By TigerR
January 10 2011

Trust Pink Forget Stains                                                                                                                   By TigerR                                                                                                                                           Leicester FC 27-16 Northampton RFC           If you have to explain the title of a report then it’s too cleaver by half.  Suffice it to say that Northampton’s aspirations to the premier position in English club rugby began to vanish at Welford Road on Saturday.  After the game, Saints were left six points adrift of Tigers with two games in hand.  To my mind that puts the two local rivals about level with both teams likely to finish in the top two.  That made Saturdays game a probable dress rehearsal for the Premiership Final.

Defeat for Leicester would have handed to Northampton, top spot in the Premiership, the psychological advantage in any game in the playoffs, a regular season double and local bragging rights.  It might even have persuaded Martin Johnson to include more Northampton players in the England squad.  With so much at stake it was all set up for a cracking match with both sides giving 100% effort, not something we always see since the introduction of the playoff finale to the season and unsurprisingly a 24,000 capacity crowd squeezed into the ground to watch.

It was a dry afternoon with golden sunshine, although rain on Friday had left in veneer of mud on the pitch; near ideal conditions at kick-off time (2.30pm in the old days) given the time of year.  However Sky decreed the match should be played under floodlights as the temperature began to fall fast at 5pm.  The Saints team ran out in their predominantly ‘white’ change strip.  Unfortunately either by forgetting to use a certain laundry product or because one of the home shirts had got into the wrong laundry basket, the white was noticeably less snowy than the results shown in commercials for Vanish.  The Tigers came out to a great roar from the crowd.  Saints kicked off and Matt Smith gathered just over the 22 where a ruck formed.  Ben Youngs slightly miscued a box kick in that it went very high and this perversely seemed to confuse everyone and all players allowed the ball to bounce.  Northampton snaffled the bouncing ball and after two short runs through forwards spread the ball wide to the left where John Clark made a tiny amount of space for Ben Folden who jinked and dummied his way clear to cross the line. Myler converted for a dream start for those wearing yellow and black colours. 

Tigers replied with their first attack. Tigers drove to half way where Youngs took a quick tap penalty and Anthony Allen took play in to the Saints 22. The attack was sustained through another tap. Saints infringed again before the attack lost momentum and Flood knocked over an easy penalty.

It was a frantic full on start from both sides but Tigers went into the lead through a move that began from very deep with Murphy and Manu Tuilagi running play into the Saints half where the forwards took up the attack and went close in the right corner. Tigers retained possession and Youngs fed Newby who went over with Louis Deacon assisting. Flood missed the conversion from wide out. Frustratingly a couple of minutes Myler landed his first penalty of the contest from the middle of the pitch to put Saints into a 10-8 lead .

Northampton were also attacking well and Foden's run from his own half took him through a couple of tackles leaving the Tigers defence stretched but Alesana Tuilagi, who was the last defender positioned himself well to force Paul Diggin to knock-on in the tackle.

There was no respite for Tigers but Myler then missed his first kick, pushing a penalty wide after Tigers were ruled offside.  At the other end, a powerful run by Alesana Tuilagi had Tigers on the front foot. Allen continued the attack into the Saints 22 where a penalty for offside was awarded and Flood kicked the goal to take Tigers 11-10 ahead.

Myler and Flood both missed with long-distance penalties to leave Tigers with the narrowest of leads going back into the changing rooms.  11-10 seemed a fair reflection of the half. Saints were slightly on top at the scrum but Tigers were doing better at the line out where Northampton were perhaps suffering from the early departure of Courtney Laws through injury.  Saints had also lost another England player in Chris Ashton also early on in the first half.

Shortly after the resumption of hostilities as Saints were penalised for hands in the ruck and Flood gave saints a sinking feeling. However when Tigers knocked on near half way the Saints pack forced Leicester back yard after yard and Youngs was penalised for kicking the ball out of the scrum. Myler kicked the goal to leave Tigers 14-13 ahead.

Dan Cole replaced a tired Martin Castrogiovanni and at the next scrum the Tigers pack forced the Saints eight back in revenge, which drive was topped illegally. Flood landed the kick to restore Tigers' four-point lead.  This was the moment that the match was win because with Tigers regaining parity in the scrums the fact that Dylan Hartley and the Saints line out were having a nightmare gave Saints a vanishing share of possession.  Nonetheless Diggin chased his own kick ahead and the bounced evaded Murphy on the Tigers 22. Diggin regained possession and Tigers in hectic defence Tigers conceded a penalty in front of their own posts and Myler knocked over the penalty. In this attack Geordan Murphy injured his ankle sufficiently badly to have to leave the game on a stretcher.

Alesana Tuilagi threatened again when he gathered loose ball in his own half and made ground down the right wing. Tuilagi chipped ahead and ran into Foden, who had stood his ground. Mr Pearson correctly waved play on and Powell cleared to touch but off balance.  From the resulting line out Thomas Waldrom drove into the heart of the Saints defence where the Tigers forwards secured quick ball and Youngs put Ayerza in position to battle over from close range. Flood put Tigers 24-16 ahead.

Tigers were now dominating and the attacked deep into the Saints 22 where Mark Sorenson failed to roll away from the tackle. Referee Pearson showed a yellow card and Flood knocked over the penalty to make Northampton’s hopes of victory almost to the vanishing point.

Saints renewed their efforts in search of a bonus point and Tom Wood took play up to the Tigers line and Tigers were ruled offside. Saints  needing a quick try opted for the lineout and, on winning possession, switched the ball wide to the right wing where Manu Tuilagi bundled Foden into touch five metres out.

Tigers finished the game on the attack with Flood striking the outside of the left post with a late penalty as time ran out. Only by the ball striking the post did Flood give Saints the opportunity at attack for a try to gain a losing bonus point and they desperately tried to keep the ball alive but aggressive tackling pinned them in their own 22 until Tigers were granted a penalty at the break down which after two attempts to tap and go, both denied by referee Pearson, was kicked into touch to end the match.

This was a game of near test intensity and quality and Martin Johnson may have used it as a useful trial for England selection.  Of the England players on show Dylan Hartley gave cause for concern whereas Ben Foden played very well.  Youngs and Flood were very solid and Dan Cole did his chances no harm.  Louis Deacon may have an outside chance of a recall.  Lawes and Ashton came off to early to comment.

Note on club colours:  Both Leicester and Northampton have green as a dominant colour in their first choice jerseys.  The other two colours in the Leicester jersey are red and white, the colours of the City of Leicester.  Northampton’s other colours and black and gold.  A mixture of red and white gives pink.

Tigers V Saints Match Report

Discussion started by TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk , 10/01/2011 18:27

TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk
10/01/2011 18:27

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:01:18:18:28:23 by Stephen Bath.

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Tiggs
10/01/2011 18:36

Thanks TigerR, a good write up, much appreciated, apologies for the slight delay it posting it up !

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Rich W
10/01/2011 21:25

Thanks Rex. Good report. And good to see you again.

...

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Saint Dom in Hanoi
11/01/2011 07:57

Always interesting to read the other point of view, expertly observed.

There may be more to the Saints' 6 lost lineouts that meets the eye, certainly my jaundiced eye - but don't fall into the trap of pointing the finger of blame at the hooker.

The early loss of Courtney Lawes and Chris Ashton may have had a disproportionate effect on the outcome. The yellow card came at a time when Saints were returning to the attack, and I defy anyone to say that any one of 4 players on either side might have been carded with equal justification, starting with the childish Youngs (but perhaps forgivable in one so young!).

The less said about the preening piglet Pearson, the better.

A great match, a fine, well-deserved win for Tiggs and let's hope for a rematch at the business end of the season...

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TigerR
11/01/2011 10:47

Fear not, I suspect that the lineout is one of the facets of play where Martin Johnson has good judgement about what was going on and who is to blame. I, for one, would certainly defer to his judgement.

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Rich W
11/01/2011 11:16

Quote:

The yellow card came at a time when Saints were returning to the attack, and I defy anyone to say that any one of 4 players on either side might have been carded with equal justification,

I certainly agree on the last part of that but the first? He was sin-binned for killing the ball inches from your line. Whilst there was certainly as good a case for other cards - on our line moments later for example - but Saints weren't returning to the attack at that stage.

But in other senses you're right Dangerous was very poor.

...

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Stopsy
12/01/2011 06:54

Thanks TigerR

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TigerR
12/01/2011 09:35

My pleasure

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IDLETIMES
15/01/2011 13:57

Can't agree about Pearson. I go along with two or three other players could have gone in the bin but overall I thought he controlled the game very well.

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Tiggs
15/01/2011 15:48

Controlled it well, possibly, but he didn't get a lot of decisions right. It would be nice to get a ref do both well.

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