Sweet...

Whatever anyone says, Leicester Tigers are still the team that every other team wants to beat most.  They’ve provided the yardstick to measure yourselves against for many years now; still do, whatever the claims of Wasps and Sale supporters, simply because of the way they play the game.

 

In English rugby, there is no feeling like beating Leicester Tigers (but then I would say that wouldn't I, being born and bred in Northampton!)

 

To beat Tigers, you have to front up, get in their faces, anger the beast.  Be as clever as they are; know your environment, your opposition; conquer the jungle.  To hit, be hit, and hit back (not sure if Matt Burke actually needed to be punched by two Tigers as a try celebration though - whatever happened to the handshake?).  If you let up, you lose; simple as that.  Falcons went to Welford Road earlier in the season and did that, and came away with two unexpected, but more than deserved, points.

 

That was as big underdogs though; last Friday night, it could conceivably be said that Falcons were favourites against a Tigers side hit by international calls, but whatever side appears in the stripes, you know that it’s not as easy as turning up and winning.  The cry at Kingsholm three weeks ago was “same old Leicester, always cheating”, and it’s right – the club play the same way whichever side is picked, whether it be first XV or development, full strength or weakened.

 

You can’t knock it, it won them four titles and two European Cups.  And it’s for others to decide if it’s cheating, or making full use of the laws.

 

They don’t do Fridays though.

 

Just what you need on a cold Friday...Falcons!

 

It started well.  For a start, the coach got up the A1 through the heavily reported (and non-existent) snow; Mally cooked, I ate, cats Bob and Nelson purred affectionately.  It was noticeable in the shop that the new heroes of choice were Burke and Noon - who is this Jonny fellow anyway? 

Our captain for the evening, and possibly the next two years, opened the scoring with the first and second penalties awarded by Ashley Rowden.  I learned a stat last week that the average number of penalties awarded to a side in a premiership game is 12 to 13; if the Boot of God was working, there was the potential for a very good night.

 

Six nil very shortly...

 

Ulsterman Ian Humphreys pulled three points back with a long distance penalty (what a boot - what on earth do they feed them at Welford Road?) before Burkey restored the six point advantage.  It was that sort of night; penalty followed penalty, and the lead never became less than three, although Humphreys did miss a longer opportunity to level the game at nine, but the wind pulled the kick right.

 

 

First the offence, then the punishment.  Nine-three.

 

Possibly the talking point of the first half (other than hell-it's-cold and when-will-Healey-shut-up, was Leicester's disallowed try, which came about through a Falcons attack.  As God joined the move on the right wing, he was stopped by Alex Tuilagi's "tackle".  With the ball going loose, Leicester recovered and having worked the ball through their backs, Sam Vesty found himself with Anthony Elliott and his own capability to beat.  The kick over Elliott was good; the collection even better, and he had a clear run to the line.

 

 

Or would have had a clear run to the line, if it were not for the whistle of Rowden (which is like the Boot of God, only more punishing).  Having let play go for nearly a minute, his East Stand touch judge drew his attention to the earlier high tackle.  It's noticeable that many have commented on the TJ calling the game back - he had to, there was still a head rolling around the touchline.  Penalty, unsurprisingly, Falcons.

 

 

A further Burke effort (above) made it 15-6 at the break, but after Humphreys opened the second half scoring with penalty number eight, the Falcons’ forwards decided to exert some pressure.  Finegan was coming into the game more, carrying the way he did when Australia were a good team (for our younger readers, ask your parents), whilst the front row, untouched by Rob’s hooky finger, really set into the two Lions in the Tigers threesome. 

 

A yellow blob in the murk...

 

Sustained home pressure in the Tigers’ 22 led to a yellow card for Shane Jennings, and as Tigers continued to give away penalties, we hoped (from a hundred yards away in the murk) that we’d see a yellow blob in the distance run to the posts.  Not so, but Burkey had the chance to extend the lead to nine again.  As someone said to me late on Friday night, “look at how many times the ball went into the Leicester 22 and got killed”.  Falcons may not have scored a try, or as some would say looked like scoring a try, but then you have to ask were they really allowed to?

 

West Stand five minutes into the second half.  Long queue at the bar?

 

 

Micky on the charge.

 

Ollie Smith and Ben Kay left the fray (that’s the man better than Noonie – albeit injured - and a World Cup winner, for those who missed their contribution), whilst Mike McCarthy replaced Finegan.  After Tom May dropped a beautiful yet ugly goal (hands, wind and gravity couldn’t stop it, although gravity deserves marks for a good effort), Rob rang the changes further; Charlton for the busy Grindal, Thompson for the excellent Long; Grimes for Parling, Williams for Ward.

 

A word here too for Robbie Morris.  Now I’ve seen a fair bit of his career, and I have to say that it appears the less an opposition’s supporters rate him, the better he plays against them.  He really enjoyed the win at Franklin’s Gardens, against the club that rejected him; he scored his first premiership try against his former local rivals, whose supporters (in his Northampton Saints days) had ridiculed him for winning England caps; and here he was excellent, ball carrying and enjoying the considerable challenge of Graham Rowntree.  Winning that battle, and the crystal clear fact that he’s now getting better coaching from Peter Walton, is developing him as a player just as the early days of Wayne Smith did at Northampton.

 

Healey kept up the vocal pressure all night, and was Tigers' best performer.

 

And then, the most worrying moment of the evening for Falcons.  With Humphreys long gone, Healey floated across the defensive line from fly half, and produced a majestic inside ball for Henry Tuilagi to go over.  A despairing…well, flop would be the best word, from Burke failed to prevent the score, but he didn’t deserve the punch from Alex Tuilagi after the try was scored that knocked him backwards.  Yes, the try could not be overturned as the foul play had happened after it had been given, but I was surprised to see no penalty to Falcons from the restart.

 

 

 

It was typical, however, of Leicester’s total indiscipline that the chance for a kick at goal was soon to follow, and Burkey restored a comfortable eight point advantage that was to be in place until the end.  Healey spurned the opportunity of a point by kicking for the corner with less than a minute remaining, but none of the home support were complaining.

 

Afterwards, joy and pain – Pat Howard was allegedly spitting feathers, Rob Andrew contented (and rightly).  In a way, it's no surprise that Owen Finegan got man of the match, for this should be his type of game; confrontational, pressured, big.  That didn't stop the disbelief at the decision though, but with Ben Woods and Andy Buist only having limited GP experience, this was the night Owen went to battle and won the Wor.

 

On the North Terrace, Pod made the point of one moral victory and one actual victory against this lot for Falcons this season.  Six points out of eight (you don’t get four tries against Leicester, it’s not allowed) against a side who will be in the top four after 22 games is very good.

 

But most of all, it’s beating Leicester.  The very best feeling.

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