Jonny come soon

By Mike Hill
September 19 2002

Tigers return to fortress Welford Road this Saturday desperate to raise their performance levels to Championship winning levels. Two away defeats have put the team under enormous pressure to win this week or risk languishing at the wrong end of the table.

The fairly comfortable home win against a poor Hardlywins side is scarce comfort when you are double European Champions and the sights are set on a fifth consecutive league title. The visitors are the Newcastle Falcons who gave us two difficult games last season. The first game of last season of course they beat us at Kingston Park with a try in the closing minutes to shock the complacent treble winners 19-16.

In the return fixture at Welford Road another close game was settled by an excellent try by Freddie , the score was 20-12. All this points to another titanic battle with the battle of the kickers Stimpson v Wilko bound to be crucial. Jonny was unusually wayward at Welford Road last year I don't expect him to be so generous this time. The rumours of him signing for Tigers next season keep surfacing and I for one would like to see him in the Tigers number 10 shirt.

Leicester's current fly half the mercurial Austin Healey is not firing on all cylinders at present and still looks uncomfortable at times. The steady influence of Rod Kafer would be a welcome return to the side. I still believe we have the best side in the Premiership but the Autumn International period is going to hit us hard and we may be too far behind before we are back to full strength.

Gloucester on the other hand will retain most of their team during that period. Thank God for the new playoffs it may be our route to the title this year! The return of Geordan Murphy can't come soon enough but is still some months away. We lack the vision and ability to score a try out of nothing that he brings to the team. Lewis Moody is another player who is conspicuous by his absence we haven't won many restarts in the last three games. Let's hope he starts his season on Saturday.

The Falcons were the last side to win at Welford Road in a league match way back in December 97 and there would be a certain evil symmetry about them ending it. Don't let it happen boys if only to avoid the gut wrenching sight of a gloating Rob Andrew.
It's going to be tough but I think the lads can step up a gear in front of the home crowd and dispatch the Falcons 27 - 21.

I'd like to think everyone will give a warm welcome to any Falcons fans making the journey the majority of which I have found very friendly and have always treated us well at their ground.

See you at the home of the Double European Champions (I've got to make the most of it).