By ChrisC
November 11 2013

Cut to the Chase. Canals always held a fascination for me.  My maternal grandfather, forced from his job as a teacher by bad health, found himself and his family evicted from their school board house and finding himself not only jobless but homeless ..

He found employment as a lock keeper on the Grand Union canal but the family’s accommodation in the wooden lock house was as far removed from the elegant Georgian house in a leafy north London square that his previous employer provided as was his new status. 

Soon the hard work in all weathers took its toll and Tuberculosis claimed him young. My mother’s stories of life and hardship between the wars by the cut were spellbinding. 

I am old enough to remember when the canal system was still a major source of transport and even though they had been threatened by the railways Dr Beeching, in one of the greatest acts of political vandalism in history, offered them what seemed to be a life line even though the 1956 Clean Air Act had dramatically reduced the need for vast quantities of coal to be transported to power stations and which had been the preserve of the canal network. 

The fierce winter of 1962/63 saw the sea, rivers and canals freeze and freight took to what was left of the railways and, more significantly, to the roads which now included the embryonic motorway system. Freight never returned to the canals in the same volumes and, now with the dead hand of nationalisation upon them and thanks to abuse of the intentions of Transport Act in 1968, they largely fell into dereliction, more government inspired vandalism. 

Wind forward twenty years and the government body then in charge had a change of heart and started, with private concerns, to restore the canal system for leisure purposes.  

We had recently moved from the south east and after a few years living in a lovely spacious house overlooking the River Severn in the beautiful Georgian riverside town of Bewdley in north Worcestershire we wanted to do “something different” and started to house hunt.  We found a canal worker’s cottage adjacent to the towpath of the Worcester and Birmingham canal. The cottage needed full restoration from its compacted soil floor to its crumbling roof. 

It was love at first sight, so we bought it and set to.  The result was stunning, the location idyllic.  

There’s little better on a summer’s evening than sitting by a towpath, beer in hand, watching the world go by, especially the holidaymakers; still red of face from their earlier toils down the thirty locks at Tardebigge. 

I could walk along the towpath to my local pub and on to Sixways where, alternating with visits to watch Droitwich at their Hanbury Road ground, I got my regular rugby fix. 

As so often though work intervened and we were soon on the move, forced to leave our canal side retreat. It says much that the folks we sold it to, almost thirty years ago, are still there – lucky them! 

The walk along the canal side to Sixways risks a dip in the murky canal water and if anybody is trying to negotiate the journey by foot next Friday he’d be a braver man than me although The Bridge at Tibberton will offer solace I’m sure. 

Bravery will have to be on the cards for the Tigers’ team that ventures to Worcester as, with his charges adrift at the bottom of the Premiership table, Dean Ryan is probably looking at success in the LV= Cup as his best chance of redemption in his debut season with the Warriors. They have yet to win a match in the Premiership with the statistic of 85 points scored to 198 conceded telling the grisly story that had its first chapter at Welford Road when Warriors’ lost by 32-15 to an already  somewhat under strength Tigers. 

Warriors’ victory by 21 points to 16 against a Cardiff Blues side reflected the absence of the region’s star players on international duty with Wales and was perhaps rather more modest than might have been expected as Dean Ryan fielded many first team players who would not have been out of place in a Premiership fixture. 

It seems pretty certain that, having secured a victory away from home, Ryan will deploy a similarly strong team at Sixways for the delectation of the Warriors faithful who’ve had to be patient – very patient. 

Richard Cockerill meanwhile will have less choice with international call ups by the world and his wife, injuries aplenty and the need to rest players ahead of the forthcoming fixtures in the Premiership, when London Irish visit Welford Road and then Tigers have to traipse down to Kingsholm. Tigers then have back to back matches with Montpellier in the Heineken Cup.  

I expect that if anything Dean Ryan will strengthen his match day squad on Friday while Tigers’ supporters will be hoping that the likes of Manu Tuilagi, Matt Tait and Matt Smith may be fit and looking for game time. 

If Tigers, for one reason or another, stick with the same line up as did themselves considerable credit against the, admittedly scratch, Ospreys it could be a real challenge. 

Even if Warriors stick with the squad that travelled to Cardiff there’d be thirteen members of that which lost at Welford Road in the opening match of the season whereas I suspect maybe just a handful of the Tigers’ squad from that day will be on duty. 

So it’s likely to be a big task for the Tigers. 

Should Tigers field the same front row as last Friday, with Stankovitch opposite ex Sale prop Rob O’Donnell and Fraser Balmain, happy to get game time, locking horns with a new signing for this season; Jeremy Becasseau from Stade Francais with whom he had Top 14 and Amlin Cup experience, then it’ll be a real test. 

Last Friday’s man of the match for Tigers; Harry Thacker certainly made an impression and reminds me of Andy Titterell in his pomp.  Of course the challenge this Friday will be to gain the same dominance against the distinctly beefy Warriors’ trio where I can see ex Osprey and Welsh international hooker Ed Shervington completing Ryan’s front row. 

Warriors may well stick with young South African; Michael Williams who’s also newly arrived for the current season, this time from Blue Bulls where he played in the Vodacom Cup to again partner with the vastly experienced England international Chris Jones who’s always a handful. 

For Tigers I hope that Sebastian deChaves, who played very well last time out, will start and lock horns with his countryman Williams. 

It doesn’t seem likely that Cockerill will risk any of his cadre of first choice locks and it’ll be either Joe Cain or nineteen year old Harry Wells who’s been at Nottingham lately.  Either way they’ll have their hands full if my guess is correct and if, as is possible, Dean Schofield starts this week and relegates Williams to the bench things could be even trickier for Tigers. 

Waldrom played his part as a senior player with great distinction last week and I expect he’ll start again alongside Gibson and Noone who had a lovely time against the young Ospreys however things won’t be as straight forward if Ryan starts with Sam Betty, who somehow managed to escape a Yellow Card from young Luke Pearce last time the clubs met.  Betty, the ex Cornish Pirate, put himself about at Welford Road and I reckon his abrasive presence will be retained by Dean Ryan with the excellent Jake Abbott making the breakdown a really competitive contest. 

Current Argentinian international Leonardo Senatore, who started in the Championship matches against South Africa in August, also started against Cardiff.  He’s another player who puts himself about.  Of course he may not start but then it’d probably be Jonathan Thomas who was capped over sixty times for Wales. So no respite there then! 

You may have got the picture that Warriors are taking the LV= with deadly seriousness. 

I think that if Tigers’ stick with the same personnel in the pack as last week (and in truth they don’t have much choice) and Warriors do the same then I can see it being advantage to the hosts in pretty much all aspects of forward play. 

This will naturally make life difficult for Tigers’ half backs where I hope Sam Harrison gets another start.  He went well against Ospreys and while, like Mele, he doesn’t offer much threat around the tackle area or the set piece, he’s accurate and calm, which he may need to be down at Sixways. 

Warriors on the other hand will probably stick with the vastly experienced ex London Irish and England international scrum half Paul Hodgson who’ll relish being behind a pack that, for once, may have some dominance.  

Owen Williams needs game time and to build his confidence.  He made a better fist of things against the youngsters from Ospreys but he still stands too deep for my liking and there was really no reason to against Oapreys.  It’s a bit like watching George Ford.  Flashes of brilliance, nice touches from the boot but a seeming unwillingness to really threaten the gain line with ball in hand. 

If he continues in this vein it will play into the hands of another Argentinian international Mieres late of Exeter, UASP and Stade Francais. 

Bags of Heineken Cup, Top 14 and Premiership experience here too and I expect that he’ll be preferred, given his sometimes erratic boot, to Aussie Paul Warwick ex of Connacht and Munster and also vastly experienced in the Pro 12., Top 14 and European completion and who can cover fly-half and full back. 

Pohe was impressive against Ospreys and earned a not undeserved comparison with the young Manu Tuilagi.  He certainly busts the ball up but needs to curb his enthusiasm to go on too far and remember he’ll have support runners who, with his gain line breaking abilities, he’ll be putting into holes. But most a impressive senior debut and how good to have a centre who straightens the attack in spite of less than sparkling service from his fly-half. 

My West Midlands friends keep telling me about this kid Max Stelling who was rocking it up for Jersey last term with three tries from ten appearances and then in the Amlin Cup with Warriors when he scored five tries, even though he was only on the field for 62 minutes when coming on from the bench in the three fixtures.  Ex Tiger Andy Symons is back from Tasman and also contesting the inside centre spot and my guess is the two of them will be in the Warriors’ squad come Friday. 

George Catchpole is another Tiger who’s been with Nottingham and was dragooned into the crisis hit centres for Tigers.  Not as spectacular as Pohe but solid, got over the gain line and ran tirelessly in support but this week he could well be opposite John Clarke. 

The ex Saints centre has always been something of a favourite of mine and Saints’ problems in the centre following his departure have taken some time to resolve.  Injury and newer shinier players have curtailed his appearances for his new club but if he starts again against Tigers you can be sure that he’ll be like a Mulberry Harbour and it’ll all be happening around him as the bridgehead he produces in opposition defences can be devastating. 

I do hope that Miles Benjamin gets another start and shows his old employers what they’re missing.  He looks to be getting back to fitness after his cruelly long injury lay off and he’ll surely be assured of a warm welcome from the Warriors’ supporters as one of their favourite “sons”. 

Benjamin was partnered by Tigers’ own Yankee Doodle dandy; Blaine Scully, last week however he’s likely to be in Georgia with the American Eagles next weekend so I wonder whether it’ll be a returnee, a first teamer or maybe young Henry Purdy, who replaced Scully last week for a vignette, also after returning from time with Nottingham.  I hope it’s Purdy. 

If Purdy gets the nod then he could be eyeballing the tough Josh Drauniniu.  The twenty-eight year old Fijian will certainly give the young Tiger a work out in defence but the fleet footed Tigers’ youngster, who gives the experienced Fijian a nine year start in the age stakes, could be a rocket propelled surprise in attack. 

Ex Bedford wing James Stephenson had a dream try scoring debut  down in Cardiff but I wonder if Ryan might be tempted to let David Lemi or one of his other more experienced wingers such as another Fijian; Fatiaki, loose. 

The last line of defence in Cardiff for Warriors was twenty year old ex Rotherham player Ben Howard but if Ryan is going for belt an braces to establish Warriors at the top of their LV= pool then maybe he’ll bring in a more experienced full back.  Chris Pennell may be too big a risk but Paul Warwick could be there and peppering Scotty Hamilton out of the Worcester sky. 

Hamilton will run the ball back all evening but his effectiveness will depend on the degree of understanding the Tigers’ scratch back line has formed in such short a time. 

I guess it depends how much Dean Ryan sees the LV= Cup as his only likely salvation in a season that looks to have got away from him as far as the Premiership is concerned. 

The Tigers will be as spirited as they were last Friday but I think the experience of the side that Ryan is likely to put out may just be too much for them.

Worcester v Tigers LV Match Preview

Discussion started by TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk , 11/11/2013 22:28

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11/11/2013 22:28

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:11:18:21:37:47 by Tiggs.

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Stopsy
12/11/2013 08:47

Many thanks Chris, so a copy of the phone directory down the shorts to mitigate against the spanking?

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S4llyC
12/11/2013 11:09

Ooo-er, missus!! Steady on there , Mike!!

Yes, I too fear it might be a bit much for our youngsters on Friday, but I'd love them to prove me wrong. Wuss having home advantage and (probably) fielding a more experienced side may just be too much. But I'm always hopeful.

A pity it's not being televised though, as it might have been an interesting watch - of course if said spanking were to materialise, it wouldn't be quite such a good watch. Ever the optimist, though, me....

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Rich W
13/11/2013 14:36

Thanks Chris - another good piece - and indicative of just how hard it is to divine the intentions of DOR's of two clubs.

I suspect that you are right again - Ryan will be keen to build some confidence by backing up one win with another - and will see this as his chance.

...

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odd-shaped vagaries
13/11/2013 18:22

... but the long term benefits will be ours

Thanks for penning this despite it only being a stiffs game. Respect!

'Lions led by donkeys' .. Lest we forget

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West Brom Warrior
13/11/2013 20:27

Excellent preview.

Warriors currently have a sickness bug in the camp so selection likely to be affected by that apparently Howard threw up in a video session yesterday. Leo the Argentinean player is with them this week but Galarza is back who is a second row and we finally have James Percival available who is set to start for the first game this season.

Should be an interesting match.

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Tiggs
18/11/2013 21:37

Many thanks Chris, I'm sure that you get better every time !!

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