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When is a Tiger a Saint?
By Tim Skepper July 4 2002
Picture the scene: Both parents and 3 grandparents born in St. Helens and my great-grandfather was the founder of the St. Helens Rugby League Supporters Club. What chance did I have of following any rugby union team, let alone Tigers?
I was brought up on League, and until I was about 11, the only Union games I saw were England internationals.

I started to follow club rugby at the same time as I started playing rugby at school. As a flanker/tighthead prop, I enjoyed the forwards game traditionally associated with Tigers but didn’t go to my first live game for years.

Fast-forward to 1996 and I start my degree at Leicester University. I decided that whilst in Leicester I would go to watch the cricket, City & the Tigers, but my first year came and went and I never “found the time” to go and watch any of them.

It’s now October 1997 and I return for the start of my second year. Within the first week of term, one of my friend’s 20th birthdays required some serious alcohol consumption in various local hostelries. Unfortunately I had drunk 1 (or 6) too many the night before and the idea of afternoon drinking didn’t sit to well on my stomach so one of my housemates suggested going to watch Tigers vs Toulouse first and join the others in the pub after the match.

We arrived at Welford Road not long before kickoff, and decided to go for the “unreserved” seats in the Crumbie rather than standing at the back of the terraces. This was the only time I’ve ever sat down at WR, preferring the atmosphere of the terraces ever since. All was going well until the dying minutes when Stephane Ougier crossed for a try wide out on the right. It was still 22-21 to Tigers and Toulouse would never get the conversion from that far out…….would they?

Delaigue; straight between the posts for a 23-22 victory. My first Tigers match and we lose! Was I a bringer of bad luck?

My next 7 games at WR:

2 England A games: Both lost.
5 Tigers games: 2 defeats, 1 draw, 2 wins and a manager sacked!

I really did start to worry about my jinx-like ability.

Luckily, since that inauspicious start, I have only seen Tigers lose at Welford Road twice more, Leinster in 2000 and the Bristol match earlier this season. Hopefully things are not going full circle and I’m becoming an unlucky mascot again…

Just for the record, I’ve still never been to watch Leicester City or the county cricket. Why bother when I could just as well be spending my weekends watching the Tigers?

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