Tigers v Ospreys LV Cup Match Preview
By ChrisC
November 5 2013
It Seemed A Good Idea.......at the time to the marketing boys at LV= to sponsor the Anglo-Welsh Cup! As it’s turned out this latest incarnation of a rugby knock out cup hasn’t, in England anyway, been a beloved competition in the way the much lamented knock out cup was and which ended with the then Leeds Tykes carrying off the trophy during on 16th April 2005 as they prevailed over Bath by twenty points to twelve, Chris Bell (now of Wasps) scoring the only and decisive try at Twickenham.
It’s final sponsor was Powergen, the last in a list of benefactors stretching back to 1971 when John Player started the ball rolling and after seventeen seasons, by which time sport sponsorship by tobacco companies was verboten, were followed by; Pilkington (1988 – 1997), Tetley’s Beer (1997-2000) and finally Powergen, who took over sponsorship from 2000.
It was a real knock out cup that enabled clubs from league three (and below)to dream the impossible dream of a visit to Welford Road, Kingsholm, The Stoop, Franklins Gardens or any other of the citadels of the sport. It was devoid of arcane pools of teams that infested the competition that followed in various guises, which were essentially designed to accommodate the Welsh regions whose participation initially caused a schism with the Celtic League (that sounds oddly familiar somehow!)
Since LV took over sponsorship of the Anglo Welsh competition from its original sponsor; EDF, it has reportedly become the most lucrative of all the competitions as far as the participating clubs are concerned.
Now for me the company LV in its previous form, the not so groovy Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society, forever conjures up an image of the “insurance man” at our front door in his belted gabardine raincoat, his trouser legs gathered into clips to protect against the chain of his bicycle, the “sit up and beg” conveyance that leant against the lamppost outside our house. He arrived every Friday evening in all weathers to collect the premiums for the myriad “penny policies” that prudent housewives paid into against the unexpected death of a family member in order that the funeral expenses could be met without consigning the bereaved to a life of penury.
Remarkably when my mother died I found a little cache of these policies, all paid up to date almost half a century later but their surrender value sadly was insufficient for me to live in the style to which I’d like to have become accustomed. In fact it was close run thing whether the cost of the requisite copies of her death certificate was greater than the ensuing benefits.
I digress.
Money aside the incentive for the participating clubs from England has been that securing the LV= trophy also opens the way into the Heineken Cup without any other demand of qualification. However with the new Rugby Champions Cup sounding as if the winner of the Anglo-Welsh will no longer enjoy such benefit and with the LV sponsorship deal nearing its end I wonder what is the future of this largely unloved competition.
Already the participants struggle to attract respectable crowds for the pool stages due in part to many English supporters seeing the competition as an irrelevance and the clubs, depending on their prospects elsewhere, the need to rest players, injuries and absences on international duty, field teams of wildly varying strengths.
Tigers start their participation (I can’t bring myself to write “campaign”) against Ospreys this Friday evening at Welford Road.
It feels as if it’s writ that at some point every season Tigers have to play Ospreys. In fact since season 2005/6 there has only been one season (2011/12) that the two clubs haven’t met in some competition or another which, since Ospreys have only existed since the 2003/4 season, is quite remarkable.
Last weekend the Tigers’ senior team (or an approximation thereof) fumbled their way to a losing bonus point with the real damage being done to their prospects by Mr Wigglesworth again getting his management of the breakdown awry by giving Julian Salvi a Yellow Card when he was perfectly entitled to pilfer the ball having released the tackled player. The ten minutes that Tigers were down to fourteen players proved pivotal yielding seventeen unanswered points.
It was a poor match in poor conditions with Quins spending much of the match off side and doing so with impunity. Mr Wigglesworth wagged his little hands at Nick Easter who looked contrite as his charges committed offence after offence but of course carried on regardless. Tigers meanwhile had their first notable indiscretion punished with a Yellow Card even though it was nothing of the kind – if only Mr Wigglesworth would study the laws.
Tigers were haphazard, the forwards produced plenty of ball and the backs ran their training ground patterns while Quins waited patiently for the ritual to conclude before the ball was ushered slowly to the outside backs who were guided into touch.
Mele buzzed around, Williams looked startled, Bowden did the best he could and Hepetema sometimes got over the gain line. Quins were offside, flopped over the ball at the breakdown and went backwards at scrum time. Tackles were missed and when Hopper burst through the Tigers’ defensive construction had disappeared.
It was left again for the Tigers’ pack to capitalise on yet another demolition of Quins’ scrum (no Yellow Card for constant infringing by Quins here either even though the penalties rained as hard as the East Midlands’ skies) to get a valuable losing bonus point and sixth place in the Premiership table. Poor but better than the eleventh spot they occupied at the end of the last World Cup and from which lowly position they still ended up second, a solitary point adrift of Quins at the top. So all’s not lost.
Ospreys, also denuded of their international players, including their handful of British Lions, travelled to Thomond Park and came out on the wrong side of a 12 points to 6 score line which enabled Munster to reside atop the Pro 12 in solitary splendour.
Once more match officials had an unacceptably disproportionate influence on the outcome of matches and never more so than at Twickenham when the dullest England side I’ve seen for many a year scored a try whose genus was Mike Brown catching an Australian penalty kick with his foot in touch. The touch judge missed the infringement and I was left to wonder if he wasn’t watching the catcher’s feet what was he watching? There was then another example of an increasingly worrying trend for match officials to decide which laws need enforcing and which do not.
Mr Clancy decided that Hartley’s obstruction of Moore, who was on his way to tackle Farrell, didn’t matter as, in his opinion, it wasn’t material. Referees have now decided that packs under pressure and who stand up must be retreating “enough” to warrant sanction. Scrum half put ins to the scrum and hookers to the line out must be crooked “enough” to attract their attention.
Should this be extended to knock ons, as they are rarely material. How about accidental offside? How about all the laws? It’s why the game is becoming so unwatchable – anarchy is rarely attractive but especially so when the enforcers of the law are in its vanguard and the law makers occupy themselves with their own petty agendas of self interest.
I’m past anger. I’m past disappointment. I’m past disillusionment. I’m grievously offended.
Whither the beloved sport that I’ve played, watched and written about for over half a century, whither the nacreous luminance that has brightened the darkness of so many winters? Whither rugby?
This Friday Ospreys will again be on their travels, this time to Welford Road and it remains to be seen where on the list of priorities the LV= Cup finds itself. Ospreys, in spite of their recent loss, are still close to the top of the Pro 12 league, just three points behind the leaders and a point fewer behind second placed Glasgow. The Pro 12 standings for once have relevance as meritocracy threatens to break out in qualification for European competition.
Things have not gone swimmingly in the valedictory Heineken Cup for Ospreys without a win or even losing bonus points as they prop up Pool One with back to back fixtures against Castres looming.
Until the teams for this week’s fixture are announced it’s difficult to judge the attitude of the clubs to the competition or to form a view on the likely team selections.
I expect that given the injury list and absentees on international duty Richard Cockerill will select from the development squad while adding players returning from injury and those otherwise in search of game time ahead of the two Premiership matches against London Irish and Gloucester, which take place prior to the back to back Heineken Cup fixtures against Montpellier.
Ospreys meanwhile could well field a side not dissimilar to that which took to the Thomond Park turf last weekend with many of the participants having Pro12, Heineken Cup, international and Anglo Welsh Cup appearances on their cvs. It would be a largely young team for sure but guided by new signing from Zebre, 11 time capped Italian international scrum half, twenty-nine year old Tito Tebaldi.
Welsh international centre Andrew Bishop, who has a dozen or more full caps to his credit, will bring experience and solidity to the Ospreys centre where Tigers are likely to be stretched for players and with twenty-six year old Jonathan Spratt, late of London Irish and also with international credentials, this looks an area where the visitors could have some ascendency.
Richard Fussell, ex Newport Dragon, is also very experienced and at twenty-eight brings maturity and experience to Ospreys’ last line of defence.
I think that Tigers will go for the experienced scrummager Boris Stankovitch with the largely unutilised Fraser Balmain to support young Thacker and here at least Tigers should get an edge and with Ian Evans and Wyn-Jones missing twenty-two time capped James King could be on parade with Lloyd Peers for the visitors. Tigers have deChaves waiting in the wings and with Parling due back after the international period I’d not be at all surprised to see the likes of Deacon or Slater engaged in an attempt to cement some further advantage in the set piece.
Steve Mafi needs game time after his absence through injury and so I expect him to be on the blind-side with Noone brought in from the chilly wastes of the A team league and Jamie Gibson given a chance to shine at open side.
Ospreys will be without Tipuric which will make the task of the more experienced Tigers’ flankers that bit simpler so all in all I can see the Tigers’ forwards having a distinct edge.
Behind the pack is where Tigers’ look obliged to go for inexperience.
Although with Scott Steele reported as being injured it seems that Sam Harrison could have the task of containing the wily Tebaldi while with little left in the cupboard when it comes to fly halves Owen Williams may get an encore in the competition that first brought him to our attention. It’ll be yet another half back combination and with a player from the development squad likely to be at inside centre adding to the unfamiliarity I can see a bit of a struggle against Matthew Morgan and the very experienced Andrew Bishop.
International Jonathan Spratt could be on parade and who knows who’ll be in the outside centre spot for Tigers, especially as Matt Smith didn’t last long when making his comeback last Saturday.
I hope I’m wrong but the Tigers’ midfield could again be as impotent as it has been in the latter stages of the last few matches in the Premiership. If Matt Smith, who needs game time, is recovered it’ll help but it looks a tough one.
In the back three Ospreys have the distinctly nippy Ben John but I suspect it’ll be South African born, but USA qualified, youngster Hanno Dirksen partnering Fijian international Aisa Natoga and likely facing the still rusty Miles Benjamin with Henry Purdy from the development set up on the other wing.
Richard Fussell is the probable occupant of the Ospreys’ #15 shirt and I expect that Scott Hamilton, just back from injury, will be back in his best position at full back for Tigers.
I think that Tigers will get enough possession to win this home fixture but it will very much depend on how yet another new combination of backs solidifies around Owen Williams.
And of course I could be entirely wrong on the likely team selections but they look a good idea at the moment.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:11:11:22:35:58 by Tiggs.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013:11:05:20:29:45 by Stopsy.
Tigers playing Barking ...
Where would Saints be without that Cup run in, was it, 1991 when they were second division and beat us in the quarter finals?
Birmingham-Solihul Bees beating Wasps.
People go on about "safety" with amateurs v pros but Doncaster in Div3 are pro these days and Prem sides loan players to Div 3 all the time. It's a nonsense excuse.
Call me a young fogey if you like but it's naked greed, i think this is probably the only issue I agree with Jeff bloody Probyn, no romance, no history.
Yeah the Challenge Cup and FA Cup struggle for crowds early doors and you'd be lucky to get 10k for a cup game, 3k at most clubs, but where's the romance? Where is the PR to show that we aren't what the Irish want to paint us as spivs and speculators?
Don't get me wrong I'll go on Friday, I loved winning it twice and want us to win it again but I really think I'd prefer to win a knock out cup. You can't beat the buzz of knock out game.
Couldn't agree more on the merits of the format - what a nonsensical and unloved shambles.
Like Stuart I'll go (though the mem has other plans) but how much do I wish for a proper cup competition? And as he said - a chance to demonstrate that we still cherish the romance of the sport wasted.
Quote:if only Mr Wigglesworth would study the laws.
Oh you are a card!
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