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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 17/12/2013 22:06 by Tiggs.

Cut out the defensive lapses and batter them up front. Get the crowd on Montpellier's backs early on

Thanks Chris, rattle them early on and hopefully they will retreat into preserving themselves for the following week mode.

Thanks Chris, we do miss Allen.

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Tigers’ defence was as porous as a politician’s promises.

Tigers defence was not good but think you are being a little harsh.

The nearest politicians should get to Welford Road is the building next door to the rec.

Thanks Chris - verry good.

But I really can't agree on Crane/Waldrom - not because Thomas did not play well when introduced but you argue that we need him to give us more attacking options. The one thing we were not short of on Sunday it seemed to me was attacking options - defensive organisation, communication, common sense, the patience and clarity of thought and the skill in execution to finish of the chances those options created maybe but more options? Surely not.

I felt if anything the introduction of Tank simply poured petrol on a raging inferno when control was required and where Crane, in his more prosaic style, had had a good game and was at least partly involved in trying to hold things in shape around the break-down - something to which the man fomr the city of Lower Hutt is hardly given to, with his more 'roaming' style.

If our intent is simply to give it a lash in the 'we're going to score one more than you' style then I might agree but your contention appears to be that control, defensive organisation and committment are at a premium after Sunday.

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Many thanks, as ever, Chris. I just hope we can play tight this weekend, and that our set piece brings its rewards, rather than some of that champagne-style flinging the ball around we saw last Sunday.

And like others, I just hope we can assert ourselves early on and push them into a damage-limitation mode, with one eye on the following bout with Toulon. Time to play sensible rugby - no mavericks required. And I hope somebody is making that point very forcefully to Lamby, should he make an appearance.....

Well Rich I don't think we'll agree on the Crane/Waldrom issue as I see the Waldrom style as being better able of utilising the axiom "attack is the best means of defence".

Of the four tries Tigers conceded two were conceded when Crane was at #8 and the other two after Waldrom came on.

The first by Gorgodze came from the poor (to say the very least) defence around the breakdown where Crane should have been in control and Gorgodze should never have been able to canter off as he did. So the consequences of the poor defence of the tackle area could be argued to have been worse with Crane in post than when Waldrom took over.

As for attacking options I think that Waldrom's lack of predictability is very valuable and brings in more players rather better than does Crane's style.

But as I say we have never really agreed on the merits and demerits of these two and that's unlikely to change much now I'd have thought.

So as we have before over the past dozen or so years we'll have to agree to disagree!

Thanks,Chris.
I am inclined to think Montpellier will give this game a good crack as it is at home. With the Toulon fixture being an away one and the current lamentable away track records for most Top 14 sides, Montpellier might seek to be party poopers on our attempts to progress to the QF's!

Either way, it should be a great weekend and fixture!

We are not wide apart Chris - I admire both Waldrom and Crane equally but acknowledge neither is perfect. The selecting of one over the other inevitably brings compromiise - as needs must the selection of all but Reed, Parisse or Picamoles.

In this case I feel that despite the truth of your point that there was a failure by Crane - and others - around the finges for Gorgodze's try that was only one incident in a game where the break-down was insufficiently policed by several individuals throughout. For me a good part of that was that Gibson, Tom Yonngs and Kitchener were all too often elsewhere leaving Salvi, Deacon and Crane with too much to do. That in one case it lead to a try by virtue of further failings to cover back by all but Bowden does not reveal the whole of the issue.

I still rather feelif we wish to play with the additional control that upi espouse that Crane is the more likely to assist in that. If we are willing to compromise attempting to exercise that control in pursuit of all out attack then I would certainly select Thomas.

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That in one case it lead to a try by virtue of further failings to cover back by all but Bowden does not reveal the whole of the issue.

Which brings me to the other burning topic for me - defensive organisation.

With Allen (worryingly) looking to be absent for a good while yet who IS defensive captain? We badly need somebody. Who has the brain power to do the job do you think?

Amen to that! I wonder if some now are starting to appreciate Antony's value?

The problem is we have no-one in the midfield with that intellectual rigour - Floody excluded but he's surely to busy for yet another role - in Niki and Dan we have two creative souls, goverened by instinct and verve and they certainly added to our attack last week but against the attacking intent and ability of our oponents I am not sure that such is not altogether too risky an approach.

A little cement is required but from where?

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Normally it would be Matt Smith.

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Indeed but when's he back and will he be preferred to Goneva or Bowden?

And when Manu returns? If he is not reunited quickly with AA?

I think we may need to revisit our approach to management of teh defensive syatem and have a number involved - I'd like to see the blind-side flanker (whoever that may be) taking a role among others.

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Thanks Chris.

Finally people beginning to realise how good AA is, you do not realise how much he brings to the side (especially defensively) until he is not there.

DB, VG & MB are a great threat in attack but have weaknesses in defence. Matt Smith if fit would be my choice at 13 to bolster the defence with VG & MB on the wings with AT on bench as cover.

.. or you could just repeat our cavalier, nerve-jangling style? .. but over there I think it might just come up short, even expensively, for I think Les Frogs will be hurting and want to slay the beast on their own altar .. Toulon will be for another day and, as said, their squad is deep enough for both

Thanks again, Chris, especially for reminding me of Strictly

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'Lions led by donkeys' .. Lest we forget