As I gradually woke, I realised there was no such memory, why because today was Saturday and the game not yet played, perhaps just perhaps today would be different!
Say what you like about the EDF Cup this is a big occasion, a semi final at the Millennium stadium and Wasps. It’s a times like this you realise just how big this Club is. Some supporters only very rarely experience these trips but time after time year after year following Tigers gives you the opportunity to enjoy the big stage. Snow or no snow we were going to enjoy the atmosphere. The atmosphere started to build as early as 9.30 – Strencham Services on the M5. The queue for the loos, coffee and morning papers was all green red and white. Cardiff is a cosmopolitan city, swelled by the influx of Tigers, Wasps and Sarries fans, the town centre was its usual bustling busy self an hour or so before KO. Oh and every Welsh, Man Woman and Child sporting either a Grand Slam or Ospreys colours. Inside the stadium and the roof is open, rather surprisingly given the weather forecast but at least for now its fine and the warm up goes ahead under cold, clear blue skies. Not so good for Wasps though as Simon Shaw pulls a fetlock and cant take his place in the second row. Enter the teams to a crescendo of noise, smoke flames and fire, that’s just Mr Dallaglio, contrast with the calm measured stride of Captain Cozza. Game on, Nigel Owens gets us underway Goody Kicks off and from that moment to the time wonder boy Cipriani scored for Wasps on 23 minutes to make it 3 –7 Tigers totally dominated every phase. There’s a very clear game plan here. Quick recycling from the breakdown, the backrow are hitting Wasps around the fringes. Caught on the halfway and seemingly going nowhere Cozza blasts a big hole in the midfield and takes into the Wasps half to Goode who releases Castro bursting through to the 22 with just Lewsey to beat. Castro is a cult hero (more of that to come…..) but for now why oh why did he ignore Ben Herring on his shoulder to take the scoring pass. Chance lost in the first 2 minutes. Were soon on the attack again, using Seru and Alex almost as extra back rowers, Wasps cant get there hands on the ball; this time Ellis chips over the ruck to the corner and Tom Varndell just doesn’t get the bounce to touch down over the line. The play is fast and dynamic, Ellis is so quick to the breakdown, Chuter is tacking anything in black. There is a real continuity to our play that has not been seen this season most sides would not live with us but this is Wasps and their defence is hardened by big match players. We need points on the board. Even when Wasps get a scrum Reddan is done for feeding and we get another chance. Switching the point of attack Hipkiss takes the ball in a typical driving maul making us a good 20 metres. Deep in the Wasps 22 they are penalised for taking the scrum down and Goode gets the first points on the board after 15 minutes. Straight from the restart a combination of forwards in the midfield and Rambini and Hipkiss drive back into the Wasps half but Goode drives a drop goal wide. Finally Wasps get into the Leicester half and with some controlled possession they show the danger in their back line. Sackey and Haskell are involved in sweeping moves across the line, first right then left. Almost with their first visit to our 22 Cipriani takes a pass in midfield and runs laterally left before straightening and scoring in the left corner a brilliant individual try .3 - 7 From the kick off were back on the attack. A scrum on half way and from the base Ellis picks and goes. A fabulous run he goes round Haskell and is only brought down 10 metres short by Lewsey. Jonny Murphy collected a long Wasps kick and ran back to half way, again kick, quick ruck ball to the backs Rabeni takes up the middle and Waters is offside. Goode kicks the penalty 6 - 7 A series of mistakes started with a kick straight out by Reddan a Leicester knock on from a line out drive gave Wasps a scrum in their own 22, the ball was slow but Reddan burst off the base down the shortside and with our defence trailing in his wake over half way he gives the pass to Sackey, Murphy cant get him and Wasps go the length to score in the corner. Cipriani’s conversion hits the post 6 –12 The next score will be a big one but the line out is going well. From half way Deacon secures at the front and in a sweeping move from Croft, to Corry, to Herring we get into the 22. Herring tries to kick around Sackey for Vardell to score but Sackey gets a boot in and Lewsey knocks on trying to clean up 20 out. The scrum wheels a bit but Jonny Murphy cuts back to the blindside to take Ellis’s pass and on his should Goodey is through the gap to go round and under the posts. 13 –12 The game brakes up with both sides running back turnover ball, Flutey knocked on a scoring pass and Croft just had a foot in touch as Jonny Murphy was clear down the left touchline. The half ended with Wasps on the attack and almost getting Sackey over in the right hand corner but Goode and Murphy combine to win a penalty, even if the Stadium officials mistook the referees whistle for a try and started playing the celebration music as if a try was scored, the celebration was ours and we went in a point up, Cipriani gets the 2nd half underway and apart from a fine line out steal from Deacon had most of the early play. A dangerous back line move from Wasps was met with some strong defensive tackling, eventually forcing a penalty for Wasps holding on. In the blink of an eye and some fantastic quick thinking Goode takes a quick tap and 70 meters later Rabeni Scores. Hipkiss took the initial pass from Goode, raced round ol’ man Dallaglio on the half way and put Tom clear on the right, 1 on 1 with Lewsey, Varndell passed inside and Seru scored with Alex on his shoulder and most of the Wasps team still in the Leicester half. Fantastic stuff, conversion made its now 20 –12. Stanko has tacked and carried his heart out and is replaced by Ayerza. Wasps continue to kick long and we run and kick back with interest but Wasps are looking dangerous even in their own 22. Herring plays the rush defence game and buries a Wasps move before it gets going. Castro gets a bloody ear and is replaced by Julian White and with Crane on for Herring Wasps are getting some ball and continuity now, running forwards and backs into Tigers midfield before going wide, Sackey is hit hard by Tuilagi but we get penalised for going to ground. ‘Golden boy’ Danny misses the penalty for Wasps and it stays at 20 – 12 Wasps lineout is in disarray Benny Kay and Louise are lording it over Palmer and Skivington. On Half way this time Ibanez throws short and Crofty steals the ball. Out on the Leicester 10 metre Goodey sees space behind and chips over the onrushing midfield. He collects the bounce on the Wasps 10 metre and puts our very own ‘Golden Boy’ Danny clear by the left hand post T-R-YConversion made its now 27 –12 Wasps bring on Dave Walder and switch Cipriani to full back. Its catch up time now but there is still 24 minutes to play. Wasps come surging back, running the width of the pitch in sweeping moves first Walters, then Haskell and then Lewsey almost break through before we concede a penalty just the right of the posts 10 Metres out. Dallaglio calls for the scrum and get the shove on but we hold them Haskell carries to midfield and it goes left before coming back right and overhead flick from Cipriani and Sackey is over in the corner. Walder takes over the kicking but pushes it wide of the right hand post. 27 – 17 with 18 to go. Castro returns ear bandaged. We need to keep it tight, stop the building Wasps momentum and that we do holding onto ball through 14/15 phases of forwards & backs with Jordan Crane increasingly to the fore. Ellis feeds Goode for a cross field kick but Croft is adjudged offside on wing. The defining moment of the line out battle, Wasps go short just as they did in the European Final but this time Chuter wraps it up at the front and they go nowhere. There’s a stoppage in play Goody is struggling with leg injury and Castro has a blow to the head. From the restart there follows a wonderful passage of play. We keep the ball for a full 3/ 4 minutes driving round the fringes; the ball retention through 20 phases is brilliant. Still in control the ball comes out to Hipkiss, he passes to Tuilagi who cuts back inside, a wonderful pass out of the tackle back to Hipkiss who bursts in the 22 but is caught 15 short, quick ball again by Ellis and who else but Martin Castrogiovanni to take it on under the posts. If the try was sublime then the celebration was just top draw. The trademark Castro shake of the fist 5 metres out was followed by a reverse swallow dive which saw him turn a full 180 degrees in mid air before gravity took over and the crash to the ground had seismologists checking for another Earthquake in the UK ! Vickery and Ayerza have words at scrum there’s 10 minutes to go and the pressures all on Wasps. They come again in another sweeping backline move Varndell rushed out of the line to stop a Cipriani pass and certain score. There followed a passage of play which saw Tigers at their brilliant best but ended in another Cipriani score. From a line out on half way the tight driving and quick ruck ball created space for our Danny, pulled up just short of the line, fantastic play. But the ball was lost in the loose and running from their own 22 Sackey was put away down the right, he beat Croft passed to Cipriani who outpaced Tom to the right hand corner. Walder converted 34 – 24 with 4 to play surely it is too late now for Wasps. There just time left for Lawrence to land a right hook on Whitey at a rolling maul. Final score 34 – 24 and at last the big game against Wasps goes our way.And what a game. This performance was so different to recent offerings. A tactical master plan, varying the attack solid in defence and perfectly executed. Gone was the ponderous and slow driving of recent weeks and the lacklustre back line play. In its place a fast, dynamic game combining backs and forwards, a total team performance Make no mistake, Wasps were good, very good at times and it needed something very special to overcome them. Cipriani is all that they say he is and more, Sackey did enough to win 3 games on his own and Lewsey is the best English full back by a street. There were match winning performances all over the field in attack, in defence, from 1 to 22 these guys turned up today. Goody got man of the match but don’t underestimate the contribution of Hazza who bossed everything in loose and tight. The forwards were right on top of their game, we didn’t lose a single line out on our own throw all match and won countless Wasps put ins. Well done Tigers, you left is wanting more, more, more and you’ll need to do it all again next week.
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