By Whaley Shark
January 2 2012

 Just over a year ago, I sat in the upper reaches of the Caterpillar Stand at Welford Road, and watched us go down 54-21 to Tigers, conceding eight tries in total, giving Tigers a bonus point before half time, and actually only getting most of our 21 points when they’d switched off towards the end. 

So it felt like ‘déja vu all over again’ after about quarter of an hour yesterday. I don’t quite understand why we decided to run the ball from our own 22 straight from the kick off- maybe we thought we’d just hold on to it for the whole 80 minutes- but, if so, that plan didn’t work. We conceded four penalties in five minutes. Tigers ran the first two, and took the scrum option at the others and, by the time we were penalised at the second scrum, the referee was clearly bored with us and gave them a penalty try. We’d also lost Seymour, knocked senseless, and Henry Thomas, for some running repairs, replaced by Onosai’i Auva’a and Vadim Cobilas.

Having given Tigers the head start they clearly needed, we did start to play a bit, but it was all just too frantic, and we were turned over a couple of times. Eventually, from turnover ball in the middle of the field, Toby Flood put Twelvetrees through a gap, he drew the last defender and, with a simple pass to the supporting Geordan Murphy, sent him in by the posts. 14-0 after just over 15 minutes wasn’t a great start.

We continued to try, but just a bit too hard, and when a rather wild pass went into touch near half way rather than to hand, Tigers marched into our 22 and, as our defence became increasingly desperate, won another penalty. They chose to kick this one, though, to go 17-0 up. At this point, we perhaps started to see one of Steve Diamond’s ‘Year Zero’ commitments come true- ‘We will not lie down’. The frantic play receded, and we started to compete much more effectively. This was rewarded a few minutes later when we nicked a Tigers lineout near half way, and Auva’a, Myall and McKenzie linked up for a try on the right. Macleod converted, followed five minutes later by a penalty, to bring us back in touch, and the clock ran down to half time with what were now two evenly matched sides going at it hammer-and-tongs.

And so it continued into the second half, with only an exchange of penalties early in the first fifteen minutes, until Tigers put Alesana Tuilagi free down the left to score an unconverted try. As the rain, which had started about half time, made conditions difficult, both sides were using the high kick a lot and Rob Miller ran one back, all the way into the Tigers’ 22. A few more phases saw us just 5 metres short, but we knocked on and the moment seemed to have passed. We got another chance a couple of minutes later, cutting through the Leicester defence from almost half way, and Rob Miller finished on the right. With the conversion, that made it 25-20, with over 15 minutes to go.

It also provoked the Tigers though, and they responded with several minutes of ferocious pressure on our try line. We held them out, but at the cost of another Flood penalty, and as the last ten minutes ticked down, both sides were really going for it- Tigers chasing a fourth try, us chasing the losing bonus, and we finally got what we wanted with the clock showing 00.00. Tigers cleared to touch with just seconds left, we won the lineout, made good ground into Tigers 22, and set Nick Macleod up for a well struck drop goal.

So what did I think? It was a cracking game, with a fair result, and probably reflects where both sides are. Tigers are a very strong side who’ll doubtless be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. We are a developing side which is starting to mature and shows considerable promise. The contrast between our EP implosion against Tigers two months ago and yesterday’s performance, shows how far we have come in quite a short time, but it also shows how far we have yet to go if we are to compete seriously at the highest level. But we’re on a good path, and I am hopeful.

I was too far from the action to see much detail, so if the official view is that Onasai’i Auva’a was Man of the Match, that’s fine with me, but I would like to conclude by saying I thought all the players were hugely committed and courageous, so thank you all for that.