Scored and injured
"Tigers, give us a song!"
Scored and injured
By Leipziger January 28 2007
Two yellow cards and two quickfire second half tries from Leicester’s England wing Tom Varndell condemned the Falcons to defeat at a subdued Welford Road yesterday, World Cup-winning fly-half Jonny Wilkinson came off the bench at the end of the first half in his latest recovery from injury.
Scored and injured
Two yellow cards and two quickfire second half tries from Leicester’s England wing Tom Varndell condemned the Falcons to defeat at a subdued Welford Road yesterday, World Cup-winning fly-half Jonny Wilkinson came off the bench at the end of the first half in his latest recovery from injury.
With an all-England international midfield of Toby Flood, Jamie Noon and Mathew Tait the week before the Six Nations starts, the Falcons were looking to repeat or even improve on a draw at Leicester in 2005/06, but after nine minutes were already 6-0 down to two penalties from Paul Burke. We eventually sang “There’s only one Burkey” to him.
However, the Falcons gradually came into the game, with a couple of penalties as they tried to front up to the Leicester pack, and midway through the half Anthony Elliott went over on the left for the first try of the match after a lineout on the opposite flank. Flood however was unable to convert, and after Jason Oakes was sin-binned Shane Jennings, in the twilight of his Leicester career, scored with Burke converting to pull the Tigers away.
Just before half time, a double blow hit the away side when Russell Winter joined Oakes in the bin (although the latter was soon to return), and try-scorer Elliott was forced off with injury. Elliott’s misfortune however allowed for the return of Jonny Wilkinson into the Premiership, for only his fourth game of the season.
A hammer blow fell before the break though, as the hosts’ storming number 8 Jordan Crane went over and Burke’s conversion put Leicester 20-5 up at the break, although it looked suspiciously like there had been a knock-on seconds before the score.
John Fletcher introduced Andy Long, Brent Wilson and Lee Dickson in an attempt to turn the game around as Wilkinson and Noon looked to be combining well, however Tigers prop Marcos Ayerza was the next on the scoresheet from a maul and the match was over as a meaningful contest.
On the terraces, attention half-switched to the vocal battle and a touch of Tiger-bating, with numbers such as “Tigers give us a song” and “You don’t even sing when you’re winning” recycled amongst some loud support for the Falcons.
More replacements gave the visitors a bit more energy, however in the end Newcastle rarely threatened to win the game, and two quick tries from Tom Varndell in the last ten minutes, the first converted by replacement Ian Humphreys confirmed Leicester’s bonus point and a 39-5 win, to put his side on top of the Premiership going into the international period.
The only real plus point we can take from yesterday is Wilkinson coming through apparently with no ill-effects, however the fact we need to think about that 3½ years on still can’t be good. Also, since we have lost Elliott, and with no news on either God’s fitness or his residence (having had experience of such processes, I am quite worried), if he is the only option The Minx will be happy that Joe Shaw might be playing in three weeks. Feels like an eternity away.
However, the Falcons gradually came into the game, with a couple of penalties as they tried to front up to the Leicester pack, and midway through the half Anthony Elliott went over on the left for the first try of the match after a lineout on the opposite flank. Flood however was unable to convert, and after Jason Oakes was sin-binned Shane Jennings, in the twilight of his Leicester career, scored with Burke converting to pull the Tigers away.
Just before half time, a double blow hit the away side when Russell Winter joined Oakes in the bin (although the latter was soon to return), and try-scorer Elliott was forced off with injury. Elliott’s misfortune however allowed for the return of Jonny Wilkinson into the Premiership, for only his fourth game of the season.
A hammer blow fell before the break though, as the hosts’ storming number 8 Jordan Crane went over and Burke’s conversion put Leicester 20-5 up at the break, although it looked suspiciously like there had been a knock-on seconds before the score.
John Fletcher introduced Andy Long, Brent Wilson and Lee Dickson in an attempt to turn the game around as Wilkinson and Noon looked to be combining well, however Tigers prop Marcos Ayerza was the next on the scoresheet from a maul and the match was over as a meaningful contest.
On the terraces, attention half-switched to the vocal battle and a touch of Tiger-bating, with numbers such as “Tigers give us a song” and “You don’t even sing when you’re winning” recycled amongst some loud support for the Falcons.
More replacements gave the visitors a bit more energy, however in the end Newcastle rarely threatened to win the game, and two quick tries from Tom Varndell in the last ten minutes, the first converted by replacement Ian Humphreys confirmed Leicester’s bonus point and a 39-5 win, to put his side on top of the Premiership going into the international period.
The only real plus point we can take from yesterday is Wilkinson coming through apparently with no ill-effects, however the fact we need to think about that 3½ years on still can’t be good. Also, since we have lost Elliott, and with no news on either God’s fitness or his residence (having had experience of such processes, I am quite worried), if he is the only option The Minx will be happy that Joe Shaw might be playing in three weeks. Feels like an eternity away.
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