Leicester Tigers
Bath came, it rained, Tigers conquered!
By JK
October 24 2010
The game started brightly enough on an Autumn day with patchy sunshine and damp conditions underfoot but, crucially, no rain – a perfect day for rugby almost. Tigers got underway quickly and the scoreboard started to tick over with a well-taken, if a little flat in trajectory, drop goal and a penalty from a sharp looking Toby Flood.
These were the result of a failure by the visitors to exercise control or precision from the start, committing offences at the breakdown and scrum and losing position when their strangely familiar-looking fly half needlessly kicked the ball dead.
Although Bath did get on the board, they always seemed to be playing catch-up and, to their credit, managed to knock over three points on seemingly each of the rare occasions they made it into Tiger territory.
Then it rained! And how?!
It quickly became apparent that a try bonus was unlikely from either side as balls were dropped, footing was lost and those in the crowd looking for an expansive tryfest started to suspect that this wasn’t going to be their afternoon.
The closest either team came to scoring a try came when Bath butchered a three-man overlap with their ball-carrier inexplicably cutting back inside towards the end of the second half on a rare foray into the Tigers’ 22. A couple of missed penalties added to the visitors’ frustration, but to be fair to Mr Barkley, they were long-range efforts in extremely difficult conditions.
This seemed to be the crucial first-half difference between the two teams – Tigers knocking over easy (if they’re ever easy!) three pointers from close and central positions following frequent attacks; Bath picking up scraps but having to work much harder to score on rarer occasions from longer range. It seemed clear who was the better team to our four-man spectator party, one of them at his first ever game and one who last played 66 years ago in Glasgow.
12-6 a fair half-time score overall.
From up high in the CAT stand, the conclusion seemed inescapable that a stronger pack was part of the cause. It must be depressing when one of your opposition props leaves the field to see Senor Ayerza limbering up, knowing that Signor Castrogiovanni still awaits. (My prediction as to when Castro would enter the fray was inaccurate by two minutes!).
The gulf in class between the fly halves also showed in the first half with Vesty kicking almost everything from hand, not always accurately, and Tigers mostly dealing with it relatively comfortably. Tigers on the other hand looked threatening before the monsoon arrived and you sensed that Bath were fully aware of the brooding, menacing presence of Mr Tuilagi often lining up away from his wing between fly half and inside centre.
Hurricane Welford seemed to have abated ready for the start of the second half and both teams had obviously had a chat over their half-time cuppas about how to play the conditions. Bath’s restarts were low and flat and they had a fair few chances to practice them as a few more penalties were knocked over. They also tried a number of high-balls which were dealt with comfortably by the admirable Geordan Murphy, even if he didn’t quite get the support he would have wanted on a couple of occasions.
Tigers response was intelligent with kicks returned with interest and touches found, the ever-alert Scott Hamilton making fast yards to ensure that on all but one occasion, quick throws were out of the question and counter-attacking opportunities were stifled.
It’s a hard game to play when you’re eighteen-twelve down, the opposition full-back is taking everything you can throw at him and you’re constantly being turned by long touch-finding kicks, having to retreat to form the lineouts.
To Bath’s credit though, they showed plenty of heart and resilience whereas Tigers seemed to want that try bonus after all. Surely, at twelve points up, you keep the opposition in their own half or 22 and keep plugging away, keep turning them, kick behind them. Let them struggle in the conditions and make the mistakes. This was a time for sticking it up your jumper and keeping it tight. In foul conditions like that, the enemy is never going to be able to run in the tries they require from their own half.
Tigers though thought otherwise and gave an object lesson on how hard it is to play champagne rugby in pint-of-bitter conditions. Their passing was inaccurate with Flood taking one off his toes and the next out of the sky and with one notable breakaway excepted, they didn’t really ever look like threatening the Bath try line. Spilt balls and lack of support, allied to a couple of unfathomable refereeing decisions (at least from where we were sat with our one-eyes open) meant that Bath crept back into it and coming into the endgame were less than a converted try behind with our West-country neighbours in the CAT stand baying for blood.
Wave after a wave of Bath charges were repelled over some fifteen phases and Tigers held on for victory although, to be fair, their defence looked rock solid and there wasn’t really a moment in the final throes when you would have said Bath looked *likely* to score a try.
Overall then, a hard-fought, ground-out victory in appalling conditions but it seemed that a little tactical naivety let Bath back in, they drew the second half after all 9-9. Had they scored the try at the end of the first half and kicked all their penalties (or had Vesty not butchered a fairly straightforward drop-goal opportunity – I don’t think he’ll look back his first return trip to WR with a great deal of happiness) , the result could have been quite different.
Looking ahead, not much to take from this – hopefully it will be a while before we encounter weather like that again – a similar downpour at the Rec would leave the MC calling for lifeboats – women and children first!
For me, a little more smartness from Tigers please. With no try bonus really in prospect due to the conditions, win ugly if you have to but above all make sure you do win. A sneaking Bath victory at the death would have been a very bitter pill to have had to swallow and no reward for the efforts of the first sixty minutes. I’ve a sneaking suspicion, Bath will feel happy with a bonus point – not many get them at WR - and I hope we don’t come to regret them getting it later in the season. A win is a win but I feel we could have shut them out completely with a tad more nous.
MOTM: The weather for having the most impact on the game, closely followed by Geordan Murphy. How many times can any individual be expected to jump for those high balls knowing that you might get your head knocked off at any of the ensuing landings. Great kicking too. Seemed to be limping at the end, I hope he’s OK but a great riposte to his recent critics including those gentlemen in Dublin who don’t seem to want him to be in their gang. Barring injury, their loss is our gain for the Autumn International period.
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Reddit
Stumbleupon24/10/2010 21:37
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:11:01:12:21:22 by TigerChick.
Even the commentators (a new chap called Ben Kay who ever her is) on ESPN thought Mr Small was generous with a couple of penalties to Bath
After the rain Tigers should have given the ball to the forwards to stick up their jersey,
In paragraph 5, it should read: "cutting back inside towards the end of the
In paragraph 13, it should read: "It’s a hard game to play when you’re eighteen-
It still is pretty tough even when you're only 18-12 down!
The terrace folk looked like they caught it four square!
More Leicester Tigers headlines
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News from around the World
- All the Latets Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News From Around the World
- All the Latest Tigers News from Around the World