By TigerGeezer
May 10 2010

The grit of this match has drawn forth two pearls of wisdom from the Geezer oyster: One, rugby is a difficult game to referee well and I could never manage it myself, so the man in the middle deserves a modicum of respect like what I didn’t give him today hem hem; two, whatever the ref is like you can’t expect to win if you keep dropping the ball and throwing telegraphed passes to be intercepted.

So, a dead rubber (why the hell do they call them rubbers anyway?) – do we care? Surely we do. We have a home record to defend, and we need momentum going into the payoff semis, so let’s hope the players are up for this one.  On the other hand, not so much up for it that they end up broken.  Hmmm.  Not an easy balance. 

Within a minute or two of the start, we know which side Ayerza is on, as he goes in for some pumped-up clearing out at a ruck in front of the posts and is pinged.  Jackson doesn’t miss those, and that’s 3-0 to Sarries, who seem to have a large and vocal following up in the CAT stand. 

Tigers look threatening but they seem to be the wrong side of the ref Mr Small today.  Ping and then ping again, 6-0.  From the restart, Tigers are looking dangerous again, until a high tackle on Ben Youngs stops them, and Staunton pops over the penalty, 6-3, and really Tigers should start to take control of this one – they look the better team, but Sarries are defending hard, and the worry is that we get someone broken for the semi  –  particularly worrying when the player down is Chuter, one of our last  two surviving hookers, say it ain’t so, phew  – he’s up and jogging back.  

And within a couple of minutes, the reward for the Tigers pressure properly arrives, as Jackson’s kick is charged down, the ball is spun out wide, some super hands even though the passes are a bit wild, and then Tuilagi is set free to run it in, nice and near the posts for the conversion, bee-yoo-tiful, 10-6 and we’ll even forgive Alex for those yellow boots.   It gets even better within minutes as our esteemed arbiter eventually spots an infringement from the many he had arrayed before him, and Staunton slots the penalty. 

Now Tigers just need to keep it tight and work it, but there are worrying signs of – nerves?  Minds already on the semi?  Whatever, there is slack passing, dodgy handling, Sarries are kicking the high ball and Tigers are all over the place under it.  Sarries now get the chance to mount a bit of pressure after barely having visited the Tigers 22 for a quarter of the match, and it takes some good double-up tackling to stop them short, but another puzzling ping gives an easy three points for the visitors.  Then disaster strikes:  that high ball stuff again, shouldn’t be a problem, but oh Alex!   Tuilagi appears to let it bounce between his legs, and Wyles who is chasing up has a gift score.  

It’s those sodding yellow boots.  Burn them.  Now 16-13 Sarries, and  they press again, helped by poor handling and that strange disjointedness that has crept into Tigers’ play, and it looks as if there’s a score away in the corner at the clubhouse end, but the word back down the terrace grapevine is that it was Brits and he did a double movement (fnaar fnaar).  Can Tigers come back?  Well, they try, but despite Alex doing some good boshing runs, Croft agonisngly failing to pick up with space begging, and Ben Youngs going for an audacious run on the blind side from a scrum 25 yards out before he is throttled by the high tackler and drops the ball so the (apparently newly raised to the international panel) whistlemeister calls that a knock on, it’s all frustratingly just short of control, and it’s 16-13 Sarries at half-time. 

Tigers really should come out with Cockers-sized boot marks on their butts and take this match, but disaster number 2 strikes as Tigers are looking decent on about halfway until a high pass of just the sort which was almost picked off in the first half is picked off this time, and Brits just has the gas to run in the interception try.  So now the gap is 10 points, but Tigers are still looking as if they should take this game away from Sarries if they could just cut out the errors.  Great attacking lineoiut position is repeatedly squandered as the ball is dropped, Staunton skews a penalty horribly wide, and it’s Frustration City. 

In the middle of this teeth-grinding episode, Brits goes off, we crane round to see what’s wrong, as he doesn’t appear to be limping, and does he flip the bird at the terrace as he’s clapped off?  Extraordinary.  But we care not for the untutored hoon of the high veldt, because Tigers are putting together some better stuff, and Ben Youngs makes a superb break, in and out, hauled down just short in the corner, Tigers keep it alive, move it over for Crane to be stopped just short as well, and then a backs move sees the ball find Ayerza in space – go Marcos! – and he runs it in behind the posts for a simple conversion, game back on at 23-20. 

I see he’s in yellow boots too, so maybe they’re not so bad.  Then the frustration takes over again.  Duffey has replaced  Chutes and is making an impact, but all too often there are runs into contact without support, the passing is loose, the handling is iffy, and Tigers should be out of sight but aren’t.  A penalty apiece precedes the turning point of the match, as Sarries are pressing but kept at bay, and Croft is bafflingly penalised for offside, and given a yellow.  For someone else’s offence?  Only the blue-clad expert in the Laws can say.  This is the first point at which I no longer feel confident that Tigers will win this match.  But they’re only 6 behind, and they go all out for a try, winning possession from the restart, and sending Johne Murphy towards the corner only to be put into touch just yards from the line, a sure try is bollixed up by crossing AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH, and when Sarries are offside with Tigers yards from the line on the other side (apparently the yellow card has gone AWOL by this point), they spurn the three, go for the catrch and drive and it’s rolling nicely until the ball is dropped AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!! 

And then Hougaard is on, and he gets the chance to kill off the match with one final ping in kicking distance, he can choose between lovely ol’ Derrick, once a Tiger always a Tiger, and rotten stinky Saffa with a joke mullet, and he resoundingly chooses the bad hair persona with a beautiful kick I have to say.  Well, that just places the glace dingleberry atop the brown and steaming cake.

Oh well.  Well done Sarries, who defended  fiercely and took their chances clinically.  For Tigers, I just hope that was a serious wake-up call and will spur them to a much tighter and more controlled and disciplined display in the semi and the start of a new unbeaten home record.  However  Brad the reffing may have been, it wasn’t the Small thing that made the difference, it was the small things, like the dropped  balls, the loose passes, the snatching at the chances.  Get them right, and the rest will surely come. 

It’s the small things that make the difference

Discussion started by TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk , 10/05/2010 11:49

TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk
10/05/2010 11:49

What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.

Reply Quote Report

Duncan Keene
10/05/2010 12:07

Totally agree. Good report. Our errors cost us the game but every time momentum was with us the little Small whistler saw something we were doing wrong.

Reply Quote Report

Tiggs
10/05/2010 12:37

Spot on and thanks, a very good report.
By the way IMO Crofts was fully deserving of the yellow, and a decision that Small did get right.

Reply Quote Report

Tigergeezer
10/05/2010 21:56

Did the ITV highlights show the Croft infraction? I simply didn't see it because I was watching for where Sarries were going to go and if the defensive line was in place, rather than breakdown. Another reason why I'd make a truly dire ref...

Reply Quote Report

Stopsy
11/05/2010 06:52

Many thanks TG

Reply Quote Report

odd-shaped vagaries
12/05/2010 10:52

All part of a cunning plan, don't cha know ..

.. just wish they'd saved me a 300 mile round trip by phoning first.

'Lions led by donkeys' .. Lest we forget

Reply Quote Report

Goto: Forum List•Message List•Search• Log In

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

We record all IP addresses on the Sportnetwork message boards which may be required by the authorities in case of defamatory or abusive comment. We seek to monitor the Message Boards at regular intervals. We do not associate Sportnetwork with any of the comments and do not take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed on the Message Boards. If you have any cause for concern over any material posted here please let us know as soon as possible by e-mailing abuse@sportnetwork.net