By Chris Chaplin
December 24 2004

With this being the last of my regular previews for the Leicester Tigers Unofficial Website I am taking the opportunity to consider what may be the outcome of the festive season for Tigers. Both comfort and joy must be hoped for but not expected.
First it is perhaps worth looking at what happened last weekend at both Welford Road and Sixways where the combatants for the forthcoming fixture, at what will perhaps be the last seasonal gathering at the grand old stadium, both suffered reverses.

Tigers, as we know, fielded a massively changed team against Nigel Melville’s Cherry and Whites and whereas the Gloucester coach selected the best team that he had available to him, given his own injury led limitations, John Wells clearly did not.

Tigers’ head coach on Radio Leicester shortly after the fixture, to his credit rather than tell an untruth in the pursuit of keeping “on message”, just refused to answer the question posed as to whether the Powergen remains a priority for the Tigers. The fact that with his side just seven points adrift Graham Rowntree and Neil Back remained resolutely on the bench said it all really. Tigers have much bigger fish to fry.

Nigel Melville was typically candid when acknowledging that his team played some poor rugby in a poor fixture.

The ex England scrum half must be pondering the forthcoming endeavours against Wasps and Tigers with some concern for his charges will have to perform significantly better than they did in beating an under strength Tigers last Saturday if they are to get anything out of their two seasonal fixtures.

While the almost 10000 supporters were being subjected to a poor game of rugby at Welford Road, where the eternally awful Ashley Rowden put in a surreal performance that was a parody of what the players and supporters have the right to expect from a professional referee, the 2517 souls braving the elements at Sixways fared little better with another dire match seeing the hosts just being edged out by London Irish.

There have been comments as to Tigers being comfortably ahead atop the Premiership however unless care is exercised during the festive season and goodwill to all men is forgotten, the picture on 4th January could look markedly different.

Consider that while Wasps are eight points behind Tigers they can look forward to possible and indeed probable wins against Gloucester at home and Quins away to garner them the eight points they need to draw level with the leaders – then that’s Tigers and Wasps on level pegging and if the High Wycombe crew manage a bonus point then they are top dogs going into the next round of the European Cup and thereafter the troublesome Six Nations period when Tigers will again be badly weakened.

During all the furore surrounding the two epic encounters between Wasps and Tigers Sale Sharks have been quietly sitting with Bath in joint third place on 32 points with Gloucester on 31 all just biding their time perhaps.

Sale have the injury ravaged Bath at Edgeley Park on the 27th and are then over at Kingston Park for the second leg of their Christmas/New Year jamboree and I’d not be at all surprised to see them collect ten points moving up level with Tigers.

The only other side hanging onto the coat tails of the leaders is Gloucester and while I can’t see them winning at The Causeway Stadium (which would be a very useful outcome for Tigers) the odds must be in their favour for a win at Kingsholm when Tigers come a calling on the 2nd January, although as I said earlier they’ll have to extract a digit or two. So probably just the four points at best seeing them advance to 35 points.

“OK stop rambling you old fool” I hear you cry, and not for the first time I am sure!! “What are you saying”. Well basically that if my feelings are right about the opposition teams that are in contention and Tigers don’t win against Worcester on the 27th they could find their eight point comfort zone gone and the prospect of navigating the perilous Six Nations period not daring to miss out on a single available point.

What of Worcester?

Well they too have to grab everything they can with Saints snapping at their heels down in the basement with Quins just a point nearer safety than they are, all three wreathed in the sulphuric fumes seeping in from around the trapdoor to National One..

There is much to like and admire about Worcester and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the match day experience at Sixways. It’s a nice ground, with pleasant and knowledgeable supporters and the pick of the Premiership’s PA men Mr Dave (Bradders) Bradley, who shows what a difference a real professional, who happens to also be a cheese loving rugby nut, can make to the atmosphere. I wonder if he’d consider joining us at the Walkers. We could give him all the Cheese and Onion crisps that he can eat!?

In what was a seemingly dour low scoring encounter the Warriors’ pack had much the better of things, especially in the lineout but overall they comprehensively dismantled the none too dusty Irish set up repeatedly driving them back, their dominance culminating in an 80th minute penalty try for the home side.

Indeed Worcester were the architects of their own downfall as they gave away penalty after penalty (you know, a side with a dominant scrum but that gives away too many penalties sounds familiar somehow – it’ll come to me!) conceding four in the first ten minutes and they were lucky that Mark Mapletoft took some time to find his range, missing the first two kickable opportunities before slotting the third.

The fact is though that Irish couldn’t breakdown the Warriors’ defence even when the home side’s compliment was reduced to thirteen as Horsman and Lombard took a break for a ten minute drink of Bovril. Irish in the end booted all their winning points. So a sound defensive effort from the home side too! Hmm this is sounding more and more familiar.

Given its performance I’d be surprised to see John Brain make any unnecessary changes to the eight that dominated London Irish and so expect to see artisan in chief and ex Gloucester stalwart Tony Windo make another start, relishing the battle with Julian White, while ex Celtic Warriors and England Under 21 tight-head Chris Horsman will be seeing how he fares against Rowntree. At hooker the impressive Zimbabwean born van Nierkerk will probably face George Chuter who was outstanding against Gloucester.

Those of us who were at Sixways on that sunny, cold Saturday will remember how well the stand-in Tigers front row performed and so I can’t see anything but pain for the Worcester trio against the Tigers first choice triumvirate.

The lineout will, I believe, be a different matter altogether with the Warriors having an exceptionally good pairing in Craig Gilles and Tim Collier, the latter particularly having been a real revelation both in the tight and also in open play where he can get up a fair old head of steam, as Wasps discovered to their cost.

That Louis Deacon partners Johnno instead of the returned to form Ben Kay really is incidental providing that the great man is on parade. Deacon and Kay provide John Wells with an enviable opportunity for rotation of his locks, which after the fine showing by Jim Hamilton last Saturday is now an area of real strength in depth for Tigers . This will still be a very closely fought area in my view and while the experience of Johnno may well tip the scales in Tigers’ favour it will be tough nevertheless with Gilles liable to steal ball when it’s least expected.

Leon Greef has not, as far as I know, returned to the fray since he picked up a nasty looking injury when Tigers were at Sixways last month and so with Pat Sanderson suspended the Warriors’ back row has had a different look about it of late with Samoan international flanker Siaosi Vaili featuring at blindside and the very nippy Australian born, ex Waratahs Super 12 player Drew Hickey, who can be a bit of class act, joining with ex Natal Sharks and Rotherham #8 Brad MacLeod-Henderson, who holds the whole thing together as well as being capable of some good driving runs from the base of the scrum.

The Warriors’ threesome are very nippy about the park but nevertheless coach Brain will be pleased to see the return of Pat Sanderson, who got two weeks from the beak when he was caught engaging in fisticuffs, giving as he does that bit of edge to his side as well as presenting a real threat at lineout time.

Having said that how will they get on against Neil Back, Will Johnson and Martin Corry? Not that well I’d guess, as not only will Corry be bursting out all around the field with those crushing drives he’ll be aided and abetted by Backy who, while he has lost some of his centre like pace in the loose, is now an even more impressive general who pulls the attacking and defensive efforts together and from whom little escapes once the ball is on the floor. The next thing we know he’ll start strutting around with one forearm in his shirt insisting on being called Napoleon!

Lewis Moody has been exploding with energy and adrenaline and playing every match since his return from injury as if it’s his last and so I’m a little surprised to see the hard working Will Johnson preferred to MadEye from the start, as in spite of a propensity to give away unnecessary penalties Moody’s presence in support of Corry has been key in Tigers’ dominance of the restarts.

As ever the breakdown and tackle areas will be fiercely competitive but I think that the experience of the Tigers will prevail.

Overall then, and good as the Warriors’ pack is, I really can’t see anything other than Tigers once again getting the firmest of platforms from which to operate.

If coach John Wells harboured even the faintest idea of resting the pack to any large degree he’s pretty much banished it from his mind with the utmost dispatch remembering, no doubt, what happened when Warren Gatland took a similar view.

If there’s any resting to be done it could be pragmatic to consider it for the trip to Kingsholm which is going to be very tough anyway and especially with that biggest of fish waiting to be battered the following week, when Biarritz visit Welford Road, for what will probably be the pool deciding match.

With Clive Stewart- Smith seemingly consigned to the departure lounge ex Quin Matt Powell looks to be firmly the first choice down in Worcester. He does boss the pack well but sometimes looks a bit indecisive getting the ball away which was one of Clive Stewart-Smith’s strengths.

Once again Scott Bemand gets the #9 shirt against Warriors and they will be aware of his pace after he scythed through their defence during the last encounter. Bemand will probably have the advantage of the more stable scrum to work from so could get an edge over the talented Powell

England under 21 ex London Irish fly-half James Brown was wearing the number 10 against his old club last weekend, the Midlands born England U16., 18 and 19 player taking over from Tommy Hayes who came in for a fair bit of criticism following his side’s loss to Tigers in November. Brown has international sevens experience to call on as well so he stands some watching on his day however he is not the best communicator with his half back partner and as a consequence they can look uncertain and disjointed.

It certainly seems that the Warriors have yet to hit on a half-back combination that can get their talented backs into attacking positions on enough occasions and it may be that with the attention of the Tigers back row this will again be the case next Monday. Having seen both Hayes and Brown I guess Warriors really need an amalgam of the two much as they do at scrum half with Powell and Stewart-Smith although personally I have a bit of a preference for Hayes’ more decisive style of play and can’t help feeling that he’d benefit from a consistent run in the position.

Tigers have no such problems with Bemand and the rejuvenated Andy Goode who has become one of the form fly-halves of late, however I hope that Goode will be more circumspect with his attempts at achieving extreme distance with his kicks out of hand and instead concentrate on finding more safe touch as he does not want the likes of Delport, Pieters, O’Leary or Sampson having a chance to run the ball back too often as did the Wasps back three during the two European Cup encounters.

With Daryl Gibson restored to marshal the backs I expect though to see Goode continue to put not only Gibson but the rest of his back-line into the game in space and at pace.

If Warriors continue with twelve time capped ex Stade Francais and Les Blues player Thomas Lombard at inside centre it should be a fascinating match up between him and the inspirational All Black who must go down as one of Tigers’ best signings of recent times. However I hope Mr Gibson will not give Lombard any sniff of the wide open spaces or injudiciously kick him the ball otherwise he’ll be gone like the Orient Express and have time to don his sunglasses on his way south to the try line.

It’s a good job that Ollie Smith is looking back on form as he’ll probably have to take care of the mortar of the Warriors’ back division, another Samoan international, Dale Rasmussen. Rasmussen is not only quick but immensely strong in the tackle as Wasps found out to their cost and Ollie will have to be at his defensive best if the big South Sea Islander gets moving.

Where Tigers may feel they have the edge is in pitting Smith’s pace against Rasmussen, however as the Warriors’ centre has been timed over the 100m at 11 seconds that strategy might not be the cakewalk for Smith that it so often is for the young Tiger.

Out wide try scoring machine Tom Varndell is to start and even if fit I’d only expected to see Rabeni start from the bench with Healey retaining his place in the starting line up, underlining the experienced nature of the Tigers back division, which will again have Geordan Murphy weaving his spells from full back.

Rabeni and Varndell on the pitch at the same time once the game starts to break up and feeding off Smith and Murphy is indeed a prospect to savour.

Warriors also have their own vastly experienced and hugely talented back three which I’m sure Pat Howard will be taking very seriously.

While I guess Thinius Delport’s starting place is pretty much a given, the Springbok, while not always looking bomb proof in defence if the ball gets behind him, remains one of the most dangerous counter attacking full backs around if he’s permitted to run onto the ball.

Andy Keast has an enviable choice between the Premiership’s former top try scorer Darren O’Leary, who to be fair has lost a bit of pace nowadays but still knows how to turn a defence inside out.

Newcomer Paul Sampson who is lightening fast (although not a fast as Varndell if the Sixways encounter is any yardstick) and has experience at both international level for England and latterly with the London Broncos and will be wanting to give Kirsty Gallagher a victory as a Christmas treat – lucky boy!

Although Ben Gollings has reportedly gone off to Australia in high dudgeon Warriors have Giscard Pieters in place as another high class option, the South African looking every inch the international with great pace and power, a killer side step, great hands and would clearly relish some more ball to play with, which was not a luxury enjoyed when at Rotherham either, where he notched just one try from his seven premiership appearances for the Yorkshire club.

Overall I am left with the feeling that the Warriors are not far away from being a good Premiership side and I do hope they survive this first and most difficult of seasons, although not, you understand, at Tigers’ expense on Bank Holiday Monday.

Comfort and Joy then?

Well if, as I expect and hope, Warriors are taken as the very real threat they are then it should be a five point win for the home side, however if Tigers play fast and loose in trying to play too much rugby in the first quarter rather than establishing a dominant forward position and then taking their chances and let the visitors come into the game it could be tighter than some might imagine. The Worcester new boys are new boys no longer just ask Quins, Saints and Wasps.

The Gloucester match at Castle Grim a week later?

Ah well that’s another story for another time and another teller as for me that really is all folks.

Au revoir for now and a very Happy Christmas and healthy, prosperous New Year to you all.