Leicester Tigers
Tigers in Need - Tigers v Quins AP Preview
By ChrisC
November 16 2010
This Friday sees the annual institution of Children in Need return with the usual cavalcade of people having their hair shaved off and sitting in baths of baked beans with stars of stage, screen and wireless performing for charidee.
At Welford Road though minds will be focussed on Tigers’ need for some Premiership points having wasted the opportunity to get more than a losing bonus point a few weeks back when they were at Kingsholm. I am now hoping the Quins, on their second visit in just a three weeks, will be feeling charitable and support Tigers in Need.
Having been happily ensconced on the Costa Blanca enjoying the sunshine I didn’t see the LV match against Quins but from what I read Quins had pretty much a full Premiership side on parade while Tigers had a somewhat more eclectic mix of players.
I also watched the Ospreys match when it was a case of “Who’s that Tiger?” with a fringe team augmented by Hawkins and Hipkiss from the senior ranks.
The much more experienced Ospreys, peppered with international players, slaughtered the young Tigers’ team and really didn’t need the assistance of the very Welsh referee who permitted the home side more latitude than the equator and accordingly they engaged early at the scrum, fed the scrum, flopped over the ball, came into rucks and mauls from the side, stood offside and were not playing to any laws that I recognised, in fact it was so anarchic I half expected to see a gang of supporters enter into the spirit of the occasion by occupying the bars and smashing the windows.
However neither of the LV matches gave much indication of what to expect from Tigers when the Premiership resumes, more instructive perhaps was the close shave the Australian touring side had when they met an approximation of what passes for the full Tigers’ team nowadays.
I watched the last Premiership match against Gloucester and was once again struck by the lack of strategic direction exhibited on field when yet again Tigers’ persisted in throwing the ball around with abandon regardless of the circumstances and paid for it when the home side scored a last minute try.
Now though the pack that, in spite of the best efforts of Wayne Barnes, was so dominant down at Castle Grim has had its front row decimated and we are down to the bones at half back with international demands conspiring with the injury list in forcing Richard Cockerill into almost a last man standing selection.
I saw Quins play Bath the same weekend and was bound to feel that they could have played until hell froze over and not scored a try as the match staggered along to a 6-6 draw.
It was a dross filled encounter but worth watching just to see the superlative Nick Evans – my goodness what a player! Had Dan Carter not previously weaved his magic I’m sure it would have been Evans lining up against England a fortnight ago although even he was affected by the dullness of the event, missing a simple penalty and dropping a pass that denied him a certain try.
The home side didn’t have their first choice front row on parade against Bath but I expect to see the new bright star in the propping firmament, the Mohican tonsured Joe Marler joining with the giant Samoan international James Johnston and probably Chris Brooker at hooker.
Tigers trio of Ayerza, Hawkins and Julian White did well against the Quins in the LV Cup but this Quins triumvirate would be an entirely different matter however it will be interesting to see how the feisty Marler gets on against the veteran Julian White if, of course, the Quins’ prop has recovered from the knock he sustained during his club’s narrow victory over Newcastle in the LV= cup.
White can also be feisty at times – or so I’ve heard, so it could be “interesting” if Marler is in the same frame of mind as when he was squaring up to Paul Doran-Jones at Kingsholm a few weeks ago.
With Parilli-Ocampo also now injured and with that option removed I assume that Bucknall will complete the Tigers’ front row with Chuter and White but as he’ll probably be facing Johnston this could be a pressure point for the home side and who’ll be on the bench is a mystery to me.
I have been very impressed with Quins’ new Argentinian lock, Tomas Vallejos Cinalli, who does his set piece work very well but it is in open play that I have found him truly eye-catching being possessed of the galloping flair of a gaucho and lovely soft hands in the offload, a bit of star in the making here.
I would expect Black Countryman George Robson to again line up with the talented Argentinian and provide solid opposition to the usual Tigers Premiership duo of George Skivington and the impressive Ed Slater both of whom seem to have got their line out work sorted and are excellent around the park, so a close run thing here.
In the back row Will Skinner looks a bit of a fish out of water with the advent of Leagunion as he’s an open side in the classic mould and to me he looks uncertain in the odd new environment that the IRB has foisted upon the long suffering punters. He’s still a great “Backyesque” link man for the backs and his defence is outstanding. I anticipate he’ll be joined by skipper Robshaw on the blind side, who is real pest and pops up in the most unexpected places in a most disconcerting way, and with a personal favourite of mine, the pacey Tom Guest, standing in for Nick Easter the Quins’ back row has lost nothing during the international travails.
With Ben Woods again injured I expect Craig Newby to resume his deputisation at open side and while he’s not a natural #7 in these benighted times at the breakdown in some ways that may be no bad thing as his instincts as a blind side may get him into less trouble. The lightly used Steve Mafi should get a start at blind side which would also add presence and options to the line out.
It’s a hard call at #8 with Jordan Crane back in harness as Thomas Waldrom has become a key component in the side so they’ll doubtless share the duties and frankly I can see nothing between them but I expect that Crane will start and be captain for the day and that Waldrom will bundle on later.
Here again I see nothing between the two sets of breakaway units either in the set piece or in open play.
Both sides will be without their first choice scrum half but I must say from what I’ve seen of him Karl Dickson has impressed me, he’s a sparky individual and aware of the gap just like his erstwhile colleague who’s getting splinters in his bum waiting for his turn from Ben Youngs.
After watching the best England performance for many a year when the international team convincingly beat Australia I was left feeling even more bereft at the loss of Tigers’ international players. Ben Youngs and Toby Flood were simply superb – oh how I wish they were available for Tigers and how glad must Conor O’Shea be that they’re not.
Having watched Jason Spice shovel the ball around and Sam Harrison try to operate behind a beaten pack down at Bridgend I guess that, shocking as it may be, James Grindal is the best option at scrum half but this will mean slow service to Billy Twelvetrees who is the current default fly half for Tigers and still learning the job although happily his kicking has improved out of all recognition since the early days of the season when he was dragooned into action.
With the talented Dickson aided and abetted by the aforesaid Nick Evans the Tigers breakaway forwards will to need to do a real quietening down exercise on the visiting half backs or the Quins’ back division will get in behind and run riot.
I expect to see the rumbustious Jordan-Turner Hall at inside centre for the visitors, who may yet be seen to be the answer to England’s lack of depth and options for the wearing of the #12 shirt. I have been very impressed with this young man, he’s strong and stands up in the tackle but still too often he eventually goes to ground with the ball and the move dies which is a pity because he has the dynamic George Lowe outside him.
Lowe runs some great lines off his centre colleague but too often the ball doesn’t appear for him.
Ollie Smith is of course on the books down at the Stoop these days after is sojourn in France and I hope we’ll see something of this Welford Road favourite.
With Tony Allen also now drawn into the maw of England Dan Hipkiss will need to play, although frankly, in the first half especially, he looked so disinterested and resentful at being instructed to play in such a lost cause down at Bridgend that he may as well have stayed in the dry and watched the humiliation of his team on TV.
He seemingly had a kick up the backside at half time for after the break he stopped sulking and made more of an effort so will presumably move to inside centre on Friday with Manu Tuilagi assuming the #13 shirt.
This will certainly be an uncompromising pairing but of course Hipkiss is not known for his distribution skills so Tuilagi will need to impose himself if the ball is to progress into the wide channels. Defensively though they should be rock solid.
Much has been said about the plethora of wingers available to Tigers but now with Agulla, Amorosino, and Tuilagi A all missing the cupboard doesn’t look so bountiful.
Quins have real speedsters in their own Argentinian international winger; Gonzalo Camacho and the infamous Tom Williams. Camacho is industrious off the ball as well as being a brilliant runner with the ball and seems to make good decisions however I must say that there’s something about Williams I don’t like and it’s nothing to do with “Bloodgate” he just doesn’t seem to be fully engaged and is happy just to wait for the ball and to go for glory in a Tom Varndell kind of way.
At full back Mike Brown is, for me, among the best of the current crop of Premiership full backs, he works hard, runs great lines, is strong in the tackle and has a Howitzer of a boot which is a perfect foil for the more subtle skills of Evans.
As if things weren’t bad enough for Tigers Geordan Murphy has now been called into the Ireland squad and so a further reshuffle is needed of the depleted and seemingly ever depleting resources available to Richard Cockerill.
Happily for Tigers’ Scott Hamilton remains available and will probably move to full back where he is an accomplished operator and to my mind even better there than on the wing and after his gutsy performance at Bridgend I would like to see Lee Robinson given a go, the player previously known as “Horse” by the denizens of the Memorial Ground, worked like a Trojan down in Wales and never stopped trying even when the cause was not only lost but long buried in the Welsh mud.
Matt Smith has experience of playing on the wing and has the attacking pace, commitment and defensive strength so I’d see him out there.
In the end the back threes look evenly matched, my concern is whether the ball will get to the Tigers’ trio with Twelvetrees, Hipkiss and Tuilagi all big strong confrontational players who tend to look for contact rather than space. Flood and Allen bring variety to the attack which I think will be sorely missed as of course will the infinite variety that emanates from Ben Youngs.
I think this is going to be a tough one for the denuded Tigers and for me too close to call – maybe Welford Road will be enough to tip the scales and there’ll be a narrow win for Tigers built on defence.
One thing I do hope though is that the referee doesn’t appear dressed as Pudsey Bear with a spotted bandage over one eye.
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010:11:20:20:32:50 by Stephen Bath.
If this gets said on here enough times it might actually become true...
Quote:raedarius
"from what I read Quins had pretty much a full Premiership side on parade"
If this gets said on here enough times it might actually become true...
I laughed out loud at that. But shhhh readers, let them believe it.
Otherwise, a good scene setter, thanks.
Nunquam Dormio
And much though our parti-coloured friends may wish to deny it their tem the other week was a damn sight closer to their first choice XV than they wish to allow!
This game will be closer and I, like you, take us to secure a narrow victory.
...
Quote:raedariusQuote:mentallymadmax
I love how our 2nd/3rd string loses to a close to 1st string Quins side, and everybody starts moaning and panicking.
Hardly a first choice Quins team. First choice players at 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, (also, Williams is a first choice but not at 15) so maybe a few more than you had, but hardly our first choice.
(To be fair, we don't have a first choice hooker...)
How many will you be missing this Friday? I'd expect a similar side from yourselves to the one that played in the LV, maybe 3 or 4 changes?
Thanks for the preview Chris. My head says we're underdogs and could lose by 5, heart says Welford Road in the league factor, win by 5.
Either way i hope the crowd stays positive and behind the boys on the pitch that will be trying their best. It's not their fault they aren't Croft, Youngs and Flood.
Quote:Duncan Keene
Raedarius, another way of reading your post is that 8 out of 15 first choice quins played in the LV match.
How many will you be missing this Friday? I'd expect a similar side from yourselves to the one that played in the LV, maybe 3 or 4 changes?
I would not call 8/15 "pretty much a full Premiership side".
I'd expect our team to be a fair bit stronger on Friday. I'd hope for Marler and Johnston as props (Marker's knock is a worry). If we had:
Marler, Cairns, Johnston, Vallejos, Robson, Robshaw, Skinner, Guest
Dickson, Evans, Williams, Turner-Hall, Smith O, Lowe, Brown
that would be pretty close to our strongest available team, though I'd rather see Lowe at 13 and Chisholm/Smith S on the wing as Ollie Smith has hardly set the world on fire so far.
I'm not going to enter a 'who has the most injured/unavailable players' competition with Tigers, as we'd obviously lose.
Edited for Quotation fail.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010:11:17:13:58:42 by raedarius.
Can't call this till I've seen the team sheets.
Thanks again for a good insight.
I'll be watching from here
Probably making more noise than the crowd ...
... principally to untie knots in the stomach
Damn this league game/ international game clash
'Lions led by donkeys' .. Lest we forget
Quote:Stopsy
monoccular vision of Rich(of the dubious parentage)W
That's easy for you to say
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Lest we forget
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Lest we forget
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