By ChrisC
March 18 2013

“Spring Has Sprung.........                                                     ... the grass is riz. I wonder where the boidies is?” So say the opening lines of the Ogden Nash poem “The Passionate Pagan and the Dispassionate Public -- a Tragedy of the Machine Age”. 

It’s a month since I last set electronic pen to electronic paper to write a preview and back then, here in the Derbyshire Peaks and Dales, snow was on the ground. There had been the first enticing inklings that Spring was on its way and now there’s that certain lightness in the air that tells us that it’s nearly sprung. As I look from my window over the hills there’s a misty green hue to the trees and hedgerows – “it won’t be long now” the young flora seems to be telling me.

There is of course also the saying that “one swallow does not a Summer make” and so it is with Spring as one day we are glorying in the warm sunshine and the next temperatures have once again plummeted, the cloud, rain and snow have returned and Spring seems as far away as did a victory for Tigers as they awaited the arrival of Sale Sharks a few weeks back. After two losses, firstly to Quins and then Saracens, both also discommoded by the Six Nations nonsense, victory over the bottom side, even at Welford Road, didn’t feel a certainty.

But after a high degree of huffing, puffing and more missed chances a very poor and disheartened Sale Sharks’ side was comprehensively dispatched. It’s obvious that Tigers can only play what’s placed before them but Sale were very poor. I must admit that I was more alarmed by the loss to Saracens at Welford Road than I was delighted by the victory over Sale at the same venue, welcome though it was in enabling Tigers to remain in close proximity to the top of the league while opening up a bit of a gap to the fourth placed team; Northampton Saints who Tigers meet in a fortnight’s time.

Exeter themselves had experienced the highs and lows over the previous two matches with an uncharacteristically sluggish performance at Allianz Park where they failed to cope with either the latest esoteric officiating performance by Mr Fox or the very committed home side who received the rub of the plastic from the match officials with the Yellow Card given to Exeter’s Arscott probably the zenith of their eccentricities.

Saracens were debuting the Premiership at their new ground when their crass off field management once more succeeded in snatching PR defeat from the jaws of victory with their new found love of using the PA system in an attempt to disadvantage the visiting team and heap disrespect upon the travelling support. What a singularly strange and unpleasant outfit Saracens marketing people, who must surely be doing the job on day release from secondary school, succeed in making their club appear.

The following week Exeter were again away from home, this time at the Stoop to meet the then league leaders; Quins who seemed to me rather complacent as to their chances of success and in the first half threw the ball about with gay abandon in a “look at us aren’t we skilful?” sort of way.

Exeter joined in with the merriment but surely; “who could live with the force that is Quins?” Well Exeter actually! At half time and in spite of all the offloading and running the visitors went in for their half time orange just a point adrift.

Rob Baxter, wily old fox that he is, changed tack at half time and when the Chiefs reappeared, while Quins continued to gambol around, the Devonian visitors reverted to a territorial game with Steenson auditioning for a revival of Pink & Perky so adept was he at pulling the strings for his team.

Quins seemingly didn’t believe or didn’t spot what was happening and carried on regardless while Exeter picked them apart like a maiden aunt recycling an old sweater.

In the end the Chiefs ran out winners by 27 points to 16 with Quins failing to garner even a losing bonus point for their trouble being deposed from top spot in the league.

It’s unwise to draw too many conclusions from matches at this time of the year with clubs being shorn of their internationals in pursuit of the Six Nations trophy, a competition that has now thankfully drawn to its conclusion with England being clobbered in their worst ever defeat by the Welsh.

Unlike England’s Lancaster, Rob Baxter was smart down in south west London and his players (especially Steenson) were smart in getting one over the champions.

We shall now hopefully be spared further exhibition of the slobbering love affair between Stuart Lancaster and the media who seem to be laying the blame solely at the feet of the players, how unlike their attitude during Johnson’s tenure when everything was the team manager’s fault (even though he was not of course the, or indeed, a coach) whereas Lancaster seems to largely get a pass in spite of his selecting players out of position or out of form or both. How wonderful must it be to be a creature of the extraordinarily ill informed media.

Next Saturday, when Tigers visit Sandy Park, it will be with Richard Cockerill able to deal his hand from a pretty full deck of players even if the returning internationals will have needed to assimilate themselves to the domestic scene. But in the prevailing circumstances I can’t conceive that Cockerill will fail to use them in the match day squad as if a top two place in the league is to be achieved then there can be no more slip ups and he’ll surely want to use the next two matches, both away from home, to get his team purring ahead of the trip to Toulon, with the internationals able to expunge the whole England journey straight into the Cardiff buffers from their minds.

Exeter’s Carl Rimmer has been getting starts ahead of the younger and less experienced Ben Moon on the loose-head side for The Chiefs and at The Stoop the ex Cornish Pirate got stuck into Quins’ Johnston giving the big Samoan some uncomfortable moments. As the likelihood is that Dan Cole will be joyously restored to Tigers’ colours I’d expect Rimmer to again start and try to make his name opposing Cole where, (aside from Jenkins in Cardiff with the ample assistance of Marler’s implosion and referee Walsh’s bizarre management of the scrum) the Six Nations’ loose-heads failed.

Young ex Doncaster Knight and local product Jack Yeandle has had a couple starts in the #2 shirt of late but my bet is that, with first choice Simon Alcott presumably injured, as he was last seen when he came off after forty minutes in the Chiefs’ twelve all draw with Bath back at end of December, the experienced Neil Clark will get the start opposite Tom Youngs, also back from England duty and needing to quickly extinguish the memories of the Millennium Stadium.

On the Chiefs’ tight-head New Zealand born tough, hard charging Hoani Tui looks sure to start and take on the seemingly indefatigable Marcos Ayerza.

It’s hard for me to believe that the Tigers’ international front row will not find a degree of ascendency in the set piece, even though the injured Castrogiovanni looks likely to miss out on inclusion in the match day squad. The caveat is though that the Chiefs’ lack of fame should not be confused with any lack of determination and grit but still, for all that, I see advantage Tigers.

The Chiefs’ line out went well against Quins with the hard working ex Cardiff and Scarlets’ Damien Welch at the forefront but in spite of this I think that if he’s fit, after coming off just after half time against London Welsh, thirty-three times a Wallaby, New Zealand born Dean Mumm will be on duty next Saturday to partner Tom Hayes in a strong second row.

Geoff Parling, another to have recently broken free from the bonds of England duty, should start however rather than Kitchener I’d like to see Ed Slater rewarded by partnering the England lock from the off with Kitchener coming on when the Exeter defence is tiring, which it can do from time to time, as seen at Allianz Park a few weeks ago when it had been obliged to man the redoubts for long periods as Saracens pummelled away with multi phase attacks through the heart of The Chiefs’ defence which is where Tigers must concentrate their initial efforts and resist the urge the throw the ball wide too early.

With Tom Croft or Steve Mafi in the blind-side spot I think that Tigers could get further advantage in the line out.

If Tom Johnson has still not recovered from the injury he sustained in the Heineken Cup match against Leinster, which denied him the opportunity to add to his five England caps, then Aussie Ben White looks likely to fill in again. He had a very good match against the Quins back row until he was replaced by Zimbawean Dave Ewers for the final quarter and gave the home side plenty to think about at the breakdown.

The Gosford born flanker was in harness with the ever present James Scaysbrook who was simply superb (again) at the Stoop, a dog at the breakdown with loads of pace in open play and off the back of rucks and mauls. Scaysbrook is another of those, unfussy, hardworking players, who’s crucial to teams and that I so admire. Completing the Rob Baxter’s breakaway trio at the Stoop was Richard Baxter who makes few mistakes and even without the talented Johnson the Exeter back row is seemingly bomb proof most of the time.

If Richard Cockerill decides to be more circumspect with Tom Croft than was Lancaster, who played him even though he was clearly not international match fit, and with Steve Mafi reportedly fit again I’d like to see the big Tongan in the #6 shirt for the visitors. Scaysbrook meanwhile will need to overcome another ex Bath flanker in the form of Julian Salvi who’s having a great season and who’ll presumably have Thomas Waldrom, who’s no longer wanted on board the England stopping train for the interrupted “journey”, alongside him.

It’s hard to call this area of the game nowadays as it’s refereed in such an arbitrary and random manner but on the basis of Exeter’s showing against Quins it could be a very closely fought contest with neither side being overwhelmed as were England by Wales. But then neither Baxter or Cockerill will play three blind-sides in their back rows.

Hadyn Thomas is a scrum half I’ve always rather liked from the occasions when he got a run out at Gloucester before he went to Bristol en route to Exeter where he’s being having another really good season. He has that spark that I like to see from a #9 but doesn’t indulge in self aggrandising antics. He got just two starts in his final season at Kingsholm which was a waste so it’s good to seem having found his niche at Sandy Park and next season another refugee scrum half from up the M5, in the form of Dave Lewis, will be joining him.

Tigers for their part will have Ben Youngs available and I hope he starts as I reckon that Thomas would run rings round Harrison and the chances of Micky Young getting a start rank alongside mine of becoming Kelly Brookes’ next escort.

Ulsterman Gareth Steenson has seen off the more exotic Mieres who’s taken Cecil Duckworth’s shilling and is decamping to Sixways next season while veteran Ceri Sweeney, who made his first start from Ponypridd in the Heineken Cup way back in November 1999, is coming as back up next term, having been signed from Cardiff.

Steenson is clearly relishing having regained his status as The Chiefs first choice fly-half and he was absolutely peerless against Quins, showing his full range of skills. While Toby Flood has been busy being demoralised by Stuart Lancaster, although during his brief cameo for England against Wales he produced the nearest thing to a try that was seen all afternoon from Lancaster’s crew, Tigers have had the intermittent talents of George Ford to call upon but as Owen Farrell regained his seat at Lancaster’s right hand against Wales last Saturday I’d hope that we’ll see Youngs and the rested Flood taking it to the home side’s defence on the gain-line and keeping Scaysbrook in particular pegged back.

I thought that the one area where Exeter looked vulnerable was in the centre when having to defend and this may have been due to the absence of the uncompromising Kiwi; Jason Shoemark who skippers the Chiefs’ defence and without him it looked a bit harem-scarum at times with Naqelevuki all at sea for Monye’s try.

I’d expect to Shoemark back from his rest if he’s fit and giving the centre of the Chiefs’ defence more structure.

The giant Fijian Naqelevuki is lethal from ten metres out and more often or not will barge his way over the line, brooking no hindrance to his sizeable progress, as Quins’ Maurie Fa’asavalu found to his cost when his fellow south sea islander deposited him very firmly on his backside. The Samoan flanker’s face was a picture! Otherwise though I wonder if Naqelevuki has a big enough range of skills in defence and when attacking from his own half when he doesn’t seem to have the gas to go from very far out.

Tigers for their part have been without Tony Allen since he hobbled off, also at the Stoop, almost a month ago. Following his departure that day the Tigers’ defence lost its shape and remained like a sackcloth shift when it faced Saracens the following weekend. It looked better against Sale but then it would I guess given the attacking threat that the north westerners presented or rather didn’t present.

Manu Tuilagi is another player freed from England duty and if he plays I hope he’ll look more committed to the Tigers’ cause (the fount of his current fame). I have to admit I was disappointed with the young man’s demeanour in the period between his return from the Autumn Internationals and his departure for the Six Nations. He drifted in and out of games in a hitherto uncharacteristic manner, so he needs to buck up when wearing a Tigers’ shirt. If he’s weary from his celebrity and Matt Smith starts we shall at least see eighty minutes of commitment and a wide range of skills from the Welford Road favourite.

If Tony Allen is restored to fitness and Manu Tuilagi to the Tigers’ cause then it’s tough to see the home side’s defence holding out and Tuilagi clashing with Naqelevuki could be “interesting” but on balance I’d quite like to see young Manu as an impact substitute.

The first time I saw young Truro born Jack Nowell, who’s arrived at Sandy Park from Cornish Pirates, was when he played against Saracens when he was OK in a well beaten side, the next time was when he had a marvellous outing against Quins. On the basis of that performance he looks a real prospect. Very strong through the tackle and fleet of foot, he’s one to watch – and just 19 years old!

On the other wing for the home side will probably be Matt Jess who’s been ever present and started the season with a flourish bagging four tries in his first three Premiership outings but it’s been a bit of a drought since then. He’s very swift and he runs some nice cut backs to keep opposition defences honest and with Nowell in concert Tigers’ defence will have to be alert. But Jess can look uncertain in defence at times and so Tigers would do well to keep the ball in hand rather than kick it to Steenson or Arscott.

Tigers meanwhile will surely give try machine Adam Thompstone, who has seven to his account this season and with his power and pace is looking a worthy occupant of Alex Tuilagi’s shirt who in his last season with Tigers had nine tries on the credit side of the ledger. I’d not bet against the ex London Irish winger equalling that tally before the season’s spent.

On the other wing probably Niall Morris, who I still believe looks more the heir apparent to Geordan Murphy’s shirt than does Matt Tait who I nevertheless expect to see there once again at Sandy Park with Steenson giving him plenty of catching practice and the speedy and aggressive Luke Arscott bursting into the line and joining with Jess, Shoemark and of course Naqelevuki in testing Tait’s tackling.

I like Tait but at full back he’s bad for my heart rate, why on Earth doesn’t Cockerill swop him with Morris who looks the part?

So there we are; Sandy Park, with memories of the events of just over twelve months ago still remarkably fresh in some players’ memories. It was a near to full strength Tigers that lost by eight points in February last year and it’s an experience they’ll not wish to relive and I don’t think they will.

But they’ll have to be smart about it.

Exeter v Tigers Match Preview

Discussion started by TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk , 18/03/2013 17:33

TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk
18/03/2013 17:33

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:03:27:09:51:19 by Tiggs.

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Stopsy
18/03/2013 18:19

Many thanks Chris, you have been as sorely missed as the Tigers these last 2 weeks.

Come back with a win please gentlemen, preferably with a try bonus too however, seeing as Exeter did the double over us last season adn Quins this, we had better be on our A game.

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loadofeathers
18/03/2013 23:48

Enjoyed your preview. Your probable Chiefs selection is probaly not too far away but we do have a couple of injuries that hopefully have worn off!!

Enjoy your day at SP but not the result.

Safe journey to all those travelling.Looks like a sell out crowd place should be rocking.

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Duncan Keene
19/03/2013 07:33

Thanks Chris. I'd like to see Geordan Murphy start if he's fit.

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odd-shaped vagaries
19/03/2013 20:52

Snow in Drabbyshire? Quelle surprise!

It's lovely here in Hants where the spring has sprung

Here's hoping the sap has risen within the stout hearts of our Tigers and they're raring to go

Good on yer Chris

'Lions led by donkeys' .. Lest we forget

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fatheralice
20/03/2013 13:35

Great preview, I was particularly impressed with your knowledge of the opposition, with some very good analysis and comment.

As mentioned, a couple of our injured players are due back, including Sturgess, Whitehead, Shoemark, Mumm, Comacho and Hanks, so I expect at least some of them to feature in the squad.
Sturgess in particular will be a welcome boost at LHP, if he is up to speed after a few months off with a broken arm. Shoemark is another who we hope will be back, as he really is key to our defence.

Forcast is not looking too great, so it could be a wet windy game under the lights. Not sure who that helps really?!

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Purebob
21/03/2013 06:31

Chris, one of your best, sir, thank you.

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Rich W
21/03/2013 09:14

Great work again Chris. Likely to be close I reckon.

...

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Johns
21/03/2013 13:35

Thanks Chris

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S4llyC
22/03/2013 10:51

Many thanks once again Chris - great to have you back, and good to be back to a "normal" AP routine again after all the 6N distractions. This one could be a real nail-biter (far too many of em this season for my liking) and I just hope we can do enough to get the result we need.

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Stopsy
22/03/2013 11:59

How were the holidays Sally?

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S4llyC
22/03/2013 16:11

Excellent, thanks Mike. Somehow watching England stutter against Italy didn't seem half so much of a big deal with a bottle of Banks in hand and it's the only time I've spent half time cooling off in the sea rather than warming up in the bar!Today's snow is NOT going down too well I can tell you...

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Stopsy
22/03/2013 19:55

Hah! you're back now - Barbados?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:03:22:19:56:25 by Stopsy.

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S4llyC
22/03/2013 22:31

Yes, first time there, but (I hope) not the last - a great place to relax, especially when it's winter at home. Now back to the serious stuff - come on Tigers!

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