3 just because, 2 with tackle school.
Equally, I'd have no problem with yellow being deemed sufficient.

Worth noting that Bath under JvG don't talk about cuttings until they've happened, so it's possible that Ewels has been cited as wellm we just haven't heard about it.

[Danno]

Not that lucky - he's been cited and faces the beak this evening. I can't find any video of his tackle on the interwebs to check, but I remember it feeling like a yellow to me on first viewing as there was a lot of movement. Was I wrong in that?

Would be terminal to Leicester's Prem hopes if they do rate it as a red and ban him, although I'd be surprised if he got a long enough one to affect the Lions. A google tells me he did the tackle school back in 2022 - can you do it again after a certain time?

Puja

It's here if you want a gander

Muir's knees are bent, and it's a double tackle, whether that's enough to avoid a ban I wouldn't dare to guess

Thank you - I could only find the short highlights which didn't include it. The one angle that video shows suggests the ref's right about it being shoulder to chest first, but the fact he's been cited suggests the other angles are more damning.

Puja

The full match with all the replays should be on YT tomorrow - after the verdict of course - which will have the angles.

Live it looked 'yellow because that's how we do it now, refs don't issue reds*' , but I'm a little surprised about the citing. Muir is falling as Chessum comes in - maybe just accepting contact from the outside tackler to set up a ruck? Chessum could go lower of course, but I've seen far worse go totally unpunished in 2025 alone. As you say, hard to say on one angle.

*For the record, I do not like the apparent reticence to issue a red card now that the bunker is there as something of a fallback

[FKAS]

I thought by the letter of the law he just managed to qualify for some mitigation to lower it from red to yellow. Secondary tackler and Muir dips reaching for the knocked on ball. Surprised it's been cited to be honest. Sir's judgement is in keeping with plenty of other decisions made this season.

Puja isn't wrong, if Chessum gets banned then Tigers are screwed. Wells is also injured and then TManz and Joussain are not the locks we want alongside Henderson against the likes of Sale and Bath.

If Chessum gets banned and Ewels shot on OHC isn't even cited the Tigers offy board will go into meltdown.