Tigers v Clermont Preview
By ChrisC
December 12 2011
Syrup of Figs Childhood Saturdays, like all the other days of the week, were largely a matter of routine and ritual. Saturdays though were different in that it was the day of the week that I spent time with my father.
As was the norm then my father worked on Saturday mornings but was home from London’s docklands, via the 103 bus, in time for a lunch of home-made meat pie and two veg., (each day had its set meal, only the Sunday Roast varied between; beef, lamb, pork or gammon, strange to think of it now but chicken was a “luxury” food and eaten only on high days and holidays)
After lunch (although then it was called dinner) during the Winter months Dad and I would set off to watch The Gunners play at Highbury, where amazingly all of us kids would be passed over the heads of the serried ranks of cloth capped supporters to the front of the crowd, the better to see our heroes, and even more amazingly we always found our respective fathers after the final whistle.
When Arsenal played away we’d go to watch the latest Western or War film at the local Odeon. It was an incredibly special time of the week spending time just with my Dad.
The routine changed little with the seasons other than for cricket replacing soccer in the summer but there was one ritual that was unchanging no matter what the season – Saturday evening bath time.
Once my father had left to spend the evening with his cronies at Haringey dog track my mother ceremonially moved the tin bath to the kitchen, it was filled with hot water, boiled on the coal fired range, and ablutions were visited upon my scruffy head. There followed the other, and even more unwelcome, part of the ritual; the administering of a generous helping of Syrup of Figs down my unwilling throat. This obnoxious concoction was designed to keep me “regular” which on Sunday mornings it did with dramatic effect but at least constipation was never an issue!
Watching Tigers play last Sunday I was reminded of the efficacy of Syrup of Figs when witnessing the extreme constipation of the Tigers’ back division and how a large metaphorical dose was needed.
The Tigers’ pack systematically dismantled the Clermont eight at scrum time and although a clearly reluctant Alain Rolland seemed to be waiting for some divine intervention to enable him not to penalise the home side the evidence of transgression became so clear that even he could not ignore it.
I see no reason why the same medicine should not be dispensed by Tigers next Saturday although once again the line out was erratic, which was not helped by Mr Rolland sadly suffering from Esotropia, which can be the only reason he failed to sanction Benjamin Kayser for his crooked throwing.
It was though at the breakdown that it didn’t take Maigret to spot the larceny being perpetrated by the Clermont forwards, who repeatedly went off their feet, failed to roll away and indeed committed every indiscretion in the book to slow down the Tigers’ ball. Ordinarily I would say it’s up to Tigers to play them at the same game, they are after all expert at it, however when a referee is as inconsistent as Mr Rolland was in equally applying the laws to both teams that riposte becomes problematical and so while Clermont benefitted from speedy ball that coming back from Tigers was snail like. It is to be hoped that Mr Owens applies whatever version of the laws he adopts consistently to both teams next Saturday.
I must confess to having been surprised to see Thomas Waldrom on the bench due, it was reported, to an ankle problem. Why, if injured was he on the bench? At any moment an injury could have forced him onto the field of play so, not inconceivably, he could have been in combat after 79 minutes. His go forward was sadly missed both from the ruck, maul and scrum where the excellent Steve Mafi is nothing like the force that Waldrom is in those circumstances. Mafi is wonderfully agile in broken play, defends beautifully and is a powerful line out presence but doesn’t present the same threat as Waldrom at the breakdown.
Without Waldrom Ben Youngs looked all at sea as the link between the #8 and the scrum half is so crucial to his play and so he was indecisive and tried to carry the ball too much. He looked and was rattled.
Waldrom came on later and looked fine and so it is to be hoped that he is selected next Saturday to get some momentum from the breakdown in particular.
Morgan Parra is a supremely talented rugby player but his soccer like histrionics when Chuter made a tackle that was marginally high but certainly not of the clothes line variety, was frankly nauseating and of course Mr Rolland needed no persuasion to brandish a Yellow Card rather than wagging a finger as is customary on occasions such as this. High tackles from Clermont were though repeatedly ignored by the Irish referee and his cohorts.
Youngs service to Toby Flood was, as a consequence of the slow ball presented to him and the lack of dynamic support, as imprecise as it was sluggardly, whereas Parra cantered around like an entrant at Longchamps.
In the circumstances Flood’s attacking play with ball in hand was outstanding but once again his kicking was not and it is pointless for the Tigers’ coaches to ignore the issue and continue to bank on his bringing home the points from the kicking tee as was the case this time last year when, upon his return from injury and before departing for the Six Nations, during which time his kicking technique was destroyed, he was a massive points generator. In those three appearances he scored 57 points with his boot alone.
Flood’s defensive work remained good but, like Youngs without Waldrom, without a credible inside centre he too often felt the need to retain the ball or just ship it out to whoever had appeared outside him which seemed to be a kind of ad hoc arrangement. It was all as predictable as the Post Office being busy at Christmas, although for some reason it always seems to take them by surprise.
The England fly-half has fine attacking instincts as does his half back partner but without a professional in the other half of the creative engine room at inside centre Tigers are destined to more constipation in attack and, with the excellent Fofana opposing, precise defence is no less important.
Fofana looked good on Sunday (although he seemed to be in front of Brock James when he kicked the grubber onto which Fofana latched for his second try) but he was coming into the attack at speed on fast ball and had no difficulty in coping with Manu Tuilagi, who too often took the ball whilst stationary.
It is, in my view, no coincidence that two of Flood’s best performances since last season came in the victories over Gloucester at Kingsholm and Saints at Welford Road. Both performances attracted plaudits from far and wide. So what’s changed? Twelvetrees that’s what!!
In both those bravura performances Flood had Waldrom and Youngs inside him and Twelvetrees outside.
It is surely bordering on the absurd to play one of the most highly rated of international outside centres at inside centre while an international A inside centre languishes on the bench. I correct myself there’s no bordering about it. It is absurd.
Twelvetrees played very well in the #12 shirt in two benchmark victories and yet he’s dropped from his specialist position in favour of a makeshift. Twelvetrees has a prodigious boot and yet in spite of Flood’s travails in this department the weapon is not used. Twelvetrees is very strong defensively and his accuracy would better deal with Fofana than Manu’s somewhat esoteric defensive technique.
It’s sheer stupidity for him not to start at #12 as it was for Waldrom not to start at #8 given the prevailing circumstances.
Manu Tuilagi again showed his defensive frailties when justifiably being given a Yellow Card for a straight arm tackle which was caused by him once again being positionally adrift. This, with the preposterous dismissal of Chuter by the enthusiastic Rolland, changed the course of the match.
Manu’s talent is in attack and never more so when entering the line at speed from deep when he runs some superb lines but if Tigers persist in deploying the backs in a flat line and he takes the ball at a standstill another attacking threat for Tigers is neutered. If the current strategy is maintained, even should he move back to outside centre, as he surely must, then his cutting edge will be dulled and he’ll be endlessly blitzed by Rougerie.
If Richard Cockerill can overcome his inherent stubborn mindset (and if being stubborn were a virtue he’d be in line for beatification) and play Twelvetrees inside Manu Tuilagi and prevail upon O’Connor to set the attack deeper, which is the antidote to the blitz, as it provides more opportunities to spot the dog legs that often occur if synchronisation is a microsecond out, then the Tigers backs will recover some dynamism and not contribute to making the Clermont backs look even better than they undoubtedly are.
An unsupported Alex Tuilagi made a horrible mistake under a high ball which gave Julien Malzieu a straightforward try, of even more concern though was how little the constipated Tigers’ centres were able to bring one of the most potent of strike weapons into the attack in positions that were remotely promising. Once again he was taking such passes as he received standing both flat and stationary, whereas the Clermont backs were presented with the ball at pace.
Agulla was similarly disenfranchised and if Cockerill is minded to do something as outrageous as playing players in their best positions in the centre I’d like to see him move Matt Smith to 14. He’s fast, strong and defensively sound.
I’m starting to feel quite sad watching Geordan Murphy struggling to get his aging body to do things his still young mind is asking of it. Time marches on; I used to run 5kms of practice every weekday morning and often a 10kms race at the weekend, was very fit and enjoyed some success. Age though catches up, injuries don’t heal and once I found I was no longer competitive I first reduced my racing to 5kms and then stopped racing altogether and just for pleasure. It’s what happens in sport. There’s no shame in it. It’s reality and it’s the management’s job to manage it.
Geordan being asked by Richard Cockerill to take a bench spot is as unlikely as Sarkozy acting in anybody’s interest other than that of the French (but God forbid Cameron should act in the interests of the British) and so I guess Welford Road’s favourite Irishman and adopted son will continue but make no mistake, his presence is hampering Tigers’ attacking potential.
As in the case of Twelvetrees incomprehensible absence, a real option to Geordan Murphy exists in the excellent Niall Morris or even by Agulla moving to his sometime international position. I have little doubt that these options will be ignored. It’s a shame. It’s a shame for Geordan, it’s a shame for Morris and it’s a shame for Tigers. It could also yet be a shame for Richard Cockerill for if Tigers don’t win at Welford Road on Saturday they will find further progress in the competition difficult.
Tigers can win. I think they’ll again prevail at the scrum and if Mr Owens permits an even handed contest at the breakdown, something Rolland manifestly failed to provide, faster ball will be generated. However all this will be for naught if Waldrom and Twelvetrees don’t start, the attack doesn’t stand deeper and thereby Cockerill fails to adminster the dose of Syrup of Figs that’s so desperately needed.
For a change here’s my starting XV:
15 – Morris (I know but this is my team)
14 – Smith
13 – Tuilagi M
12 – Twelvetrees
11 – Tuilagi A
10 – Flood
09 – Youngs
01 – Ayerza
02 – Chuter
03 – Castrogiovanni
04 – Deacon
05 – Skivington
06 – Croft
07 – Salvi
08 - Waldrom
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Great read as always Chris thank you.
If we all can see the problems and answers why are our coaches blind?
If you could spare Richard some time Chris Tigers could save some cash on New Zealand - England flights. Just a thought.
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As for being stubborn: Murphy at 15. Manu at 12., Persisting with Grindal when he had Harrison and (sometimes) Young available. Refusing to rotate Cole as a starter so that the best tighthead in the Northern Hempispher has been benched for five of the last seven games since he returned from the RWC and the "niggle" he sustained there. Putting Staunton in the matchday squads instead of Twelvetrees.
Last term benching Waldrom in favour of Crane for the big end of season matches and losing the services of the season's generally acclaimed standout player. Of those matches we lost the HEC quarter final against Leinster and the play off final against Saracens. Maybe there's no connection, maybe there is. In the same period we did though win three of the four matches where Waldrom was at #8 and drew the other home to Gloucester.
I accept he may not just be stubborn maybe there are other explanations for the otherwise inexplicable.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:12:13:09:13:37 by ChrisC.
Wasn't there a need to try something? We keep hearing of conservatism and limited thinking - but going into that game maybe the option to roll the dice was a good one. I'm not arguing that it waorked but that it was worth a try. It's not like Manu has never player at 12 before and the idea that he would get more ball to get us on the front foot against the big Clermont backs was a good one and allow the form back Matt Smith to remain in the position in which he has been so effective of late seems entirely reasonable.
Again - I'm not arguing that it worked out that way - though who knows what would have happen if the half-backs had performed.
On the Cole issue - as we have discussed, it seems to me that Cockers picks his props to fit their opponents; eg Cole has a history of being more effective against Tonga'uiha. I don'r see why the assumption is taht in the one area where Cockers surely understands what is going on we assume that he's just being contrary, stubborn and foolish when there is a perfectly reasonable, evidenced explanation?
And, I for one, completely disagreed on the prevailing view on the Waldrom/Crane issue that you describe from last season! I don't actually think Waldrom was as effective as many thought last year - he made yards but we were awful at the break-down due to having two loose forwards permanently out in the back-line. Crane is much more effective against big packs - like that of Sarries, Northampton and Leinster - he carries closer to the break-down, presents the ball better and has a clearer idea of how to use his support.
As I said - I didn't say he wasn't stubborn - just a damn sight more perceptive than he gets credit for. I wouldn't also argue that he hasn't made errors of judgement - wrt to Staunton and Grindall it is more obviously apparent - and I accept that his loyalty to Geordan is, perhaps starting to be a hinderance. But in his defence it seems to me that Geordan's decline has only become really apparent in the last month. But these are fine margins and in a lot of cases he's damned if he does and cursed if he doesn't.
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I think taking that as a template for playing Clermont and Fofana is perhaps a bit of a stretch and I just think that Cockers gets a thought in his head and pursues it regardless. I think Twelvetrees would have done a better specialist job against Fofana and with his 12 mindset have been better positionally in both attack and defence. Personally I think that too little credence is given to the specialist and pivotal nature of #12 (not by you but generally).
As I've said I think part of the problem that Flood had came from not having a specialist #12 in harness alongside him qv his perfromances aginst Saints and Gloucester in the preceding two weeks. So cause and effect really.
Again maybe you (and Cockers) are right on Cole but it's remarkable, to me at least, that Cole was seen as a better starting bet opposite; Cobilas., Perugini., Tom Court., and Tongauiha. I thought Cole looked in poor form immediately after the RWC and I don't think I was alone in that view but obviously Cockers differed.
On Crane it's perhaps surprising that if he is more effective against the bigger packs of Sarries and Leinster that in both matches Tigers were stuffed around the breakdown and lost Waldrom's go forward. I certainly can't agree that Crane is a superior footballer to Waldrom. Sure Crane is slower and more predictable than Waldrom and so his support gets to him better but it's his predictability that goes against him for me. If Waldrom runs out of support I'd look at the support players rather than him for the answer. It's the same with Grindal and Youngs; one will be slower and easier to support while the other requires his colleagues to think and work harder to support his unpredictability.
The accusation against Tigers' play is that it's too predictable, which it is, so Waldrom and Youngs are needed to make oppositions think, an activity in which their team mates need to join.
Finally on Geordan I thought his declining powers were evident ahead of his injury last season, maybe as early as the defeat at Wasps. For my money we have a perfect candidate in Geordan for our next backs coach. He's got the experience of many years at the top level, he's widely respected (not by Saints at the moment but that'll pass) and has one of the best rugby brains around where back play's concerned.
I think we have to play our best available players in their best positions - duh - which means 36 and Manu at centre, and sadly Morris at FB with Smurf or Bubbles on the bench.
Waldrom takes the ball through the gain line more often than not and provides a surprising number of running breaks. I think we need him behind the pack if fully fit.
We shall be there freezing our parts off on the terrace on Saturday and I will be considering this review throughout ! Thanks !
Quote:I think Twelvetrees would have done a better specialist job against Fofana and with his 12 mindset have been better positionally in both attack and defence. Personally I think that too little credence is given to the specialist and pivotal nature of #12 (not by you but generally)
I agree - but...trying to balance those players who have done well of late and not disrupt a fairly settle team whilst wanting to get Manu into the game as much as possible might lead a selector to look at that sort of option - and Manu was iirc usually a 12 in the dev teams.
Quote:As I've said I think part of the problem that Flood had came from not having a specialist #12 in harness alongside him qv his perfromances aginst Saints and Gloucester in the preceding two weeks. So cause and effect really.
Again - agreed - but not necessarily the conclusion. If the hope was that Manu would get us go forward from 12 then that should have freed Flood to play a bit like he did for England between last November and the end of the 2011 6N - with Hape and Tindall at centre directly feeding his back three. I think the problem - as you have noted - was more to do with the 8/9 axis.
I am certain - and increasingly so - that Cole does better against taller, higher binding loose-heads like Tiny and Tom Cort than Castro who prefers a more compact, lower opponent. I may be wrong - but again - I prefer the simpler solution to explain selection decisions.
We clearly do not quite see Crane and Waldrom the same - I don't mind Waldrom running away from his support - as you say that is a problem for his support men - but I do know that Crane gives us go forward and clear ruck ball that te 9 can more easily use. My prefernce is to see both of them in tandem when Waldrom can come on to the ball after Crane has tied in the opposition but that means either not having an open-side (anathema imo) or leaving out Croft. That we lost those two games was more down to the absence of a natural 7 (no offence to Newby) than anything else - well that and Flood having an off-day at Twickenham and some dubious defending (and refereeing) in Dublin.
Quote:The accusation against Tigers' play is that it's too predictable, which it is, so Waldrom and Youngs are needed to make oppositions think, an activity in which their team mates need to join.
Again - I wouldn't disagree in principle. But I don't see that the use of Waldrom at 8 makes us less so - nor do I see a hesitant Youngs as so doing. Again - our back-row seems most unpredictable wit both Tanks and Crane but if I had to chose one it would be Crane for the simple fact that he always gets us over the gainline. From there it is up to others to provide variation.
My point re Geordan is that I think the decline has only become so very apparent in recent weeks. Prior to that his genius and his brain were able to amke up the shortfall of his ageing frame. I do think that perhaps the time has, sadly come, for him to bow out.
Agreed on the prospect of him taking a coaching role.
Perhaps a new coaching set-up might be (in the mid- to long-term) Cockers with someone like Graham Henry as mentor, Geordan as backs coach and Cozzer as defence co-ordinator and Paul Burke in his kicking role?
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Quote:RichW
Perhaps a new coaching set-up might be (in the mid- to long-term) Cockers with someone like Graham Henry as mentor, Geordan as backs coach and Cozzer as defence co-ordinator and Paul Burke in his kicking role?
I think that would be good package
Quote:jamesroberts
Goodness Chris - I agree with every word . I'm not sure which of us has travelled the furthest but I think that our team might do well .
I think perhaps you have misunderstood my standpoint on Twelvetrees in particular James, or maybe I was insufficently clear. I think 12ts is very talented but as a 12 I prefer Tony Allen however given his first team and international exposure at inside centre (less convinced at 13 but he looks a classy 12), 12ts ability to swop with Flood as first receiver, his kicking ability, his defence and power it seems unarguable (to me at least) that he should be first choice 12 in Allen's absence and then be a bench fixture butgetting match time from that location notbeing left to moulder there.
As oft stated by me previously, so sorry to be boring, he also looks to have a skill set that could be developed for a role at full back.
Waldrom's mysterious absence last season after he found his Granny was one of the main reasons we failed at the business end of the season
The calamity twins Grindal and Staunton have happily not been seen since they screwed up against London Irish -I hope we never see them again
12Ts big boot is on the bench while Geordan fumbles -but unfortunately now is not the best time to try him out at full back as the new Stimmo.I'd prefer to see the very safe hands of Matt Smith at fullback at the moment with 12T at IC
There's also something not right in the state of Denmark -stories of Toby Flood's dinner party are well known.
Waldrom's discovery of his Granny just happened to coincide with Crane's return from injury - now I wonder which is the more likely explanation?
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He might have made the wrong decision, but not for that reason IMO.
Watch Geordan have a stormer now!
I don't think Geordan is doing much different than he has for a couple of years at least. Still a very safe full-back and an important distributor which we do not really have an alternative for at 15.
Quote:tbtb
I don't think Geordan is doing much different than he has for a couple of years at least.
Indeed he has been in a steady decline and his latest long injury lay off won't have helped - as I know to my cost sports injuries have a cumulative effect and Geordan has had two serious ones.
Quote:tbtb
Still a very safe full-back and an important distributor which we do not really have an alternative for at 15.
But that's exactly the point we do: Agulla has played in that position at internationals level. Morris can and has played there and done well and of course Scotty Hamilton played at 15 on 14 occasions last season, 18 the season before and 8 in his first season with the club.
I much prefer the Garryowen to being tackled behind all the forwards.
I suppose the point about Geordan might be that we need his leadership. There have been plenty of observations this season - valid imo - on the subject of our lacking leadership. Do we want to lose what Geordan brings in this sense?
I wonder.
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Quote:ttbb
Matt Smith can play anywhere in the backline. Since his cover tackling is excellent why should the idea of him at fullback be odd? I agree that Agulla , Hamilton and Morris have more first class experience there. I do think that long term it could be the perfect slot for 12Ts
Well MS has no great kicking game to speak of, no obvious broken field ability and no playmaking.
Scotty can cover 15 but doesn't offer much different from Geordan. From what I have seen I prefer Morris on the wing as a finisher. Ringo might be worth a punt but I would worry he is not as safe a pair of hands.
On the face of it 12Ts would seem to be a good fit but he only recently seems to have really gotten on top of 12 play at the necessary level, so I wouldn't be keen to move him again.
Quote:tbtb
And neither of them are as able a playmaker at 1st/2nd receiver.
I'll have to watch for Geordan's role in that position next week as I have to admit of late it's not one I've seen him fulfil. That notwithstanding the team did pretty well with Scotty at 15 so he was doing something right.
Quote:tbtb
I much prefer the Garryowen to being tackled behind all the forwards.
If I recall correctly he was top of the ball turned over stats last season before he was injured so maybe not such a good tactic?
Quote:RichW
Smith has played at 15 before - in fact I think he started there
I can find him having done so just once Rich back on 31st October 2008 in the PGC win at home over Sale.
Didn't Louis Deacon skipper the team pretty well and of course Newby will soon be back who did the job as well.
Quote:I can find him having done so just once Rich back on 31st October 2008 in the PGC win at home over Sale.
Didn't Louis Deacon skipper the team pretty well and of course Newby will soon be back who did the job as well.
He certainly came in as a fullie - played there a lot for the A team iirc. At one time it was between him and Johne to be next in line.
Yes Deacs would do as skip for me - but I didn't mean that - I meant more in terms of general leadership resources around the park.
We're talking about this week not sometime in Jan so no point in worrying about Newbz.
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Looking ahead to 2012 though I can see a leadership team of Deacs/Newby/Flood and Scotty being a good resource with Deacs as CEO and Newby as his deputy.
One of the twerps on the BBC just reported that there are "power outages" OUTAGES! OUTAGES! What the hell are OUTAGES?
Power CUTS are what we have in the UK not bl**dy OUTAGES!
See I told you you'd started me off.
I just had somebody aerating my lawns and when he'd finished he said "see you later" I replied why would he be seeing me later? He looked confused!
I would dearly have loved to have responded " a relative directional vector" to the question "what's up?"
Sorry to have to tell you Chris but Outages are the correct name for planned maintenance of power stations. Most stations have a least one planned outage every year, some older ones more. It have always been the term for this, nothing new.
Power cuts are unplanned breakdowns.
Try, ''Thanks for the warning'' as a response?
'Profit Motive' .. the Vaseline of genocides.
'Reality' .. the new cynicism
Quote:Tiggs
Outages are the correct name for planned maintenance of power stations.
Really? Never heard the term here only in the USA. But in any event the BBC used the term to describe power lines being brought down in Scotland by the high winds. So they were still wrong - unless of course that windbag Alex Salmond planned the whole thing!
But yes, they have been widely used in the UK for longer than I have been involved, and I am not all that young anymore.
Quote:Tiggs
and I am not all that young anymore.
Trying so hard to resist!
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Quote:Tiggs
But yes, they have been widely used in the UK for longer than I have been involved, and I am not all that young anymore.
It's the oddest thing that when I was 17 I knew everything and the older I get the less (seemingly) I know.
'Profit Motive' .. the Vaseline of genocides.
'Reality' .. the new cynicism
Quote:ka ora ka mate
It's an old adage, the more you learn the less you know - and I'm living proof
Homer Simpson had it right when he said something like "Every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain." The problem is we can't choose which stuff to keep and which stuff to forget.
Didn't think so.
I do remember the power CUTS though. Golden era the 1970s - not!
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:12:17:12:02:19 by gwjc12.
Awful 1st half by TF - very good come-back in the 2nd.
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