Tigers v London Irish Preview

By ChrisC
October 31 2011

Strawberry or Peach? Until quite recently whenever I heard the words “Dale Farm” I always thought of yogurt. The brand a staple of grocery stores for a long time and they also own Loseley who, I recall from the time I was able to eat dairy products, made wonderful ice cream.

Now of course, for a while at least, “Dale Farm” has become synonymous with the site in Essex illegally occupied by travellers. I must say I get confused as to why travellers don’t want to travel as it’s not really what it says on the tin now is it?

I’ve had some experience with travellers which hasn’t been edifying. One involved a band of these folks arriving and setting up home on a friend’s land in Derbyshire. My friend, Andrew, was a gentle soul and went onto his land to ask these unwelcome visitors to leave but before he could voice his wishes he was chased off by two of the male travellers accompanied by two Lurchers. I was summoned to assist him and went with him to his land, happily at the time I owned two Dobermans and they came along, just for the ride of course. The travellers again appeared with their Lurchers but became more conciliatory when Prinz and Sastra (the Dobes) were produced from the back of my 4WD but while the travellers were more polite they were not for moving.

It took a court injunction, bailiffs and a reluctant detachment from the local police, wrested from their customary speed trapping on the A38, to evict the unwelcome and illegal visitors. Derbyshire County Council, recognising that this could be a Human Rights issue issue, subsequentially appointed a council official with the singular role of ensuring that the travellers were fully appraised of the rights and state benefits available to them. Andrew meantime was left to pick up a substantial legal bill and clean up his despoiled land.

On Saturday Welford Road will welcome a band of travellers from the Thames Valley but who, on past experience, are amongst the nicest of visitors to have arrive and they go home afterwards without the police being called.

I always found The Recreation Ground the most attractive of away venues but the bleak and echoing Madejski was ironically the most hospitable, due entirely to the home support doing their utmost to make visitors welcome and entertain them. The London Irish fans, resplendent in their costumes and wigs with drums beating and at one time an air raid siren, (what was that all about!?) certainly do their utmost to offset the austere surroundings. Last Saturday though that’s really where the entertaining began and ended. It was a turgid match for a neutral with the home side never threatening to score a try and relying on the boot of Tom Homer to get within a whisker of victory.

Their lineout was poor but, thanks in part at least to a high degree of latitude from a remarkably inconsistent David Rose, they held their own against the ever suspect Bath scrum and did well at the breakdown, Kennedy especially impressive. Their dominance though was also due, in no small part, to Bath not contesting opposition ball but instead forming an impenetrable defensive wall as they fanned out on the advantage line in best Leagueunion style, which as we know usually results in a Battle of the Somme scenario and it was largely thus, just General Haig needed to complete the tableau.

Defensively Irish were often too slow in realigning around the opposition breakdown and Bath took their opportunities by scoring two tries, one a marginal but ultimately stellar try from Dave Attwood, who got around the home defence which was often too narrow and if Sam Vesty had enjoyed a better afternoon with the boot, to add to his well taken try, the score line would have been more convincing for Bath.

The previous evening Tigers had trekked over to Edgeley Park and after a good first ten minutes got back on the bus for a bit of a nap until half time when driver Richard Cockerill, woke them from their slumbers with a bull horn and in the second half the Tigers’ pack wiped Sale off the park with a comprehensive mauling, earning a much needed bonus point win which saw them edge up the league by one place and finding themselves, remarkably, just six points off the top four. However Tigers can’t afford anymore slip ups along the way.

If, next Saturday, Toby Booth and Richard Cockerill field the same starting XVs as they did last week there’ll be just one Irishman on the pitch – and he’ll be playing for the Tigers!

The Tigers pack did a real demolition job on their opponents from Sale, repeatedly denying them ball at the line out and scrum and so I expect to see Ayerza and Chuter retain their starting spots, although Youngs was again very impressive when he came on later in the match. Martin Castrogiovanni must surely start in front of his adoring fans at Welford Road. He was just so fired up when he was called upon at Edgeley Park he’ll probably explode like an Italian firework in front of the home crowd on Guy Fawkes night. It was wonderful to see his passion for the club, his leonine head jutting and, after he scored his try, the clutching of the Tigers’ badge on his breast while he roared his defiance at the indignities wrought upon his beloved Tigers. He was like a Serengeti Lion back on his native savannah after confinement in the zoo of the World Cup.

I was also impressed by young Max Lahiff who, after a couple of seasons in an understudy role, has had a few starts this term. He looks to be another really good young English prop to watch although if he opposes Castrogiovanni next weekend it’ll look like a male grooming advert with their flowing locks clashing, perhaps hairnets should be de rigueur for the occasion and if all else fails a contract with “Head & Shoulders” must surely be waiting.

David Paice, sometime England hooker, had a nightmare at the lineout against Bath although his other work was executed with his usual efficiency before he gave way to James “Cabbage” Buckland, late of this parish.

Against Tigers it could be that another rising young star; prop Alex Corbisiero will join Paice and Lahiff to give the young guns at prop a shot at the heavyweights from the home team or maybe Clarke Dermody or Fran Rautenbach will reappear to give experience but anyway having barely held the notoriously fragile Bath front row the visitors could have a testing time.

I have already mentioned the Irish lineout as being created by Hammer movies but in the loose Nick Kennedy was superb and he made full use of Bath’s lack of commitment at the breakdown by initiating some highly effective counter-rucking. In the line out he was partnered by new arrival from the Hurricanes, twice an All Black; Bryn Evans and while the new boy didn’t get much of chance to display his set piece skills he was good in the loose and defended well.

Geoff Parling had seemingly spent some time at Bletchley Park so comprehensively did he decode the Sale line out and I wouldn’t bet against him doing the same against Toby Booth’s Enigma machine. Ably partnered by George Skivington both the Tigers’ locks had a good evening in Stockport with their mobility and defensive capabilities also to the fore. The issue for Cockerill is whether he wants to give Louis Deacon some match practice ahead of the Heineken Cup fixtures looming on the horizon and at the same time bring additional grunt to the scrum, especially if Bob Casey is fit again.

The London Irish back row is obviously missing the go forward that the departed Steffon Armitage brought to the table but the sprightly young Jamie Gibson gave a good account of himself in combination with the abrasive and experienced Declan Danaher with the dynamic Richard Thorpe completing the trio. Thorpe’s a player who’s always a real handful at the breakdown and in spite of perhaps not being at his best last Saturday, as the much trumpeted new arrival; Alex Gray, seems to missing I expect Thorpe to again start. The visiting back row may find the likely Tigers combination a bit more of a challenge than they did the “missing in action” Bath breakaways.

Tom Croft was running around like Bambi on speed at Edgeley Park partnered by Julian Salvi, who at last has provided Tigers with a genuine high class open side, and Thomas Waldrom, who still seems to be getting over his sojourn with England – an example if ever there was one of “be careful what you wish for” – are you sure your granny was English Thomas?

Tigers will have to better protect their ball at the breakdown on Saturday or the Irish breakaways will be all over them like a rash and the Tigers’ triumvirate must be sharp to spot any tardiness in the visitors’ alignment around the environs, which is where advantage could be found.

Behind the scrum London Irish had Welshman Darren Allinson deputising for the injured Paul Hodgson. Allinson was very much a deputy last season starting just once in the Premiership with thirteen appearances from the bench. I have said previously how much I liked Allinson’s unfussy, accurate style, hitherto so devoid of gamesmanship and the histrionics of which we see too much from scrum halves. I was therefore disappointed to see that he appears to have been got at by the scrum halves union and started waving his arms about, walking away from his station unbidden by the referee and delaying his put in to an already unsteady scrum, presumably, soccer like, trying to milk free kicks and penalties from the referee.

I hate this sort of behaviour by scrum halves it’s dangerous and largely pointless. I hate it when Ben Youngs does it I hate it when Danny Care does it, I hate it when any scrum half does it. Once the scrum half has been warned by the referee, as was Allinson on Saturday, and chosen to carry on with his antics regardless, I wish that referees would start sanctioning for delaying the put in but as they ignore feeding of the scrum I won’t hold my breath. In any event if he’s recovered I reckon Hodgson will be back against Tigers and he’s like a human semaphore.

Tigers, still missing Youngs and Young, saw Sam Harrison get another start and he did well behind a dominant scrum with a fast and accurate pass that looks to be superior to that of his more illustrious colleagues but he doesn’t present such a threat around the fringes as do they, however he’s a young man still learning his craft and he had a bit of a tutorial from Dwayne Peel, who made life awkward for him at times as did Claassens for Allinson at Reading.

James Grindal came on later for Tigers and played very well indeed and I wouldn’t be unhappy were he, on that form, to get the starting berth against London Irish, especially as the vastly experienced Hodgson is likely to be on duty for the visitors.

Dan Bowden, now playing at fly half, is such a good player, he has a wonderful eye for gaps, passes well off either hand and, with his kicking game also now much improved, the Kiwi is amongst the best fly halves in the Premiership in my view and a delight to watch.

It was good to see Toby Flood in Tigers’ colours (OK grey but you take the point) and seemingly having thrown off the miasma of England duty. He was accurate as ever and brought his colleagues onto some sumptuous lines in the second half against Sale, as well as running one himself for a lovely try. It’ll be interesting to see him opposing Bowden.

New arrival from Bath; Shontayne Hape; got his first start for his new employers and was, I’m bound to say, pretty anonymous, his major contribution being the conceding of a penalty in front of his own posts in the dying minutes of the match, which Vesty duly converted to steal the fixture but it’s early days for the erstwhile England centre so things may improve.

One of the best young prospects for the England outside centre berth has surely to be Jonathan Joseph who is now in his favoured position and it was a great pity when he went off injured after tackling Banahan as I wanted to see more of him. While it would better for Tigers if he stayed at home I’d welcome the chance to see Joseph again but if both he and Joe Ansboro, the Scottish international just arrived from Saints, aren’t fit, then I’d be tempted to try Delon Armitage in the 13 shirt which is a position I’ve always personally felt better suits his physicality than does a spot in the back three.

Tigers have yet another availability crisis, this time at centre with, at the last count, Tony Allen, Manu Tuilagi and Billy Twelvetrees all injured and of these it sounds as if only Twelvetrees is potentially back anytime soon.

Against Sale Matt Smith deputised in the unfamiliar #12 shirt and held the defensive line but in attack looked like a fish out of water. World Cup returnee Horacio Agulla was also playing in unfamiliar territory at outside centre but swapped with Alex Tuilagi on occasion in the second half. I would be inclined here to deploy Tuilagi in the #13 shirt to get some go forward and return to Agulla to the wing.

Tom Homer was on one flank for Irish against Bath with Topsy Ojo on the other.

Homer is pretty much a banker with his kicking these days, personally I thought he’d be showing a more complete game by now, he’s reliable rather than stunning. To my eye he looks more a full back than a winger.

Ojo, the interception expert, is one of those players that commands the attention of opposition defences just by being on the field although his own defensive qualities can sometimes look limited but it would be a brave coach that left him out of the line up just for the ever present attacking threat that he brings, drawing the opposition to him as bees to a honeypot and opening space for his colleagues.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Samoan flyer Sailosi Tagicakibau make his first start of the season at Welford Road. He scored four tries from his six starts in the Premiership last term proving, if proof were needed, his credentials as one of the best finishers in the Premiership.

Scott Hamilton was back on the wing against Sale which for me at least is his best position as he causes all sort of trouble at restarts. He still seems a little subdued but in fairness he saw so little ball at Stockport he may be thinking of going to an Employment Tribunal with an accusation of Constructive Dismissal.

Geordan Murphy was again caught dozing at the back, jogging in a desultory manner to collect an otherwise innocuous kick and nearly conceding another try in the process from this laissez faire style we’ve seen before. This time he was lucky as Brady didn’t manage to touch the ball but Bowden will be testing his alertness, of that you can be sure. In the first half the mercurial Welford Road favourite looked as if he were running through treacle and that his brain was writing cheques that his legs couldn’t cash but he brightened up after the break and he is now more demanding of the referee’s attention when things go against his team.

I do wonder what the succession planning is for when he hangs up his twinkling boots. Niall Morris is likely to be transitory, as is so often the case with signings from the Emerald Isle, Scott Hamilton looks uncomfortable back there and Matthew Tait looks as fragile as fine porcelalin – lovely to look at but flawed if it’s full of cracks and liable to fall apart if you touch it.

For me I think that once things have settled down (they will won’t they?) there is a good opportunity for Tigers’ “player without portfolio”; Billy Twelvetrees to be given an opportunity to understudy Murphy with regular appearances from the bench as a sort of sorcerer’s apprentice. The young man, who is certainly a talented rugby player, hasn’t thus far been able to make a position his own. The period he was at Fly half in extremis wasn’t especially wonderful but he was OK. At outside centre ditto and at inside centre, both again in extremis, ditto again.

I fear that unless a position is found where he can settle and make his mark we’ll lose him, which would be a shame. He has all the attributes for a top class full back; strong, quick, good hands when entering the line and a good kicking game from hand and the tee and we need a successor for Geordan Murphy. Come on Cockers give the lad a chance!

So it’s the next must win match for Tigers and it’s at Welford Road, so while the fortress has been well and truly breached I anticipate a win for the home side but that it’ll be pretty much ten man rugby that does it.

Either way the services of club sponsor; Caterpillar won’t be required to shift the visitors afterwards.

Tigers v London Irish Preview

Posted by: TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk (IP Logged)

Date: 31/10/2011 19:18

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:11:07:22:08:35 by Stephen Bath.