Tigers Vs Sarries

[Banquo]

odd call, great win, Sarries were daft in the last 20 but great defence. Good watch

[stepsider]

extraordinary d from Tigers, Sarries' coaches must be furious about game-costing errors

[Epaminondas Pules]

extraordinary d from Tigers, Sarries' coaches must be furious about game-costing errors

Mostly first half front up defence. Gave up far too much too easily.

[padprop]

Austin Healey Logic: Barely hold on for 40 minutes and risk it all for an extra bonus point. Sometimes forget these commentators used to play for 20+ years.

Penalty goal is fair enough but going for the corner would have been bizarre given the nature of the game.

[Banquo]

extraordinary d from Tigers, Sarries' coaches must be furious about game-costing errors

Mostly first half front up defence. Gave up far too much too easily.

plus turnovers in the red zone....3 from Dan alone, at least 6 in total. And Loz butchered one.


anyway,kudos to Mike Brown...chapeau

[FKAS]

Where’s the penalty for the neck roll on Refell?

I got a telling off from the other half as I went ballistic at that. Reffell is there holding his neck clearly in pain and that was I think the third one on him inside 10 mins. What on earth is the TMO doing to not go back and review that? Absolutely ridiculous. Feck player safety the officials today didn't give a toss.

I was also less than impressed by the end of the game. Either kick for goal and deny Sarries the LBP or kick to the corner and go the fourth try. Brain-dead decision just to kick it out. So many experienced players on the pitch and we do that stupidity.

[FKAS]

Austin Healey Logic: Barely hold on for 40 minutes and risk it all for an extra bonus point. Sometimes forget these commentators used to play for 20+ years.

Penalty goal is fair enough but going for the corner would have been bizarre given the nature of the game.

A lineout 5m out. Either we're rumbling over or we just kick it out from the base. It's a fairly low risk roll of the dice. Tigers have had no territory and little possession this half. When we had territory and possession we scored points.

[Banquo]

Where’s the penalty for the neck roll on Refell?

I got a telling off from the other half as I went ballistic at that. Reffell is there holding his neck clearly in pain and that was I think the third one on him inside 10 mins. What on earth is the TMO doing to not go back and review that? Absolutely ridiculous. Feck player safety the officials today didn't give a toss.

I was also less than impressed by the end of the game. Either kick for goal and deny Sarries the LBP or kick to the corner and go the fourth try. Brain-dead decision just to kick it out. So many experienced players on the pitch and we do that stupidity.

Rose is pants. Both televised games poorly tmo'd.

I thought the same on last decision.....but then not sure sarries will miss the bp, and if the l\o goes wrong....but yep a tad conservative

[fivepointer]

Most unSaracens like to play that badly in the opening 30 minutes then contrive to blow good opportunities later in the game.
Credit Tigers with a great rearguard action. For a guy who's not played for quite a time Brown put in a terrific performance.
Felt for young Dan. He looks a great prospect but his errors hurt his team but then he wasnt alone.
Rattling good action all 'n all.

[Banquo]

Most unSaracens like to play that badly in the opening 30 minutes then contrive to blow good opportunities later in the game.
Credit Tigers with a great rearguard action. For a guy who's not played for quite a time Brown put in a terrific performance.
Felt for young Dan. He looks a great prospect but his errors hurt his team but then he wasnt alone.
Rattling good action all 'n all.

Yep,Dan looked good but just got overexcited- his carrying was something else, but errors, oops. Sarries needed someone like Wray to calm them down a bit.

[FKAS]

Dan John's carrying helped create a lot of his side's chances. He was unlucky to make the mistakes he did but it was his willingness to get involved that was both key to the good and the bad. He'll learn from experience.

Agreed Banquo, some questions are going to be asked when the review comes about on Monday.

[Banquo]

Dan John's carrying helped create a lot of his side's chances. He was unlucky to make the mistakes he did but it was his willingness to get involved that was both key to the good and the bad. He'll learn from experience.

Agreed Banquo, some questions are going to be asked when the review comes about on Monday.

Dan John? . Yep, swings and roundabouts.

[FKAS]

Dan John's carrying helped create a lot of his side's chances. He was unlucky to make the mistakes he did but it was his willingness to get involved that was both key to the good and the bad. He'll learn from experience.

Agreed Banquo, some questions are going to be asked when the review comes about on Monday.

Dan John? . Yep, swings and roundabouts.

Theo Dan... It's been a long day

[francoisfou]

That was one of my rare visits to Welford Rd and how sweet was the win, when I was convinced that Sarries would nick it at the death. Ben Youngs had me crying in my beer more than once! The crowd on the terrace were screaming at him « don’t kick it », so what did he do? - and of course, he did, and the kicks were crap . Whatever, a great result and I’ll go home a happy man!

[Puja]

Martin has had a big first half. Not highlight reel stuff (the hit on Billy aside), but he’s been very effective. Just hope he can stay fit. He’s an absolute nailed on international 6 for me if he stays fit.

looks much beefier without losing athleticism.

I thought he looked excellent at lock and still maintain that should be his position going forwards. Put in about 5 thunderous, momentum-changing tackles amidst the 19 that he made in total - his technique is just so good. Decent metres ball in hand and lots of rucks hit, while still putting in a shift in the scrums. Very pleased to have him and Chessum as the centre of our pack for the next decade.

Thought Leicester as a whole were very good - I'd need to see that more regularly before I'll eat my words on Wigglesworth, but it's promising. Thought we were whistled out of the second half - neck rolls missed, forward passes missed, high tackles missed, penalty given against Cracknell for a failure to immediately evaporate after a tackle, the works. Possibly a return of the luck for the foot in touch going unspotted in the first half, but I'm very impressed with the team spirit and courage to hold out through all of that attack and pressure.

Oh, and Youngs was dire. Continually too long box-kicks, iffy passing, those two slices near the end, missed tackles. First 20 he looked good with ball in hand, but then just disappeared entirely apart from the mistakes.

Puja

[Banquo]

Martin has had a big first half. Not highlight reel stuff (the hit on Billy aside), but he’s been very effective. Just hope he can stay fit. He’s an absolute nailed on international 6 for me if he stays fit.

looks much beefier without losing athleticism.

I thought he looked excellent at lock and still maintain that should be his position going forwards. Put in about 5 thunderous, momentum-changing tackles amidst the 19 that he made in total - his technique is just so good. Decent metres ball in hand and lots of rucks hit, while still putting in a shift in the scrums. Very pleased to have him and Chessum as the centre of our pack for the next decade.

Thought Leicester as a whole were very good - I'd need to see that more regularly before I'll eat my words on Wigglesworth, but it's promising. Thought we were whistled out of the second half - neck rolls missed, forward passes missed, high tackles missed, penalty given against Cracknell for a failure to immediately evaporate after a tackle, the works. Possibly a return of the luck for the foot in touch going unspotted in the first half, but I'm very impressed with the team spirit and courage to hold out through all of that attack and pressure.

Oh, and Youngs was dire. Continually too long box-kicks, iffy passing, those two slices near the end, missed tackles. First 20 he looked good with ball in hand, but then just disappeared entirely apart from the mistakes.

Puja

Youngs was probably shagged out, he cannot have done 80 in years; he was good in the first half. Very poor last 15, but before that he had looked relatively godlike compared to his hapless oppos- both poor.
Tigers started very well and hung in very doggedly.

[FKAS]

Yeah I thought Youngs was good in the first half but shagged in the second. I don't know why young Sam Edwards didn't get a go. He's not a running threat but his box kicks are very good and he's got a sharp pass. Considering we were under the pump he's at least as good a defender as Youngs. He could have done the last 15/20 mins.

Agree on the Sarries 9s both struggled. Alex Goode at 10 didn't have a great game either. Lozowski though played out of his skin, perhaps making a statement to Borthers?

Agree on Martin, wasn't a big fan of moving him forward as I thought we'd lose his presence in the loose but we haven't. He's a great option to have at lock and 6. Makes it more likely Snyman is probably off in the summer to be replaced by everyone's favourite fantasy rugby backrow selection Hatherhall with Martin playing more lock next season. Martin, Chessum, Henderson, Green and Wells is a good set of locks.

[francoisfou]

Tom West made his début yesterday and from where I was on the terrace, I couldn’t really see how he fared in the set scrum. Any observations from those who watched the game on the tv?

[FKAS]

Tom West made his début yesterday and from where I was on the terrace, I couldn’t really see how he fared in the set scrum. Any observations from those who watched the game on the tv?

Looked solid. All the action seemed to be on the other side of the scrum with Heyes in top of Mawai and then Hislop evening the contest out.

He was good in the loose though he tired I don't think the replacement loosehead really added anything. I am rather hoping that van Wyk is not retained and West takes his place in the squad for next season.

[Banquo]

Agree on the Sarries 9s both struggled. Alex Goode at 10 didn't have a great game either. Lozowski though played out of his skin, perhaps making a statement to Borthers?

Probably the issue with being a part time 10 outside two rubbish 9's and a pack that was getting beaten up for half the game, but as said earlier, he just looked baffled and his kicking was generally poor. Lozowski did go well...BAR a masssive try butchering (admittedly he'd created the opportunity with a terrific break).

[Puja]

Tom West made his début yesterday and from where I was on the terrace, I couldn’t really see how he fared in the set scrum. Any observations from those who watched the game on the tv?

Looked solid. All the action seemed to be on the other side of the scrum with Heyes in top of Mawai and then Hislop evening the contest out.

He was good in the loose though he tired I don't think the replacement loosehead really added anything. I am rather hoping that van Wyk is not retained and West takes his place in the squad for next season.

I'd agree with all of that, especially the bit about binning off van Wyk.

Puja

[Oakboy]

Lozowski though played out of his skin, perhaps making a statement to Borthers?

Always rated him. Assuming Farrell is in at 10 and a fixture for 80 minutes, Lozowski would be a damned useful bench option instead of an orthodox 10. He would do a good job at 10 should Farrell be injured and he'd be a credible replacement for the 12 or 13 at any stage.