By ChrisC
April 15 2010

Tigers trudge up to the perennially breezy Kingston Park on Sunday – not the happiest of hunting grounds for the league leaders in the past but with the Falcons meeting up with the form team in the Premiership and having just endured a fearful hammering at the hands of the Cardiff Blues, who put half a century of points on the home team and which, following hot the heels of a 58 point doing at

the hands of Saracens, must mean Tigers travel in expectation rather than mere hope of an away victory at a venue where they haven’t won since October 2004.

It’s an interesting match as if Tigers win then they look pretty much odds on to win the league again (it matters to me!!) however Falcons can still smell the sulphur permeating the lower reaches of the league table from around the trap door to League Division One or Championship or whatever!

I haven’t seen that much of Falcons this term but I did see their scrum dismantle Wasps (OK nothing new there) with Golding being outstanding that day at Adams Park.

It seems that when the enduringly superb Carl Hayman is playing along with John Golding the Falcons have a scrum that can scrummage the problem is that the backs now lack the quality that was evident when Wilkinson (J), Toby Flood, Tom May, Matt Burke and Jamie Noon et al were around, when the Falcons back division was stellar, of course back then they had a set of forwards who didn’t give them the quality ball to play with – ho hum.

 I must confess that I can’t see what the management strategy is up at Kingston Park with recruitment seeming to be focussed on signing a big hitter like Carl Hayman and expecting that when added to a raft of lesser signings and a trawl of the local clubs he will put everything right – if only it were that simple the number of new arrivals at Falcons from all points in 2009 would have seen them flying high.  Perhaps the large number of new players at Kingston Park has led to the lack of cohesiveness that seems to prevail.

Not for the first time the knives are well and truly out amongst a section of the faithful for head honcho Steve Bates, although as his charges may have just about negotiated their way out of immediate danger of relegation, or at least their fellow strugglers have cooperated with their own results, he may survive and remain in the last chance saloon but if he’s there much longer he’ll get one of those nifty leaflets from the Responsible Drinking Commissar. We seem have these numpties for most everything these days, I sometimes wonder how I managed to survive so long without their advice and hectoring over every aspect of my life.

Now rather as Mauger, Tigers’ own big hitter signing, helped the backs at Tigers improve their game Hayman has presumably had a similar influence on the likes of John Golding but now Hayman is off to join Jonny Wilkinson at Toulon so what will Falcons’ management do with all that freed up salary? 

Interesting, to me at least, is that Hayman has chosen another big payday over the kudos of playing for the All Blacks – I guess that says much for his mindset although he is most certainly not playing for his pension as some of the imported exotica seem to and Hayman makes a tremendous contribution.

Against Cardiff Hayman failed to start as a last minute back injury sidelined him and Golding was injured and replaced as the match entered its final quarter however the absence of Hayman surely can’t have entirely  explained Falcons’ weakness in most every department during the second half against a good, but not outstanding, 2009/210 Blues side, and the thrashing Falcons had to endure on their home turf as a consequence, especially given that aside from the Kiwi Colossus  the north easterners fielded pretty much a full strength side.

In the first half Golding, with the evergreen Micky Ward and rising star Rob Vickers held their own against the Blues pack but then resistance crumbled after the break and the towel was thrown in by Bates as he rang the changes, presumably to preserve his front line forces for the meeting with Tigers.

Tigers have had another week off as others fought out the European Cup quarter finals which saw the last English team depart the competition and leave the Celtic Cabal to their devices in trying to overcome the remaining French opposition – I’m half expecting a new rule to be introduced by ERC that all players must speak either Gaelic or Welsh to further tilt the playing field toward the Celtic teams.

Hopefully the winning selection formula that produced the breathtaking destruction  of Bath when they visited Welford Road a couple of weeks ago will not only be again possible but prove to be an irresistible  option for Richard Cockerill and his coaching team.

When I started writing this preview I felt saddened that  the potential absence of both Golding and Hayman would spoil what would have been a mouth-watering contest in the front row with two up and coming props in Golding (an ex-Tiger by the way) and Dan Cole linking with two of the World’s best props in Hayman and Castro however as it has transpired it doesn’t much matter who plays in the front rows as with Chris White in charge the scrum is likely to become an academic series of resets, random penalties and free kicks, while the referee fiddles about with minutiae of holding the players crouched until the precise second of his whim that permits them to engage,  so to forecast the outcome in this area of conflict is pointless as it will probably be an all too  familiar farce with possession being awarded on a buggins turn basis.

However if there is a modicum of sense and scrummaging is allowed and managed properly I’d see a Hayman/Golding/Vickers vs Castro/Davies/Ayerza too close to call anyway although the Tigers’ bench, when used in this area, could tip the scales– it could be fascinating and worth the journey, cold, wind and ticket price alone!

I wrote earlier about the wide ranging contribution that Hayman makes to Falcons and I think that this is exemplified by the work he does around the fringes, his tackle count must be amongst the highest and without him Falcons look vulnerable in this area.

In the second row ex London Irish lock James Hudson doesn’t seem to have been able to show the form that made him one of the stand out players toward the end of his time down at Reading, he’s tremendously athletic and I am looking forward to his contest with ex Falcon Geoff  Parling, a standout signing of recent times, and of course with the spring heeled Croft, with all three dynamic in the loose as well as being safe at line out time.  I know little of Filipo Levi, the 14 time capped Samoan who came to Falcons from another club affecting association with a bird of prey, the Ospreys, but he’s been around a bit having plied his trade with the Highlanders and Ricoh Black Rams in Japan before going to Swansea.  Strange that his countrymen don’t seem to turn up too often over here in the second row – front row, back row, all over the place in the back line but not lock.

I see this as an area where the Tigers’ locks should have a distinct edge at both the set piece and in the loose as they have so many options.

In the back row Brent Wilson is known to Tigers’ supporters from his time on loan at Welford Road with his classical scavenging back row play, his partners last weekend were Ed Williamson who has come through the ranks and another recent import, the Australian born and raised Tongan Josh Afu who spent time with the Queensland Reds before joining Doncaster en route to the Falcons for this term.

With Tigers likely to field Moody, Croft and Crane it’s hard to see any degree of dominance here for the Falcons’ trio and so I am expecting Tigers to boss the breakdown – always assuming of course that the match officials spare us the spectacle of this too becoming a lottery with further random penalties for not releasing, holding on, side entry and the seemingly never ending raft of infringements now all the fashion for “special attention”,  from my viewpoint I wish that players would be sanctioned more enthusiastically by match officials for diving in and subsequently laying all over the ball rather, in many cases, arbitrarily applied penalties over timing measured with an atomic clock which the match officials presumably have inserted like a pacemaker.

The Tigers’ coaching team will, I am sure, have identified good potential from restarts whether on their own or the opposition’s ball.

 If last week’s performance is anything to go by there should be untroubled possession aplenty from restarts as it seems that the ball was invariably kicked long by Gopperth which the Tigers’ back three will thoroughly enjoy and Parling, Moody , Crane and Croft will be much in evidence hunting down Tigers’ restarts where there seemed a lack of enthusiasm against the Blues in the home side gathering them.

Behind the pack I am a great fan of Saxon Micky Young who seems to have endless bounce and enthusiasm and like his adversary next weekend, Ben Youngs, is quick, sparky and dangerous and it may be a close run thing between these two as they both seem to be at the heart of all that’s good in attack for their teams.

At fly half another ex Falcon; Toby Flood has hit a rich vein of form and lays up admirably flat on the gain line and I think that with the backrow of Tigers likely to give a good account of themselves he should prevail over Kiwi Jimmy Gopperth who really doesn’t have the support around him to have the chance to perform consistently well and his performance with the boot can also be patchy from the few times I’ve seen him – a real Curate’s Egg of a player in that regard.

 I can see Flood getting Tony Allen and his associate, the physical Matt Smith, in behind the Falcons’ combo of another Tongan; Tane Tuipulato and ex Springbok Bobo who was capped six times by the Springboks and took part in the match between the 2009 Lions and Western Province.  I remember him that day and thought him a dangerous player and with his Sevens’ speed a real threat if he does get away and link with ex Quin, Charlie Amesbury and ex top try scorer from Leeds Tom Biggs who is heading for Bath at the end of the season after just one term at Falcons.  Alex Tait at full back may have his hands full with the Tigers’ attack team and he’ll have to be on top defensive form.

This is a quick quartet of Falcon backs who if released and attack with poise and confidence can do real damage and their opposite numbers, Alex Tuilagi, Scott Hamilton and Geordan Murphy will  need to be acutely aware of the threat posed by such a tactic.

Tuilagi looked to be getting back to his best against Bath with brace of well taken tries and the ever present Hamilton remains a rock in the Tigers’ back three.  I guess that the Falcons’ will hope that the big Tigers’ wingers can be turned and I can see plenty of chips and grubbers from Gopperth when he has the chance.

In the games against both Cardiff and Sarries the Falcons’ defence shipped tries like a de-masted galleon does water and were just as much at sea.

I can see that Biggs will be targeted by Tuilagi and that Tait will need to be more robust in defence when Murphy weaves his spells in open play, we must hope that the mercurial Irishman is treated to plenty of ball by the Falcons’ backs.

The Falcons’ midfield in the 10/12 channel will be targeted to exploit Gopperth’s left shoulder although they may get less change from Bobo and Tuipulato.

It is hard to see a Falcon’s win here but maybe they’ll be energised by last week’s defeat and defend as they did at Welford Road back in September when they sought to spoil the party for the opening of the new stand, the home side only prevailing exclusively through the reliable boot of Jeremy Staunton but those were dog days for Tigers and whether the Falcons’ defensive redoubt, which was so obdurate that early Autumn day that it would not have been altogether surprising to have seen Micheal Caine and Stanley Baker appear amongst them to reprise their roles in Zulu, will hold out again against the Tigers, is the big question for the home supporters.

Maybe it will, maybe the Falcons backline will snaffle its chances, maybe Chris White will officiate effectively at the scrum and breakdown or maybe  Jimmy Gopperth and Toby Flood will vie to kick the other side to defeat, maybe to all these things – but overall I think that Tigers’ will break their long losing run at Kingston Park.

So Tigers to win for the first time at the northern margins of the Premiership since 2004 but don’t expect a try fest – you could be disappointed – but then again maybe you won’t!!

It’s Now or Never

Discussion started by TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk , 15/04/2010 11:19

TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk
15/04/2010 11:19

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TigerChick
15/04/2010 11:21

Another very big thank you to ChrisC for an excellent preview.



Will update the site with news stories and reports. Supporting the Tigers fans community
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Stopsy
15/04/2010 11:44

Wonderful, many thanks.

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Rich W
15/04/2010 12:02

Thanks Chris. Another good one. You've really rather made me wish I was going and not heading in the other direction this weekend!

...

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Roger
15/04/2010 12:10

Blimey ChrisC, I've read shorter books on holiday.

Blinding preview, did you start it at Christmas!

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IDLETIMES
15/04/2010 14:13

Very good thread Chris. I think a 4 point win to us.

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odd-shaped vagaries
15/04/2010 16:39

Ha ha, Roger ... I had to get my own ice cream!

Very comprehensive and interesting read, thanks. I'm sure being de-masted doesn't actually cause galleons to ship water, though all at sea indeed. I expect a win, and anticipate a good one, but then I may well be four sheets to the wind and hoist on/by/with my own petard [unless de-masted]

'Lions led by donkeys' .. Lest we forget

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Johns
15/04/2010 19:33

Thanks Chris, agree with all the other posters,a wonderful preview.

How we have missed you.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010:04:15:20:45:10 by johns.

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Yorkie
15/04/2010 19:57

Thanks again Chris.

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