Leicester Tigers
Can I have My Saucepan Back?
By ChrisC
October 13 2010
Next Sunday Scarlets come to Welford Road for the next episode of this year’s Heineken Cup although whether they’ll bring their Little Saucepan with them following its move from Stradey Park to Parc y Scarlets we’ll have to wait and see. Sosban Fach was famously used as background music to an episode of the Goon Show which if, having seen a depleted Tigers labour against Treviso last weekend and produce enough pratfalls to make it resemble a tribute to the late Norman Wisdom, is repeated next weekend, would be a highly appropriate theme.
Tigers lost Dan Hipkiss, Ben Woods and Toby Flood shortly before kick off with Hipkiss only pulling out during the pre match warm up period.
However that being acknowledged it is to be hoped that the whole travelling squad had at least made each other’s acquaintance prior to taking the field whereas the reality was that it looked like a scratch team assembled in The Swan & Rushes just before the coach was due to leave for the airport.
It was a hugely disjointed display and so many passes were buried in the Italian turf I half expected those otherwise engaged in rescuing the Chilean miners to make an appearance to dig it out, while to add to the general chaos the line out problems we thought had been resolved gave an unhappy encore.
Referee Pascal Gauzere added to the generally surreal atmosphere making some random and incomprehensible decisions which left both sides looking puzzled, not least the Tigers’ front row.
Strangely neither Tobias Botes or Joe Maddock started for the home side but when the ex Bath Kiwi made his appearance just after half time there was a perceptible tightening of sphincters amongst the Tigers’ players and supporters alike.
It was not until the last few minutes that the narrow Treviso lead, manufactured almost single handedly by the excellent Benvenuti ,was wiped out when Alex Tuilagi rampaged in from his wing like an enraged Rhino to steal the match, leaving the Treviso players wondering “how’d that happen?”
Tigers bemusedly wandered off having secured the tie and scoring five tries in the process surely also wondering “how’d that happen?”
Down at the shiny new Parc y Scarlets, Stradey now consigned to its fate as a housing estate no doubt, Scarlets met up with Perpignan in an equally weird match, due in no small part to Andrew Small and Robin Goodliffe being involved in the officiating.
Once again Mr Small ignored anarchy at the set piece with the Scarlets’ pack under severe pressure from the French all star line up but able to stand up, pull round, drop binding all without a blink crossing the Kiwi’s blank features. The USAP scrum half fed the second row of his pack all afternoon with Mr Small taking special care to come around to watch him do it.
Early on we had a couple of perfunctory free kicks for early engagement as the sixteen players were a nanosecond early – how on earth do these idiots making and enforcing the laws expect the players to remain crouched, as if replying to a mass call of nature, while the now seemingly obligatory hoooooold command is given. If this had been the law when I played the game we’d have either fallen over or gone to the pub.
However at the breakdown Mr Small embraced Leagunion with all the enthusiasm of a stag party at a lap dancing club, so little opposition to attacking ball was offered at the breakdown but still Small’s whistle shrilled incessantly over minutiae.
It is to be hoped that Mr Small lists modesty amongst his qualities as he has much to be modest about.
There were plenty of tries though with USAP outscoring the Welsh region by five tries to four however as neither side felt the inclination to compete for the ball for periods of the game – the French side standing under a lamp post smoking their Gauloises – and the Welsh looking to order their first pints of Brains’ Dark Mild, while Mr Small, as usual, rendered the contact area a no go zone. There were repeated waves of attack as the ball was retained for long periods with Scarlets in particular demonstrating some wonderful handling skills.
In the end though the dependable boot of one of the competition’s most reliable and experienced Fly Halves, Stephen Jones, decided matters slotting 28 points, including a try of his own and converting every other try scored by the home team, whereas USAP managed to convert just three of their five successful excursions over the Scarlets’ whitewash while adding five penalties.
Also crucial was the Yellow Card handed out to the USAP full back; Jerome Porical who kicked an opponent smack in front of Mr Small, who, more renowned for finger wagging and warnings than Yellow Cards, was stung into action. Porical was very lucky not to see a Red Card – think David Beckham against Argentina’s Diego Simeone in the 1998 World Cup and you’ll get the picture!
In any event while young Jerome sat and thought about how brainless he is his colleagues leaked seventeen crucial points – they eventually losing by just nine.
As we have early notice of Mr Clancy officiating at Welford Road next weekend I watched him in the Wasps vs Toulouse match – I have seen him before and he was just as I remembered and is seemingly a great Leagunion fan however what was most notable was that in spite of the Toulouse pack absolutely marmalising Wasps at the scrum the home side got little reward for their superiority with Clancy following the Chris White modus operandi of resets rather than sanction until almost the last play of the game when even mellow George got fed up with Wasps’ cheating and gave a penalty which, converted by David Skrela, sealed a tight fought home win.
Against Treviso, somewhat predictably, the Tigers pack had to pull out all the stops to contain the home side’s fearsome eight and came off second best on more than one occasion while at Parc y Scarlets the home side’s pack also had their hands full with the USAP crew. Scarlets started with an all international front row of Iestyn Thomas, Matthew Rees and Rhys Thomas who share 79 Welsh caps between them, with the excellent Rees also having 3 Lions appearances to his credit.
We hear ad nauseam about Schalk Brits but Rees has similar free running, ball playing skills and he scrummages too! However having watched the USAP match I think that the Tigers’ front row, where Castrogiovanni put in a bravura try scoring performance against Treviso, will shade the set piece scrum, always assuming that we can prevail upon Mr Clancy for a contest.
At line out time Tigers looked very wobbly again with the overused option of Tom Croft as receiver making calls virtually redundant. Chuter looked somewhat detached in all theatres of engagement and his throwing was not helpful. I have been impressed by Rob Hawkins and I’d favour giving him a start so that George can reflect on the need for senior players to fully engage with the task at hand.
At lock Scarlets had young Lou Reed who maybe had a less than Perfect Day but was sprightly enough around the parc and matched up well with international veteran Vernon Cooper, although if he’s fit I’d expect to see Dominic Day resume his default partnership with Reed.
Scarlets’ coach Nigel Davies will be targeting this ongoing Achilles Heel of Tigers and will expect to bank some capital at the line out and for the life of me I can’t understand why, by now, Tigers have failed to resolve this issue.
Hopefully Ben Woods will be fit as Craig Newby, willing horse that he is, plays openside like a blindside and that we’ll have Woods, Waldrom and Croft in the back row. They’ll need to put on a good show as the Scarlets’ breakaway trio were very impressive with 44 time capped Aussie David Lyons absolutely fantastic, apart from putting the ball in to the scrum and line out and making the half time teas he did everything. Joined by another international Rob McCusker and Josh Turnbull, who gave way to Jonathan Edwards on the hour mark, this was a dynamic trio all afternoon and the injured Dafydd Jones was hardly missed.
Behind the pack the Scarlets’ backs put on a sumptuous display of footballing skills. International Scrum half Martin Roberts looked composed behind a pack that had some difficulty containing the USAP galacticos before being replaced by young Tavis Knoyle who at just 20 already has his first cap.
Ben Youngs has taken to cantering across field seemingly wanting to deliver the ball to Twelvetrees on a silver platter with some parsley garnish, which brings the defenders onto the Tigers’ backs very nicely. The passing of the Tigers’ halfbacks against Treviso was just awful although Waldrom and Youngs produced a trademark try just oozing with class. If the Tigers pack gain a degree of dominance, as I hope will be the case, then maybe he’ll recover the fizzingly accurate pass to which we have become accustomed.
It is at Fly Half though where, if Flood is still injured, Twelvetrees will face Stephen Jones and I can see only one winner in that face off whether it be in game management or kicking, so let’s hope against hope that Toby Flood is recovered.
Regan King started at inside centre for the home team and was delightful, his running lines were subtle and perfectly timed and while the Kiwi is not in the first flush of youth his experience and vision is invaluable, he was partnered by young Gareth Maule until he was replaced by Scott Williams, these two youngsters did well enough but the travelling support will hope that Midlands born Jonathan Davies will be fit to pair up with King which will be a superb combination.
If this pairing comes to pass then it will be important for at least Hipkiss to be fit and line up with the consistently excellent Matt Smith. If it’s the case then there will be a contrast in style with the Tigers’ duo seeking contact while their opposite numbers look for space and with the weather forecast to be cool with some sun and little chance of rain it’s hard not to believe that conditions will favour Scarlets.
The Scarlets back three of that rugby mercenary Sean Lamont, who seems to have gone through more clubs than Tiger Woods, bringing his bruising presence to the fray, he is not afraid to appear in midfield off his wing to rough things up and I wish that Alex Tuilagi would do a similar thing more often as the mayhem he can cause invariably generates a great return and if he could occasionally offload the ball that’d be even better. On the other wing presumably thrice capped Morgan Stoddart will keep his spot after a solid performance.
Nigerian ex Tiger Joe Ajuwa is in reserve with international Dan Evans but I expect Stoddart to face Tigers with the very impressive Rhys Priestland at Full Back who scored two lovely tries against USAP being in exactly the right place at the right time.
Geordan Murphy and Scott Hamilton saw very little ball against Treviso due to it too often being lost in the midfield morass and Tigers must resolve this issue and not consign them to endless defensive duties. The lineout also needs sorting in short order as these two strike weapons will be needed against the Scarlets.
I would also like to see Geordan being more obviously proactive in his game and player management when things go awry, as at such times totemic captaincy is simply not enough
Tigers’ character showed through in their hanging in for a bonus point away win in Italy but if Flood is still injured and they play as they did last Saturday then I’m worried – very worried and we could be out of the Italian saucepan into the Welsh fire.
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Reddit
Stumbleupon13/10/2010 10:44
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:19:17:17:14 by TigerChick.
If so mine has fallen off!!
nice to see he found a home.
More Leicester Tigers headlines
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News from around the World
- All the Latets Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News from Around the World