By Chris Chaplin
December 3 2003

This could well sum up the feelings amongst the long suffering Tigers faithful as their beloved team confronts another Heineken European Cup competition.
Mind you the supporters of Stade Francais are probably not feeling as optimistic as in years past in spite of their standing as current French Champions.

I confess to not being a keen student of the French club scene other than knowing that it did not produce the Rugby World Cup Champions, there is no wage cap, USAP have been acquiring players as if a world wide shortage were about to be visited upon us and the French clubs are just getting into action after waiting for the end of the Australian festivities or perhaps lack of them in their case, their national side having trailed in a poor fourth.

I suppose arguably Stade in their pomp were best seen when John Connolly was at the helm and who is now weaving some kind of magic down at the Recreation Ground turning relegation escapees into run away premiership leaders in short order.

Tigers and Stade have much in common in that they both have high profile coaches, are big clubs, have an abundance of stars amongst their playing staff and need to produce results in the HEC.

While Tigers lost seven players to World Cup action Stade lost fourteen – yes fourteen!

Of those two have hung up their boots whether in anger, frustration, disappointment or perhaps just old age, who knows. The two retirees, Fabrien Galthie, one of the finest scrum-halfs that I’ve seen when at his imperious best and the quicksilver but flawed Christophe Dominici are both probably now bouncing little rosy cheeked enfants on their arthritic knees and telling of their deeds of valour and derring-do.

Big losses? Of course but who are these Legionnaires that we see coming through the Saharan Desert dust?

I know that figure – it’s Augustin Pichot the bane of so many during his time with Bristol. Spikey, fleet footed little pest that he is he’ll need watching and who’s that on his shoulder? It’s enfant terrible Juan Hernandez who arrives from Argentina to cover not only the splendid David Skrela but also the little general himself, Diego Dominguez. Reckoned to be one of the finest young prospects around Hernandez was plagued by a persistent injury other than for which he may well have been a Tiger or man of Glaws by now but instead he’s at Stade.

Now that’s strange this dust is giving me double vision – no It’s OK it’s the Bergamasco brothers. Mauro, rather like Falcon’s Epi Taione, is able to play flanker or on the wing with good effect while his younger brother Mirco is a superb defensive full back who can come into the line with devastating effect.

Awaiting the arrival of this clutch of new boys is South African born centre Brian Liebenberg just 23 and ex Grenoble he’s been playing second fiddle to Damien Traille in the national side but expect to see more of this robust youngster in the next Six Nations. Likely to be joined by the superb Frank Comba who scored against Wasps in the Zurich Championship (of championships presumably) the Stade centres look and should get the requisite service from their talented half-backs.

But will the Stade scrum get enough good ball to allow the talent behind them to prosper. Well I confess I don’t know but with the likes of the strong running, ball carrying David Auradou at lock and Sylvain Marconnet at prop with Peter DeVilliers perhaps joining them the front five looks powerful.

Aside from the aforementioned Mauro Bergamasco in the back row the experienced Patrick Tabacco should also be in attendance, maybe at #8.

So talent dotted all around this Stade Francais side and that’s without mentioning the likes of Gregory Mahe, Stephane Glas, Artur Gomez, the South African born James Carroll and Canadian international lock Mike James, who’s been capped almost 50 times for his country and played for the French Baa-Baas, winger Thomas Lombard and so on. The Stade squad has quality throughout and yet they come into this fixture on a five match losing streak – sound familiar?

Now the French won’t be enjoying the English Rugby World Cup feel-good factor but they will be itching to prove something not to mention exact revenge for their defeat in their own backyard in one of Tigers’ Golden Years, 2001.

Tigers for their part could, injuries sustained against Bath permitting, be back to almost full strength with only Geordan Murphy missing from our own international coterie.

I was as disappointed as I can remember at Tigers lame defeat to Bath last Saturday. Expectations were high, the Boys Were Back In Town (a wave or even a lap around the famous old ground from the eleven members of the World Cup squad present would have been nice though) A superb Tigers of old first ten minutes and then – nothing, back into their shell and a stumbling, hesitant performance and we limped to another uninspired defeat.

I had thought that the team would be carried along by the wave of goodwill and euphoria, they certainly can’t complain at the volume of the support at Welford Road, I can’t remember such noise at the old ground for a long time but as the latest tragedy unfolded we became more muted and in the end there were no Happy Shiny People, unless you were a Bath supporter of course. I hate the losing but what I almost hate more is having to exhibit the demeanour of a gracious loser at the sympathetic and well meant good wishes from our opponents when all I want to say is leave me alone with my grief!

I’ve written about the rich vein of quality players that runs through the Stade Francais squad but then look at Tigers. World Cup winners, internationals from far and wide enough British Lions to start a game reserve and yet and yet, well failure, and pity from our opposition at a side laid low.

OK enough of this, let’s accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative and let’s sort the whole thing out – good lyric for a song that.

Pack. Julian White had a good debut against Bath and should have had at least two penalties from his opposite number who he turned inside out all afternoon. Jim Richards chose the big occasion to let us have his first display of wayward throwing and as Dorian has eschewed the pipe and slippers until the end of the season I hope that he’ll start in Paris. Front row of White, West and Rowntree and if Rowntree’s not fit we’ll have to put up with a British Lion instead and in some ways with DeVilliers being something of a Nemesis for Rowntree that may not be an entirely bad thing.

Second row? Easy peasy. The best lock pairing in the civilised world, Jonno and Ben Kay. To be fair they both looked a bit jaded on Saturday, another week will make all the difference.

Back row. Enough messing about Deano for goodness sake. Backy at open side, Moody at blindside (but if he’s injured yet again, Balding) and Corry at #8, who on his day can be world class in this position. Let’s hope that Deano is not off on some flight of fancy and selects his pack in their best positions. If we are complete then I can’t see the Stade eight besting Tigers. Oh and finally can we please stop throwing endlessly to the back of the line. Go for the bankers.

The only danger I see is the mobility of the French pack which contains some strong ball carriers so this will need to be stifled. Backy will know how!

Now the big conversation (where have I heard that before?) what about the backs?

Well frankly unless Healey finally starts at #9 and is given a brief to do the unexpected we’ll lose. Sorry but we will.

Tigers’ backs just must find their confidence. With Healey at #9 Pichot will be kept honest and the Stade defence will all be keeping their eye on Healey, at present opposition defences know precisely what our attacking backs will do at every turn and drift across so that the attack never straightens.

Healey’s quick brain, quick feet and quick hands will cause problems on their own but they’ll also give Pez the room to play the kind of inspired attacking game that I’ve seen him play for Rotherham and for Italy.

For heavens sake Deano let them play, don’t shackle them, let them play, let them express themselves, let them smile again, let us smile again.

If Gibson does not spend the whole afternoon taking the ball standing still with it’s arrival only a nanosecond before that of the opposition centre then we’ll see him at his best and this will set free Ollie Smith and that’s what this supremely talented youngster needs for him to lift his head. Healey, Pez and Smith can all make things happen given fast ball and Gibson will support them and make the holes.

On the wings? Well not Fred. I like the Samoan Excocet. He makes me smile. But he is clearly not fully fit and looks unhappy and his tackling and ball handling is showing this depression. Holtby is a good strong youngster but if they are fit Booth and Baxter would give the sometimes frail French defence something to think about.

Full back? Well not Oz. He plays well there as he does anywhere but way back in the boondocks the opposition can largely forget about him. Sam Vesty has all the attributes and we shall not be able to just rely on Jaco when he arrives in case of injury. Let the lad start.

Now of course I am sensible enough to know that Deano will probably do few if any of the things that I’ve suggested which I’m sure would lead to a winning combination.

He must know though that a win in Paris would be a great fillip for the team and it’s supporters and if we don’t get out of the pool stages surely his days will be numbered.

The trouble is he’s strong minded and stubborn. Blessings and curses in equal measure but what I do know is that if he doesn’t let the backs play with Healey at #9 the catalyst we’ll lose, so be prepared for more disappointment come tea time on Saturday.