Tigers v London Irish Match Report
By JK
May 8 2011
There is very little I can say that will add to the words of Richard Cockerill in the post-match interview on the BBC, or already up on the message board but I will have a try!
Tigers put in one of the most annoying and irritating performances ever seen for the first seventy-odd minutes and one of the most breath-taking for the last ten which, in the final analysis, was just enough to win and secure their place at the top of the Premiership. Are you reading Vicarage Road? (Sorry, couldn’t resist that!)
Everything started by going to plan with the Irish scrum rocking leading to a Toby Flood penalty and we felt, in the back of the CAT stand, that we were on our way. The players clearly did too and it seemed like they switched at this point into exhibition/testimonial game mode. Back came Irish with a penalty of their own and then a gifted interception try, gratefully accepted by Topsy Ojo.
I was still confident at that point as I knew that any Tigers team with the mental strength instilled by the Richards, Johnsons, ABCs and Backs of former times would stiffen their resolve, eradicate the fancy-dan stuff and ultimately win the game. That’s the theory at least but too many times this season, it hasn’t worked out in practice. The Gloucester home game this season (or Saracens last) couldn’t happen again could it?
Tigers spent the next period of the game trying to make sure that it could and trying to over-complicate things. Whatever sport you play, we all know there are times when things just don’t go right so what do you do…? Get the basics going and the rest looks after itself. Build on this, settle the game down with some continuous phases, don’t try anything glamorous or fancy, look for a half break by Allen, Manu or Waldrom and get Irish playing on the back foot. This provides the foundation for the spectacular finishing by Alesana and Agulla. Class cricketing batsmen play themselves in before attempting the big money shots. Class cricket teams have solid opening partnerships and their middle order finishes it off.
Tigers did exactly the opposite with Toby Flood seeming to be at the centre of most of what was brainless flicking the ball out of the back of his hand and attempting over-elaborate breaks. To be fair, Ben Youngs was a willing accomplice. What have England done to these two? They played with the intelligence of a one-day cricket team who are well behind the run-rate and lose a wicket only for the next man to try to hit a six from the next ball. It rarely works and usually only provides temporary relief when it does. More often than not, deeper trouble ensues.
Summing up this period for Tigers was a three-quarter move leading to a certain try in the Crumbie/Santander corner but which was lost when Tom Croft tried to go round the Irish defence and head towards the posts, only to get pushed into touch in goal… the equivalent from cricket of getting your best, in-form player run out due to a calling mix-up.
Temporary relief came in the form of a well-worked Matt Smith try but the woes continued eight minutes into the second half with a second stupid interception try given away (which didn’t look like it would be the last) followed by a penalty. Tigers hit a six but lost another wicket.
This try/penalty boost led to Irish’s only real sustained period of attack when they realised that the win was on and you tell they were up for it. At 23-8 up with a quarter of the game to play, who could blame them really?
It was about now that the message got through and Tigers started to fire with a series of penalties and scrums in the CAT/Clubhouse corner, the first of which precipitated a disgraceful display of dissent by an Irish player kicking the ball away, not for the first time in the match. Inexplicably, the referee gave neither a yellow-card (the option favoured by the correspondent to my right in the CAT stand) nor an advance of ten yards (which I would have given) to give Tigers a touchline scrum. Equally inexplicably, Irish survived with no penalty try (or yellow card) despite repeated infringements and failed scrummages, possibly brought about by the introduction of Dan Cole for Castro. Harlequins fans watching must have wondered how and why they got punished so “harshly” against Tigers at The Stoop when Irish got away with so much. Consistency anyone? Slow hand-clap from the denizens of the CAT stand!
Irish cleared their lines somehow but the tone had been set and a subsequent barnstorming break from Manu really put the visitors on the back foot and the period of pressure resulted in a well-taken try for Horacio Agulla.
Tigers’ tails were up and, roared on by the capacity crowd, a burrowing try close to the posts from Anthony Allen put Leicester within one score of the lead, scenting blood. The score came from Tom Croft on the shoulder of Scott Hamilton. Opinions that the ball might have been passed forward earlier in the move were quickly shushed at the back of the CAT stand.
A conversion from Toby Flood would have been useful to put Tigers more than one penalty ahead but the slowness of his approach meant a charge down from Irish which thankfully didn’t prove costly but represented a fault which needs to be ironed out. Having missed a couple of earlier kicks, this was not a day to remember for Flood on an individual level.
Alesana Tuilagi’s last minute try gave a score line which flattered the home team and was the result of desperate last-second, caution to the wind attacking from the visitors clearly gutted at finding themselves behind having earlier led so handsomely.
Teams rarely come back from 23-8 down with twelve minutes left. It’s like needing eighteen off the last over in cricket – it can happen but almost never does. When it does, you celebrate but you also need to ask yourself why you were not in a better position before the last over and make sure that you don’t find yourself there again. We got out of jail yesterday at squeaky-bum time but you lose many more games than you win in that situation.
So there it is. The end of the regular season and Tigers on top for the third time in succession for which huge admiration, many congratulations and many thanks for all the entertainment provided and the pride instilled by being a Tigers supporter.
Scored more points and more tries than any other team. Top try scorer Alesana Tuilagi, ably supported by Scott Hamilton, Manu Tuilagi, Anthony Allen Tom Croft and Matt Smith high up in the lists. Most bonus point wins, most losing bonus points – when we win we win well, when we lose it’s not for want of trying and we go down fighting. And all this achieved despite losing a raft of players to international matches (a first England championship since 2003, thanks Tigers and Saints) and the inevitable injuries. (We also attracted 30,000 more supporters than any other club without even borrowing a London mega-stadium or playing in a double header).
It is therefore a farce that we are not champions, despite being the best team and club in the land over the season – we even won the ‘A’-League with an away semi- and final.
What do we need to do to put the icing on the cake?
Ditch the complacency. We are not going to thrash every team (or even any team) from now on. Saints and (hopefully) Saracens or Gloucester will be tight games. They have been throughout the season. There are no more bonus points to get. We have learned from the Gloucester and London Irish (nearly) games that you risk chucking it all away in the name of over-elaboration and wanting to rub the opposition’s noses in it. Same went for the Bath home game much earlier in the season when we nearly chucked it away. Make certain of the win before opening the champagne or even playing the champagne rugby. You don’t need to rub their noses in it, just pick up the trophy.
Cliché time: A win is a win from now on and every game is a must-win… literally.
Other teams refer to it as the “Tigers mentality” or the “killer instinct” and we need to sharpen it over the next few weeks. Interception tries nearly did for us in the last two home games and that needs to stop. The killer instinct comes from taking nothing for granted, respecting the opposition, performing the basics impeccably and letting the finishing touches look after themselves… not from assuming that the opposition are weak and moving straight to the icing on the cake. We did that in the last game of last season with one eye on the play-offs and nearly again yesterday. For anyone thinking ahead to playing in the world cup, there is still unfinished business back here.
I am encouraged by Richard Cockerill’s on-pitch team-talk and his post-match interview but in light of everything he said about the community and the pride of playing for the club, I am surprised that the team left the pitch without acknowledging the paid-up, loyal, record numbers of supporters, some of whom will be reaching for the blood pressure monitors after yesterday.
MoM: Nobody.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:05:15:20:12:48 by Stephen Bath.
Thanks.
...
(One query, how can we have the most try BPs and most losing BPs when Quins have 12 BPs like us?)
In terms of BPs, you're right. What I really meant was "more than Saracens" and it shows I must get rid of this Saracens fixation in my mind. My Dad and I were reflecting on whether the Fezheads will be upset that they won more games than us and lost/drew less but still came off worse.
Doubtless they will but we got a losing bonus every time we lost except at Saints on Day 1. They got a losing bonus twice from four losses.
Of our 16 wins, getting on for half were thrashings with four tries or more. They got four tries on only two occasions out of 18 wins which must be a cause for concern down there.
It's actually because they play negative, boring rugby with endless gamesmanship and we play attacking flair filled rugby which is why we scored nearly twice as many tries as them and over 100 points more.
Who'd have thought we'd be saying this if you looked at the respective teams ten years ago? Ironic really!
What I'm really saying is: "Is there any way Saracens could credibly claim that they deserve to be champions and are better than us?"
Answer: Nope!
As regards Quins, they lost too often to make their bonus points really count. We had 8 Try Bonuses and four Losing Bonuses. They had the reverse.
As to the play-offs, let's wait and see!
Completely agree with your NONE MotM. Nobody had a great 80.
-----------------------------------
Lest we forget
On the evidence that we're top of the league... again, we're better and over the season, it makes us the best club in the land... again.
It would have been so nice to have played us without all your internationals missing on England duty... oh, wait a minute!
Two try bonuses in 18 wins does not a great club make.
Really must have a look at our data and stats as I think we have dropped so many 21+ point leads this season that I never feel safe when we are up that far.
Intresting view on the scrums in the corner. I agree we were lucky to come out of that corner without conceeding but Sir kept giving resets and I think there were only a couple given as full pens however agree that a different ref would have given the stronger pack more benefit of the doubt and we would have got to cards quicker.
Have to say I was worried that as sir is fairly new that the "Crumbly's Influence" (What's the new name about!!) would mean he would favour you but not sure it worked that way in the end so glad it wasn't Mr Barnes.
Intresting you go back to the quins game as that was my thought at the time and when he had spoken to our pack I would have found a way to let you over but that was the point at which we got it back.
Good luck with the rest of the season (Although I know for many of you it doesn't matter any more!)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:05:09:06:47:38 by Jon_r43.
Quote:derbyshire fan
Are Sarries better than you? Well on the evidence of two games between us this season, yes! And on the evidence of winning more games than you in the regular season, yes!
As to the play-offs, let's wait and see!
Hi DF !
Well according to some the playoffs and the BP system are fakes, so by those measures you are correct. Bald figures say Saffers beat us home and away, and lost less often than we did. Saffers cudgel tactics has worked well so far.