By ChrisC
February 18 2014

Inscrutable. I’m told Hong Kong has outwardly changed little since I had a business there, of course instead of American and British servicemen on the streets of Hong Kong island it’s now Chinese military, but in essence it’s still a vibrant money making machine but now for the PRC.

 I used to travel to the colony every three months or so, my resident General Manager being responsible for the day to day running of the operation. 

Then, and I suspect now, it was essential to have a Chinese partner if things were to run smoothly. Our partner had an interest in a factory out by the border with the PRC and usually we’d fly there by helicopter, the flimsy aircraft collecting us by the harbour side on Hong Kong Island and whisking us to our destination. 

One foggy day (there are a good few of those in Hong Kong) the aircraft was grounded so we decided to instead drive out through the New Territories. 

The nearer we got to the border the greyer and grimmer the towns became, presenting a stark contrast to the bedizened central area of Hong Kong where I stayed during my visits.  As we entered yet another grimy town my colleague asked if I’d like some food. I looked out of the car window and in spite of the unpromising view said that I was ready for a “comfort break” and some refreshment. 

After leaving the car, with its overworked climate control, we were enveloped in the misty humidity and within seconds our shirts were wet rags clinging to us, our spectacles’ fogged. 

Walking just a few hundred yards we halted outside a green painted door let into a wall plastered with revolutionary posters.   

On opening the door we walked into the most perfect recreation of an Irish pub with draught Guinness on tap.  It was akin to passing through a time portal.  The Irish landlord poured us two pints, passed the Guardian and Daily Telegraph for us to read while we waited for him to produce the most delicious meat and potato pie I can remember.  It was surreal. 

It seems that wherever I travelled in the World there was an Irish pub to be found and the welcome was always warm but rarely as gratefully received as that day in China. 

When I travelled to Reading for an away match between Tigers and London Irish the welcome from the home fans was generous and made up for the echoingly vast stadium, an air raid siren (??), the drums and problems with parking. 

It may well be that travelling to Reading to watch top flight rugby could be consigned to history as one of the anachronisms of the professional era of our sport with the consortium of financiers, led by Mick Crossan, supremo of skip company Powerday, that now owns 52% of the Exiles, sounding as if, given the chance, they’d welcome the opportunity to extricate themselves from the long term agreement that locks them in to a future at the Madejski until the 2025/6 season. 

What is more certain it seems is that there’ll be an increasing Irish flavour at the club which has already sought to redress the balance of first Brendan Venter’s introduction of a whole tribe of South African players and, under subsequent management regimes, the arrival of a contingent of South Sea Islanders.

Somewhat ironically the first high profile signing to be unveiled after the announcement of the new majority shareholders was not of a player that hails from the Emerald Isle but of former World Cup winning Springbok prop C J van der Linde who made his starting debut for his new club against Scarlets in the LV= Cup at the beginning of the month. 

 The veteran tight head helped his new team to a 29-10 victory during his twenty-one minute pipe opener which came to a premature end when the calf injury, which accompanied him from the Rainbow Nation as some unwelcome baggage, reappeared.  

It remains to be seen how much game time the South African manages before his contract is completed at the end of the season. 

Come Sunday though there will probably be more players with Irish connections on duty for the home side than in seasons past when at one time just Bob Casey and Brian Blaney flew the Irish flag. 

After a stunning victory at Allianz Park, where they overturned Saracens, Brian Smith’s charges travelled to another soccer stadium at High Wycombe to take on London Wasps and in spite of Tomas O’Leary attracting a Red Card from referee Wigglesworth for treading on the head of James Haskell just ten minutes into the second half, they still squeezed out a second consecutive away win, this time by three points thanks to a late drop goal from Shane Geraghty which saw them swop places with Gloucester who moved down to tenth spot while the Exiles managed to end the weekend two points better off in ninth. 

Relieved to be back at Welford Road Tigers entertained the troubled Cherry and Whites securing another close run scruffy victory that keeps them equal on points with fourth placed Quins.  

There was a time in the not too distant past when the London Irish pack were regularly shunted around like so many coal wagons but no more is that universally the case, it having developed a mean streak as it grunts and grumbles its way about the pitch. 

With the Tigers’ pack ever grumpy as they eye up their opposite numbers this week’s set-to will not be a walk in the park for the Tigers’ eight although it is fair to point out that London Irish’s recent prosperity has been against a depleted Saracens’ pack and that of Wasps has not, for some time, been minatory, but for all that there’s more steel running through London Irish these days. 

Tigers, predictably, subjected the Gloucester pack to another humbling peristaltic experience and I did muse that if a flanker erred as often and consistently as did Puafisi last Sunday there would have been a yellow card brandished but as it was Mr Richards just seemed to see the infringements as a minor inconvenience as he and his colleagues busily ticked their assessment sheet – imagine the panic that must have beset them with the match in its closing stages and no tick in the box for feeding the scrum! But to their credit they’d eventually done the crooked line out throw when I thought it was another law consigned to compulsory redundancy after entreaties from the Gloucester hookers. 

With Mulipola scrummaging like a demon he must have wondered why Flood picked on him for admonition when the Samoan prop had contributed so much and the Tigers’ captain so little.  In any event Mulipola looks certain to start next Sunday along with Hawkins and Ayerza to present what I see as being too much of a challenge for the likely Irish trio, which I think may see Welsh international John Yapp preferred to Scot; and ex Nottingham, Saracens and Reivers’  loose-head Matt Parr as Yapp’s experience could be needed. 

At hooker ex Tiger; Jimmy Stevens has been getting some starts but here again the experience of veteran club stalwart and England international David Paice could be useful while I have a feeling   heavyweight Tongan Halavatau may be preferred to Irish international Hagen as his extra weight and stature may be seen as advantageous when facing Ayerza.  It’s hard to see anything but advantage Tigers when it comes to scrum time. 

Tigers’ line out was not its usual smooth self against Gloucester but unless he’s injured I’d like to see Kitchener keep his starting spot and again paired with Slater even though the partnership will need to be much more effective on Hawkins’ throw than they were on that of Youngs if they are to best the probable duo of the splendid ex Tiger George Skivington, who’s playing some great stuff while wearing the captain’s armband.  He has another experienced partner available in the considerable shape of Nic Rouse who started his Premiership career with London Irish back in September 2008 against Tigers who prevailed by just two points at Welford Road. 

Something of a speciality for the hosts is their rolling maul, a tactic which these days seems to inevitably end in a penalty or a try, other than in Tigers’ case where the set up is too often  ponderous and easily contested, who’d have thought it.  I hope there’s going to be plenty of practice on this play at Oval Park this week as Tigers will need to be better, much better, if Irish aren’t to find themselves with a WMD. 

Salvi did his utmost at the breakdown but could not overcome a Gloucester side that flopped over the ball, sealed off and generally, with Mr Richards’ casting a blind eye over proceedings, successfully slowing down Tigers’ attacking ball, a problem exacerbated by Ben Youngs waving his arms about and moaning to Richards’ largely deaf ears instead of getting on with it.  London Irish are fearsome around the contact area where I expect to see the same trio that dismantled Wasps retain their places. 

The dynamic Kiwi Blair Cowan, ex of Cornish Pirates and Worcester, is not required by Scotland, for whom he’s qualified via his mother, and so I expect to see him in a tussle with Salvi in a battle of the antipodeans in which I’d guess Australia will come out on top.  

Jamie Gibson will probably make his return to his alma mater to show Brian Smith how much he’s learned at Tigers and which sees him selected ahead of Mafi who’s reported to be sufficiently lacking match fitness as to exclude even a spot on the bench. Odd! 

Another Scot; twenty-three year old Kieran Lowe, seems to be currently in charge of the Exiles’ #6 shirt ahead of Canadian international Jeb Sinclair who can play on either flank and at lock so provides a valuable line out presence and with Ofisa Treviranus providing the go forward, much as does Halaufia but without the Tongan’s proclivity to attract the attention of match officials. The Samoan already racking up a couple of yellow cards this term to bring his total to fourteen in his Premiership career. 

Neither Crane or Waldrom could cope with the lack of decent ball from their half backs or the snail’s pace possession at the breakdown, usually taking the ball while stationary and with the aggression and pace of the Exiles’ back row a repeat at Reading will be punished. 

The hosts have also rather perfected the pick and drive so again defensive fortitude will be needed from Tigers at what is likely to be a randomly managed breakdown. 

Now I’m all in favour of supporting players through dips in form but really how much longer can Ben Youngs be selected in the starting line up?  I sat and watched him on Sunday and asked myself “what is this shadow of his former self bringing to the team?”  Shockingly I couldn’t answer my question positively.  He’s struggling so mightily and trying so hard it’s painful to watch and selecting him to start is bordering on cruelty whereas cameos from the bench are more likely to generate positive outcomes and hasten the rehabilitation of the Tigers’ star. Mele should start, he brings pace, accuracy and stability and Tigers need all three. 

Meanwhile for the hosts with O’Leary on the naughty step and unlikely to be available it’ll be a choice between Welshman Darren Allinson and Aussie Pat Phibbs, yet another ex Tiger.  Both are returning from injury but with Allinson further into his return I think he’ll start.  Allinson is now twenty-six and hasn’t actually prospered as much as I thought he would when he stepped out from the shadow of Hodgson.  He’s a decent sort but the home side will miss O’Leary who’s often at the heart of their attack. 

I’ve already commented on the first of Tigers’ half backs and I could do a cut and paste for Toby Flood with the added comment that arguing with players and generally acting like a twerp when playing like a drain yourself does not a good captain make. 

 Here, in the half backs, lay the nub of Tigers’ problems, Flood looking increasingly semi-detached, making bad decisions and off kilter from the tee.  Support runners made themselves available but were mainly ignored as Flood either prevaricated or plunged into contact. Significantly when the half backs briefly fizzed Tigers produced a try.  Time for reputations and past achievements to be disregarded and the here and now to take precedence with Owen Williams, who’s Tigers’ future, to start alongside Mele to forge a partnership until the erstwhile England half backs actually earn their shirts again after making suitably propitiatory efforts from the bench. 

I expect that the stylish Geraghty will again relinquish the #10 shirt to Ian Humphreys who’ll prosper against the Tigers’ current half back pairing if the Exiles’ back row gets up a head of steam.  The downside is that Humphreys, like George Ford, demands a reorganisation of his side’s defence and any turnover ball against them can cause the panic button to be pressed and defensive shape lost. 

Unlike Richard Cockerill Brian Smith has largely had a stable and reliable centre pairing in Fergus Mulchrone and Eamonn Sheridan. These are two big lads who know each other from their Rotherham days, they punch holes the size of the Channel Tunnel in attack and are defensive bulwarks.  However for me Geraghty brings that bit of subtlety to proceedings but if Sheridan’s recovered from injury and as Guy Armitage is injured I expect it’ll be the status quo regained. 

Tigers for their part should issue Tony Allen with a big broom from the amount of mess he’s trying to sweep up from his half backs, trying to first rescue and then straighten attacks and bring some structure while otherwise seeing missed passes whizz outside him either hitting the ground (broom for Mr Allen!) or with the receiving player soon trotting into touch. 

Matt Smith at outside centre is crazy as there’s an international centre out on the wing in the considerable form of Nikki Goneva who should immediately fill the Tigers’ #13 shirt.  He’s Tigers’ most potent strike runner and it’s a sin for him to be wasting his time on the wing waiting for the ball to make an appearance.  Against London Irish he could cause mayhem through the 12/13 channel while with Allen organising him he’ll be up to stopping the opposition centres in a defence which has regained its cohesion. 

Out wide I expect to see the evergreen Topsy Ojo who made his Premiership debut against Tigers in this very fixture in January 2006.  I was there that day when Tigers won by just three points. He’s still lethal in broken play and will welcome any of Tigers’ speciality, the overlong kick. 

On the other wing Brian Smith can choose between yet another ex Tiger (there are seven of them in the squad) Alex Lewington, who’s already scored seven tries in his debut season. Veteran Samoan international Sailosi Tagicakibau who, even in his ninth season at Reading, still causes a tightening of the sphincter when he gets the ball or ex Falcons and Scarlets’ winger Andrew Fenby who’s also crossed the whitewash seven times in his own debut season and is currently top try scorer in the Amlin Cup.  Oh and that assumes Quins bound Marland Yarde is still injured or just can’t get selected! 

My guess is that Fenby will get the start but whoever it is will be a real defensive challenge for Tigers. 

For me Tigers’ wide men have to be the classy Blaine Scully, who after his vignette against Gloucester should be in Goneva’s spot while the Fijian game changer moves to outside centre with Thompstone on the other flank.  Both try to straighten the attack but don’t need to receive long passes with suicide notes attached to them while they tip toe along the touch line.  In Allen, Goneva, Thompstone and Scully Tigers have the ability to change the point of attack – Cockerill needs to harness that ability if Tigers are to move toward future attacking raiment of quality rather than the drugget of late. 

The final defence for the home side will again fall to James O’Connor who’s also off to France for some Euros but looks to have more focus on his current task than fellow emigree Flood.  Sheer class is O’Connor and another who’ll be hoping for some “come and get me” kicks from Tigers. 

Edging his way back into form is Matt Tait who was much better against Gloucester and showed what focus can bring. He’s extraordinarily calm and collected under the high ball and defensively solid.  

When I looked at the fixture list back in the Autumn I thought that this match would be one for Tigers to target and I’m sure it still is but unless the incumbents at half back have a Damascene moment this week at Oval Park or a new combination starts with Youngs and Flood on the bench while Salvi leads from the front on the pitch then I fear this will be a third win on the bounce for the resurgent Exiles.