How To Win Friends and Influence People

By Bengal Tiger
November 26 2007

Not being entirely sure where to start I thought that I should have a look at Carnegie. Now all I know about Carnegie is that it's a famous concert hall in New York beloved of Sinatra and Streisand amongst the legions of famous artistes who have performed there. There's also Dale Carnegie the eponymous creator of what is now a major international training company.

Mr Carnegie was the author of the famous book - How to Win Friends and Influence People, he died in 1966, it's rumoured, by his own hand. Finally there's Leeds Carnegie which is the shiny new identity of Leeds Metropolitan College whose 10000 students are seen as fertile ground in which the Leeds marketing people can plant their seeds and itself the college is sponsor of not only Leeds rugby teams but Headingley stadium.

So there's Carnegie for you, by turn, entertainers, trainers and educators as well as being the latest identity of Leeds Tykes rugby union team who, having stormed back to the Premiership, now find themselves rooted near the bottom of the league with fellow strugglers Worcester, whose supporters, after their team's 15-34 loss to Sale on Friday night were doubtless screaming c‘mon you Tigers almost as fervently as the Welford Road faithful who had made the journey north.

It has to be said that Marcello Loffreda's selection had a very ‘squadish' feel about it with club captain and totem Martin Corry omitted from the match day 22 together with Julian White, and while squad rotation is very much the vogue in these enlightened days of focussing on a top four position, ready for what is now euphemistically known as the ‘Business End' of the season, such wholesale rotation, seeing nine changes from the side that comprehensively dispatched Edinburgh last weekend, do make me singularly nervous, especially when Tigers are somewhat becalmed in mid table and given the habitual banana skins that seem strewn around Headingley whenever Tigers roll into town, they having lost four of the five fixtures they've previously played here.

Leeds boss, Stuart Lancaster, must have been hoping for a bit of good fortune courtesy of the revolving door of Tigers selection policy and certainly was in no position to write this fixture off as a can't win, as every appearance for his side is a must win and this was reflected by the visitors fielding pretty much the strongest team they could muster for this home fixture and on the back of good performances against Dax and Castres in the European Challenge Cup.

Leeds strategy had to be for the Leeds pack to get in the collective faces of the Tigers front five to provide a platform for their backs and in this objective at least they were to be successful.

Early on Goode placed a high ball which was poorly judged with Hipkiss ahead of the kicker and then Frank Murphy knocked on from the kick back followed quickly by a knock on by the Leeds centres but Leeds spun the Tigers pack from the resultant scrum and won the turnover with Kay stupidly entering the ensuing ruck from the side â€" Di Bernado duly collected a soft three points. Once again pressure on Frank Murphy told, Tigers' discipline faltered and it was not the start that the Champions wanted.

Tigers pack put in an impressive drive from the restart and with Calum Clarke infringing after some strong approach play from Youngs and Hipkiss Goode levelled the scores.

Goode then put in one of those infuriatingly aimless kicks of his that enabled the Leeds backs to attack which fizzled out with the rain and darkness heralding Jim Hamilton infringing by entering a maul from the side, the resultant penalty seeing Leeds well into Tigers territory with yet more indiscipline then providing Di Bernardo with another
three points.

After more imperious work by the Norwegian national captain Eric Lund at the restart Di Bernardo was nearly cut in half by a ferocious Tom Croft tackle but Leeds once again cleared their lines although the signs were that the Leeds fly half was less than enthusiastic at being hunted down by the Tigers back row and he didn't lay up flat too often after that.

Varndell benefited from some good approach work from Vesty and Johne Murphy but overcooked his chip on and Tigers' lack of precision saw the match become increasingly scrappy with Leeds once again infringing at the break down and this time Goode brought the scores level.

With both sides resorting to kicking and a collision between Croft and Vesty seeing the latter temporarily replaced by Erinle. Leeds Satala and Lund sparked a useful attack halted by a questionable knock forward. Goode continued to hunt the touch line with varying degrees of success in another erratic and often pointless kicking display but
with the Tigers line out not functioning consistently, the evergreen

Stuart Hooper and Eric Lund, brother of Sale's Magnus, having done their homework on the Tigers line out, it was left to Tom Croft to impress whose break from a lovely take toward the back ended with Andy Tuilagi short arming and felling the athletic flanker.

Once again Tigersâ€^TM tactic of aimless kicking made for a sterile match until at last Goode kept the ball in hand, made a half break and beautifully offloaded in the tackle, backs and forwards finally combined in a series of telling surges and then Goode popped up a cross filed kick for Varndell who knocked on but played to the whistle, as we're all taught, collected his error and scored the first try, which Goode safely converted to see Tigers take the lead.

Shortly after Goode was caught with Vickerman squandering a chance to run in a try for the hosts however within seconds yet more indiscipline from Tigers saw Di Barnardo have an opportunity for points from 60 metres out but straight in front of the posts, direction was good, distance was not, and Tigers ran off for their half time orange leading 13-6.

A lethargic, uninspired first half from the visitors with the hosts doing enough to still be in with a good chance at the start of the second half.

I hoped that Tigers would stabilise their ball retention and that Goode would be more positive and unleash Youngs, Hipkiss et al. Once again plan A wasn't working well, perhaps time for plan B as playing

the teams in the lower echelon of the league needs to generate firstly a win and then five points. Equally I hoped that Leeds would retire into their shells and that the excellent Di Barnardo did not release Vickerman, Satala, Biggs and Tuilagi who looked dangerous with ball in hand.

Tom Youngs made an early statement of a change of strategy by running back the restart only for Goode to then revert to type by kicking the ball to Biggs who ran it back before the ball was turned over and after another notable break from Croft the Tigers backs ran up anothercul-de-sac.

Hooper than entered a maul from the side following another great take at the line out by Croft and Goode took the points with the help of the Leeds post.

It has to be said that the number of penalties awarded against both sides for the same offence was destroying any fluency and it was surprising that a Yellow Card or two were not dispensed.

Following a trade mark burst from Hipkiss the ball found its way to Goode who again tried to find Varndell with a crossfield kick which failed to find its target.

From a drop out Moody and Johne Murphy then released Brett Deacon on a bullocking midfield run before the ball went through the hands with Vesty making a superb pick up and half break before Tom Youngs was put in space and able to show great strength and barrel over for another score with the extras duly being collected by Goode.

Soon after Tigers were penalised for not rolling away and although Di Barnardo bravely put the ball into the red zone the evergreen John Dunbar was held up.

A five meter scrum ensued and Leeds drove the visitors pack backwards which collapsed for a reset and although Leeds once again drove the Tigers pack Oakley knocked on at the base and Tiger's pack, now joined by the hirsute Chuter, came under more pressure before the secured ball was sliced into midfield by Goode, allowing Biggs and Tuilagi to run back before being turned over with Goode attempting yet another crossfield kick which again missed it's target but with Leeds once more flopping over the tackled player Goode cleared the penalty deep into the Leeds half.

With the score at 21-6 the hokey-cokey started as players were substituted hither and thither the disappearance of the superb Ma'asi being a special puzzle.

The sparky Hinton linked with Satala and Vickerman for a dramatic knife through butter slicing of the Tiger's defence and with Leeds mounting a rare sustained attack following the Tigers pack again coming under intense pressure Biggs came within a whisker of a try before a great covering tackle by Varndell saved the day.

Leeds were now looking dangerous but with the little things not going for them attacks fizzled out in the face of Tiger's scramble defence.

Hipkiss again produced a burst and produced a the usual solid upright target for his pack as his legs pumped and he stubbornly refused to go to ground but lack of precision saw a turnover and then a penalty against Tigers which led to another break by the excellent Hinton and
more pressure on the visitors but then, with Tigers stretched, for some inexplicable reason Vickerman kicked great possession away.

Croft effortlessly collected a wayward kick from Leeds and once againLeeds infringed in the tackle area and Goode again collected the three points

At 24 - 6 the match looked lost for Leeds Carnegie and then yet another penalty against the home side saw the ball drilled down into the Leeds 22 and after picking a great line Johne Murphy was denied a try by the last minute intervention of Fijian Satala causing the young Irishman knock on over the line.

But Tigers were not to be denied with Vesty capping yet another unfussy and exemplary display by coolly putting Varndell in for his brace - final score 29-6

All in all a workmanlike performance from the Tigers squad with Tom Youngs catching the eye in the backs where he rumbustiously formed a heavyweight partnership with Hipkiss and this combination complemented the silky skills of Varndell and Johne Murphy..

Leeds? Well rather like Worcester their pack looked in good shape with the pugnacious Yank MacDonald and Ma'asi in the vanguard and they gave the Tigers pack a torrid time now and then but their play behind the pack was one dimensional and nervous.

Tigers were influential and Leeds Carnegie's honesty and endeavour cannot fail to win friends.

Man of the Match - Tom Croft.