By Chris Chaplin
September 12 2003

A new league season which we start as we finished the last playing London Irish at Welford Road. Twice last season the Irish went away from playing Tigers with big grins on the faces surely they’ll not get the treble - will they?
I suppose I, like many others, always look forward to meetings with the London Irish supporters, although it did become somewhat tiresome to have to keep putting on a brave face last season after witnessing two of the poorest of Tigers performances in a season of poor performances.

The showing at The Madstad was shockingly bad from both sides and the Welford Road gig at least saw the Irish having a go while Tigers were at a low point.

What made Tigers’ losses to Irish so galling was that Irish last season were a side without invention or ambition most of the time but what they did have in spades was the passion which seemed to desert Tigers as the league season proper meandered to it‘s close, fortunately something rekindled Tigers’ fire in time for them to qualify for Europe - phew!

Still that was last year and it’s time to look forward. Irish have seen a fair few departures in the close season with the estimable try scoring Mike Worsley off to Quins while his partner in crime Simon Halford is now up at Headingly. Two big losses and perhaps limiting Conor O’Shea’s options when considering the orchestration of the famous front row roundabout that was such a feature of last season. The experienced, but barely used whilst at Irish, Hentie Martens, is now at Bath to aid their scrum halves . Cockle and Kirke have also gone with Delaney now at Narbonne and Ross Broadfoot with us at Tigers.

But the most significant departure will without doubt be that of Brendan Venter who was the architect of the revival in fortunes for Irish in 2001/2 and their survival in 2002/3. My view always was and is that Venter was a mixed blessing for Irish. Of course he was their inspiration, guru and often enforcer and under his leadership Irish became a far more pragmatic outfit than hitherto but I often wondered if this pragmatism went rather too far and that as a result the inherent flair of the players was stifled.

So considering the departure of what must be surely considered stalwarts there have been few notable arrivals at The MadStad that of seventeen time capped Canadian international Phil Murphy from USAP probably being the most eye catching.

What is impressive is still the longevity of a number of the squad and it is also notable that in the tough fixture in Ulster, which Irish won 33-26, they gave Academy hopefuls Delon Armitage (ex Nice) and Nils Mordt their chance with young Armitage having already got himself on the score sheet with a debut try against Narbonne. So like Tigers a good mix of experience and youth available to coach O‘Shea, although in his case perhaps by design rather than destiny.

By all accounts the Irish pack had a bit of a torrid time against the Ulstermen in spite of what I would have thought was their strongest front three of Hateley, Drotske and Rob Hardwick being on parade. With over 300 first team appearances between them these three are no mugs and a triumvirate which will engage our front row. I expect to see this same combination at Welford Road but they will surely miss the dynamism of Worsley in the loose, who scored nine tries for Irish, so I expect to see plenty of grunt and rumble.

Against Ulster that fine ex-Sarrie (there do seem a lot of them about don’t there) Kieron Roche was partnered by youngster Nick Kennedy in the second row but if fit surely the superb and inspirational Ryan Strudwick will feature with that angular, awkward handful Bob Casey who arrived from Leinster in 2002. This mix will prove a real challenge for any second row and not least those depleted by the demands of the World Cup, for which the London Irish seem to have had special note from above to be excused games.

In the back row against Ulster Anglo/Irish U19 and A international Declan Danaher started while galloping Chris Sheasby and relative new boy Micheal Haslett, who was poacher turned gamekeeper on the night having joined Irish from Ulster, joined to form the trio.

Great servant though Sheasby has been it’s hard to imagine Murphy languishing on the bench for too long and he’ll be on sooner rather than later. It has to be said that Sheasby, for all his propensity to get himself isolated as he canters in from the full back position like a stubble faced Champion The Wonder-horse, epitomises all that’s so admirable and not a little endearing about the team and it’s commitment. Gustard is to be in evidence against Tigers though with Dawson at #7 and Murphy/Sheasby surely sharing the honours at #8.

This will be a forceful and highly mobile combination, Murphy will be very dangerous from the base of the scrum as a ball carrier par excellence. It is just possible that they may not be quite so effective on the ground though, we shall see.

With Henie Mertens gone Darren Edwards remains first choice scrum-half with academy player Kevin Barrett on the bench in support against Ulster and scoring against Connacht. I don’t think it unfair to say that Edwards is a journeyman albeit an accomplished one who is not flashy but does his job well. Outside him it appears that latterly Mark Mapletoft is preferred to the less inventive Barry Everitt who started in the first two of the Exiles‘ pre-season friendlies. Those who were at Welford Road at the end of last season would have seen “Tofty” give something of a fly-half master-class when he had a superb afternoon not noticeably putting a foot wrong. Let’s hope that that performance has been well scrutinised up in Leicester for if he gets to produce a repeat there could be trouble.

South African educated Nils Mordt, joined with Matthew Cannon in the centre against Ulster and he’s preferred to new signing Greenstock against Daryl Gibson and whomsoever partners him, Geoff Appleford joins the youngster to try and punch their way through the Tigers’ midfield. Greenstock is, to my mind, a vastly under rated player and given regular starts alongside the excellent, combative and clever Scots born Appleford (although his one international cap was for England) this could be a great combination for the Exiles so unless he’s injured it’s something of a surprise not to see the ex Quin not even on the bench.

On the wings youngster Delon Armitage makes way for Paul Sackey to join up with 25 time capped Irish international Justin Bishop. Paul Sackey scored against Connacht and is certainly a major danger when going forward, although he is another player who let’s the adrenalin get to him at times and runs himself out of support, turning over good attacking ball as a consequence. I have seen him look suspect in defence when turned but doubtless a busy pre-season will have attended to any shortcomings thereabouts. Justin Bishop doesn’t always look hungry for work to me but when he’s in the mood he can be devastating, with the ability to pick up good running lines in support and 200 first team appearances and almost 50 tries for his club really says it all he’s already opened his account against Narbonne and aided and abetted a try against Connacht.

Full back? Our very own Michael Horak. Hard to fault this player, steady in defence, dynamic in attack with a wonderful eye for a line and pace to spare. With Bishop and Sackey he completes a good back three.

They’ll be fired up and ready to rock ‘n’ roll after a good pre-season of wins against Connacht and Ulster only being undone in Narbonne and with the prospect of three on the bounce over Tigers can they do it. More importantly will Tigers let them?

Well now we know who’s off to the World Cup and who’s not it’s possible to think options. I know that we are supposed to know the team selected sooner these days rather than just prior to kick-off but as I write this no news is available so it’s a bit of crystal ball gazing here too.

Assuming Rowntree is ready a front row of Rowntree/Chuter and Morris could be enough to overwhelm Irish and I have no great worries here but the achilles heel to my mind could be in the second row where the dramatically improved Louis Deacon will probably be partnered by Hamilton or Ryder. Good young players that they are they could find the Strudwick/Casey combination too much for them in the line out so the moral I guess is to the keep the ball alive. Back row? Well Josh of course, probably with Balding and Will Johnson but perhaps Dan Lyle will make his debut which would help the line out with his playing a Corryesque role. They’ll need to be on their metal though with ball carriers such as Irish will have on parade and this could also be a difficult area from set pieces as well as their having to keep Mapletoft subdued.

Behind the scrum Oz is back and it’ll be interesting to see not only if he plays but where he plays. Ellis has had a good pre-season so will Oz perhaps be at 10? In any event I hope he plays so that he can be welcomed back by the Welford Road faithful and remind us all what he can do. In the light of recent surprising events will Pez get a first run out? If Stimmo is still injured we might need young Ramiro’s kicking.

Daryl Gibson at centre with Ollie Smith is a mouth-watering prospect but the back three is a conundrum. With Fred and Stimmo injured already perhaps a couple of the new lads will get a start with Boothy.

But really who knows what the combination will be. Will the impressive Holtby and Skinner start or feature? Both showed plenty of verve last season when things were tough so maybe. Perhaps even the two ghost players that we saw in the pre-seasons will appear or even our new signing(s), the last of which has still to be announced as I complete this for my Wednesday deadline!

So the result? Well I actually feel strangely optimistic about our back play. Strange only because it’s what let us down last year and doubts remain about Stimmo’s long term future at Tigers, although surely in the circumstances he‘ll now stay until the end of the season as tragically we’ll probably not see much, if anything, of Geordan this season, so Tim is under no threat for his place if he‘s fit and playing well. Let’s just hope that last year’s situation where we had 29 different back line combinations in 35 first team starts is not repeated!

There is no getting away from the fact that when seven are missing from the pack it is going to be tricky but and aside from what may be some lack of strength in depth in the Irish front row the rest of their pack looks very handy.

If we, as I think we can, secure possession from the forwards of sufficient quantity and quality then I see a win for the first home game of the season.