By Chris Chaplin
December 2 2002

Denied the opportunity of being at Welford Road on Saturday by a further esoteric Kick-off time I was nevertheless witness to the dawning of a new era in English club rugby. This piece is not intended to be a match report as others will perform that task but more a look back and then forward. I have written this without visiting the Message Board as I did not want my view to be either diluted or distilled.

Firstly I expect that we shall over the coming days have the usual collection of crowing from our opposition and general decrying of Tigers following the end of our 57 match, five year undefeated home record in league matches in the Allied Dunbar and Zurich Premiership. This is however for the perpetrators to miss the point.

As a Gloucester supporter said to me following their ill deserved win over London Irish: "We haven't won anything yet and neither we nor any other club can say much to Leicester Tigers or their supporters until they too have won four Premierships back to back and two European Cups also back to back" He was generous in his comments and I thought it churlish to remind him of the Treble year.

The achievements of the Tigers over the past four years have been truly remarkable and I am proud to have been a supporter and vicariously associated with that success. But it is over and a new age in English club rugby began shortly before 7.00pm on Saturday 30 November 2002 at Welford Road, Leicester.

Never has there been such total domination of the English club scene as we have seen exercised by Tigers over the past four years or over European club rugby in the last two and I venture to suggest that it will be some time until it's like is witnessed again.

The seismic events of 30 November were not, frankly, a surprise and rarely have I been so sorry to have been proved right but as I predicted in my Preview of the Saints game if the coaching staff did not radically overhaul the back division but instead tinkered with it the loss of our proud home record was a distinct possibility and so it came to pass.

The tinkering duly took place, Ellis was retained, Healey went to 10 and somewhat surreally the best full back in English rugby played on the wing while one of the most talented wingers was discounted from much of the action by being played at Full Back. When I saw the line up I knew the game was up and when Lloyd made his appearance at half time I slipped into the slough of despond.

Of course I was disappointed by the loss but hardly shocked as the seismic event had been well presaged by a moving of the Jurassic Plates underpinning Tigers for a long time, in fact for almost a year and this was probably needed to shake the coaching staff out of the torpor that has seemingly enveloped them.

In season 2000/2001 Tigers' play was almost elemental, smart, crisp, beautifully and largely faultlessly executed. It simply seemed that they would score tries and that the opposition would not, there was a fundamental belief that what we were doing was so right that it was inevitable that we would enjoy success.

This elemental force was built on the domination by our pack with clever coaching and execution behind the scrum, masterminded by Pat Howard.

In the early part of season 2001/2002 the inevitability of Tigers winning was barely dented by losses to Newcastle on the opening day of the season and to Leeds on 11 November and progress toward a fourth league title was hardly interrupted with comprehensive wins against the rest of the Premiership clubs in the early months of the season and so it continued until Christmas.

The start of 2002 saw a sea change in our play. Suddenly the backs began to play a static, lateral game and while our play was still producing results the victories were becoming more a product of obdurate defence than scoring achievement. Losses to Llanelli, Wasps, Gloucester and Bristol followed as the season drew to a close. But another double was achieved with the Premiership and European Cup secured so what could be wrong? The warning signs were thus ignored.

I think that what we have seen is the waning of the influence of Pat Howard and the emergence of that attaching to Rod Kafer. Where Pat was full of running lines and inspirational play Rod is more in the mould of the Super 12 purist style of play and I believe that it has not worked in the context of the English game.

The pack, under the tutelage of Messrs Wells and Richards, has not materially changed either the style or nature of it's play however with the backs not penetrating defences, and frankly not looking likely to do so, Tigers have become a two trick pony, catch/pick and drive by the pack and the use of Stimpson's boot.

In the case of the former the tactic is more often successfully defended against these days with the efficacy of that defence largely dependent upon the competence (or increasingly incompetence) of the match officials. This was exemplified on Saturday when with Hunter already in the Sin Bin the touch judge called Spreadbury's attention to Budgen punching a Tigers' player, having brought the incident to Spreadbury's attention he was then asked for his recommendation - he took a long time responding and then with the gormlessness suggested by his demenaour suggested a penalty and a "strong word" - that for violent play and again stopping a maul as a consequence.

As Director of Rugby and an ex forward Deano must, and obviously does, rely on his backs coach and it is clear that in spite of enormous amounts of territory and possession won by the pack in every game this year, apart from that at Headingly, the area of play behind the scrum has cost us dear. The management's acquiescence to Healey's wish to move to 10 has also had it's part to play in the demise of our back play in attack and on Saturday also in defence

How then to move forward.

There is now no realistic chance of our finishing atop the Premiership but a position outside of the top four would be a disaster with qualification for Europe otherwise dependent upon our winning the HEC for the third consecutive time, winning the Play-offs or securing the Powergen Cup (I think!). None of which are impossible objectives but unlikely unless a radical overhaul is now taken of our back division.

Healey must move back to 9 as he wishes (during his appearance on Question of Sport last Friday he had first choice on the Numbers Board and picked #9!). Tierney is competent, Ellis is having a crisis of confidence and Hamilton is still too slow, whereas Healey is quick and can be inspirational.

The well known problems continue at 10 but whomsoever plays there will not do well without good fast service such as Mercier enjoys from Gomersall at Gloucester and Dawson provides to Grayson at Saints and of course Howley gives to King at Wasps. Rod could move to 10 but his kicking game is not of the best. I feel that on balance Vesty should stay at 10 although perhaps McMullen is worthy of a chance and Gelderbloom should come in at 12.

Smith remains at 13 with Stalin given an opportunity with Booth, Raynor, Fred., Geordan et al we have plenty of talent and speed on the wings if they can get some quality ball. The paucity of our back play was exemplified when Ellis made a rare break down the centre on Saturday as was desperately looking for support where an offload would have almost certainly have produced a try. In the end in the continued absence of his team mates he went to ground and the move fizzled out as have so many before it.

It is time for the coaching staff to change tactics. It is arrogant to believe that, Micawber like, something will turn up. Do not let us deceive ourselves, the other teams may have improved however what has also happened is that Tigers' have deteriorated behind the pack.

I recall before the Gloucester game saying that I hoped that the coaching team had done their homework and Officeboy rather tersely telling me that the coaching team ALWAYS do their homework - I sensed an arrogance in the body politic of the club in that response together with the disregard by the club of the wishes of the supporters regarding kick-off times and the demise of Ian C's column, this perhaps arising from continued success over a long period - it happens.

It must be hoped that this pervasive trait has not spread - the response of the management, coaching staff and players to the end of what will be seen as a Golden Age for Tigers and their release from the shackles of "that record" will tell us whether the new era will be similarly glorious or as with Bath one of under achievement. We the supporters have our part to play too so COME ON YOU TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGERS