Tigers v Wasps Preview
By ChrisC
January 2 2012
Snowbirds. Americus Prosperous Geriatricus could be the formal name for the influx of well heeled American retirees who, as soon as the holiday season is over, fly south from the frozen northern states of the USA. The male is usually mute but the female has a raucous call: “Oiving getta kawfee” which she repeats until the male scuttles off to collect the “kawfee” which is a staple of the breed
The common name for this creature is the “Snowbird”. They are mainly white skinned but gradually change colour to varying shades of brown depending on the length of the migration period; normally the months of January and February.
The “Snowbird” season is followed by the “Spring Break” mating season which occupies March and is when the American colleges disgorge hoards of scantily clad fledglings to disport themselves in the last of the driest weather the Sunshine State has to offer.
We have spent quite a few post -Christmas periods in Florida and have been able to watch “Snowbirds” at close hand as they flock to the sunshine and warmth of the Floridian Winter. Many have second nests in the state with the areas around Fort Lauderdale (also a favourite Spring Break destination) and Boca Raton particularly fine roosting sites. We though prefer the west coast which borders the Gulf of Mexico and where the “Snowbirds” are also much in evidence although not as multitudinous as on the favoured eastern seaboard.
I have to admit that there’s little nicer, on a January day, than sitting on a Gulf Coast beach in the warmth of the early evening, drink in hand, watching a spectacular sunset.
We, being amongst the British variant of the Snowbird; Brittanicus Hardupicus Geriatricus, are shortly to fly south on our own winter migration. This then will be my last submission for a while. By the time we return the Six Nations will be busy ruining the second half of the season much as did the World Cup the first. I hope, through the auspices of SkyGO, to keep in touch with matters Tigers and rugby in general but experience tells me that time differences and the vagaries of hotel WiFi may make this more difficult than it should be.
But just before taking flight I’ve had a look at next weekend’s match as London Wasps themselves fly in to pester the Tigers.
The last time I watched Wasps was when they were hammered at Kingsholm. They were awful that day with only their lineout, courtesy of Marcos Wentzl, holding up and, with them otherwise conceding 62% of possession and 84% of territory to Gloucester the home side trotted in six tries. The Wasps’ scrum struggled, they lacked intensity and organisation at the breakdown and their tackling was simply awful with almost 50 being missed and those they did make often failed to put the attacking player out of play.
Since then they’ve entertained Worcester at Adams Park and succumbed to a 0-6 loss in a dreary game while Tigers hosted Sale Sharks at Welford Road and ran out 28-3 victors in anything but a dreary match.
Tigers were out played at the breakdown during the second half when the players looked tired, playing as they were with just a four day break whereas Sale had an extra day of rest to nurse their bumps and bruises. Mr Small permitted anarchy at the breakdown with Sale players repeatedly flopping over the ball and once they realised that Mr Small was in a benign mood they took full advantage whereas Tigers were initially circumspect in their play before late joining in with the chaos.
Nevertheless Tigers got the win and started the New Year at joint third on points with Saints but due to the Northampton side having won an additional match Tigers have to be content with official 4thspot, if only they could have wrested that fourth try!
Worryingly for Tigers Castrogiovanni limped off with what was reportedly a dead leg so my guess is that he’ll not start next week but if fit enough will be on the bench in support of the ever excellent Boris Stankovitch as I don’t think Ayerza is yet ready for action.
Rob Hawkins got a rare start and took his opportunity well, his scrummaging was good, his throwing accurate and he was very mobile around the park, so it will be a tough call if he drops to the bench.
Dan Cole was dominant at the scrum and as things stand there doesn’t seem any realistic option other than for him to start again against Wasps and after all he’ll have had another whole four days off – crazy just crazy – what’s all this we hear about player welfare? Seems to me that when it’s giving players a rest or making the most money possible, money wins every time.
If the need of lucre is so pressing why not play a full fixture list on Christmas Eve and another on New Year’s Day thereby providing a seven day rest period?
Against Gloucester the Wasps’ scrummage struggled although it sounds to have steadied against Worcester and it looks as if veteran Tim Payne will face Dan Cole, of whom he must have such happy memories, and that Rob Webber, who is one of the more dynamic of hookers in open play. With twice capped Welshman Ben Broster they are a force in the loose. However I think they’ll have a bit of a battle up front at scrum time and can’t see anything but an advantage to the hosts.
In ex Tiger Marcos Wentzl Wasps have, with one signing, rectified the horror show that their line out could be and with Brown at Gloucester, Borthwick at Saracens and Tigers’ own Geoff Parling, he’s one of the best line-out technicians around in the Premiership and when he calls the ball to himself (which he most often does) he very rarely disappoints.
Partnering Wentzl (since new signing from Bayonne Ross Filipo’s season ending injury) has been the task of Wasps’ stalwart Richard Birkett and another new signing from Leinster Ed. O'Donoghue.
With Wasps’ injury crisis in the back row Birkett has oft times been deployed there and it could be that O'Donoghue will partner Wentzl there next Saturday in a steadfast combination and let Birkett drop back to blind-side to increase their line-out options.
The aforementioned Geoff Parling is reportedly back in full training but I’d be surprised to see anything other than a seat on the bench for him next weekend and that with Deacon now seemingly again long term injured we’ll see Ed. Slater, who was a strong contender for Man of The Match against Sale, continue his fine run of form and that Kitchener, who aside from missing one throw to him, which sadly led to the sequence of events culminating is Sale’s first try, showed his best form for Tigers’ thus far and if Skivington is also still injured the ex Worcester man will likely continue.
Realistically I can’t see Tigers’ getting much joy on Wasps ball and that this will probably be an area of parity.
Dai Young has signed Namibian World Cup star Tinus duPlessis who’s had previous experience in the English system with spells at Launceston and Rotherham and has a reputation as a big ball carrier who’s capable of playing across the back row. He’s only one match into his Wasps’ career but reports are favourable of his efforts against the Worcester back row antics that Mr Doyle took such exception to when Tigers were at Sixways the week before.
I thought Steve Mafi looked a little weary toward the end of last Sunday’s fixture and so I’d start Croft at blindside so as to give some further certainty at the line out and of course Croft’s pace is a potent weapon in both attack and defence.
Importantly for the visitors the impressive ex Crusader Jonathan Poff is back from injury. At the beginning of this season I thought him to have the makings of a stand-out signing and it’s a shame that we may be denied seeing him against his Antipodean cousin; Julian Salvi, who went off on Sunday. If Salvi and Poff could contest a properly refereed breakdown (we couldn’t get Mr Small twice in two weeks could we?) it could be a classic. If however the rejuvenated Ben Woods starts he’ll be a good measure of how much more match practice Poff needs and how far Woods has come.
Wasps were terrible at the breakdown and scrum when they were at Kingsholm. Young Joe Burton was at #8 that day and had a torrid time of it before he went off just after half time to be replaced by the even younger Sam Jones but this week I wouldn’t be surprised to see an experienced back row of Birkett, Poff and du Plessis.
As we’ve seen over the last two weeks the approach of the referee to the breakdown is key and if we see the Doyle model deployed then it should be a good, close contest but if it’s the Small version then who knows? It’ll then be whoever best divines the way the official wind is blowing on the day that will prevail – shouldn’t be like that should it now?.
Joe Simpson, an expected part of the England Six Nations’ squad, had a poor day at Kingsholm and it doesn’t sound like he did much better against Worecester. Against Gloucester he made some very esoteric decisions and it may be that the Wasps’ management will decide to give the excellent Nic Berry a start. I confess myself a fan of Berry but either way the Wasps’ scrum half is likely to have a difficult time as the Wasps’ scrum, which though improved against Worcester, may find the Tigers’ eight a different jar of liniment altogether (the smell of that embrocation even now takes me back to my years in the dark recesses of the scrum, that and Dubbin!!).
Ben Youngs had a decent game against Sale but his box-kicking!!! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Even he knows it’s poor, so my tip is for the forwards to form one of those nifty tunnels that Saracens have perfected so that he’s about ten metres back from the breakdown when he gets the ball and for him to give the ball to Flood to clear, as the young scrum half’s kicks are a liability at the moment. Otherwise his pass looked better controlled and he made some nice sorties but I also thought that Micky Young provided a nice vignette when he at last got a chance and I see no reason why he shouldn’t get a long awaited start next weekend.
When Dai Young signed Nick(y)Robinson I wondered at his reasoning. Robinson is an infuriatingly inconsistent player and drove Bryan Redpath at Gloucester to distraction I’m sure as much as he did the Kingsholm faithful. However the Welshman limped off before half time with a calf injury in the Worcester match and so with a short turn round time between matches we could see Ryan Davis in the #10 shirt.
Many will remember Davis from his time at Bath when he was a bit part player behind Butch James and in truth didn’t do the bits very well, so he was shipped off to, then, new boys; Exeter Chiefs where he blossomed in spite of being second string to Gareth Steenson. With Rob Baxter having rebuilt his confidence I would like to see him get a start in partnership with Berry.
Toby Flood had a good game with ball hand but that curate’s egg was still smelling out Welford Road when he put boot to ball. However when he keeps the ball in hand he is sheer class and with Billy Twelvetrees outside him over the last fortnight he has had the shackles of worry about what’s happening on his outside shoulder lifted and with Youngs (or Young) I think he’ll find plenty of fertile ground in the Wasps’ defence to sow the seeds of some good attacking positions.
Riki Flutey has looked a shadow of his former self of late with his robust tackling having deserted him at Kingsholm when he was a chief culprit in the missing of tackles and he made little headway in attack either. He had young Elliot Daly outside him that day who looks a real prospect, loads of pace, tough and with a kick like a Howitzer. Against Worcester he replaced Richard Haughton at full back, the ex Saracen sustaining a groin injury in the pre-match warm up. Dom Waldouck in Daly’s erstwhile spot at outside centre.
Flutey and Waldouck, who for me was one of the outstanding young centres, on paper look a “dream team” but thus far it has not proved so with their partnership looking as dysfunctional as a TV reality show family, due in no small part, in my view, to an even more dysfunctional half-back combination.
The Wasps’ backs look lost somehow and I wonder what’s going on down in Wycombe as these are good players.
Being a dinosaur I really like to see players playing in position and Twelvetrees, with his displays over the past two weeks and indeed before that, has surely got himself into one of the England squads for the Six Nations competitions. Some of his passing has been sublime. He’s taken the ball up at pace and is one of the few Tigers’ players who are fully engaged in the concept of chasing kicks. In truth he isn’t a cerebral defensive organiser in the Tony Allen mould but tackles well on his own account and even if, as is mooted, Allen is fit for next weekend it would be only fit and proper for Twelvetrees to keep the shirt he’s won with such distinction and for Allen to get some game time from the bench in an attempt to wrest the #12 shirt back from his young, and now very real, competitor for the starting berth.
In the reverse fixture Twelvetrees scored two tries at Adams Park back in early September and those, together with his prodigious boot, were responsible for all of Tigers 29 points. That day he wore #13 but Matt Smith has pretty much made that shirt his own over the past couple of weeks, joining with his inside partner in forming a redoubtable defence and for the second week delivering a pass of the highest quality to put his winger in for match winning tries.
I do wonder why Flood and Twelvetrees don’t have a compact over kicks from the tee as Flood remains in patchy form and I’m sure Twelvetrees would do a good job with the longer range opportunities. A number of clubs have such an arrangement so why not Tigers?
Wasps have been blessed to have, in young Christian Wade and Tigers’ old boy Tom Varndell, two of the league’s players possessed of real scorching pace.
Varndell, in the appropriate circumstances, is one of the league’s best finishers having scored 36 tries from his 69 appearances for his club, with five of those coming in this least auspicious of seasons for his club and I’m sure he’ll relish the chance of playing in front of a Welford Road crowd. All Tigers have to do is prevent him from getting the ball in space – simple?
I rather admire Wade as he, unlike his older wing colleague, is not much given to arm waving and general histrionics as if he’s just found that Toys ‘r Us is closed. Sadly the youngster also hobbled off before half time just ahead of Robinson, who he’s now joined on the treatment table in a crowded Wasps’ medical centre. So, if as seems possible, he isn’t fit for Saturday then with Haughton suffering a groin injury and Chris Bell out injured it may be that ex Sale and Saint Chris Mayor will stay at 11 with Daly remaining at full back. Things will ease a bit if Hugo Southwell, who went off injured at Kingsholm, is fit but unless some successful running repairs are effected Wasps are stretched thin.
For Tigers; Alex Tuilagi returned with another try after taking a lovely pass from Smith and then bullocking over the defender who dared get in his way. He does give me conniptions in defence though as he ambles about, drops kicks and generally looks as if the whole defence process should be conducted by somebody else, maybe a sixteenth man who pops on and off as required. I wonder if Lee Byrne has any plans for the weekend? That aside he really terrifies defenders and I suspect the Wasps’ backs will feel any differently.
On the other wing Horacio Agulla continues to impress in what may well be seen as his break though season with Tigers. The Argentinian international is so durable when tackled and if he doesn’t score he’s often instrumental in somebody else doing so.
Geordan Murphy looked sharp, freshly coiffured and shaved the streamlining seemed to have worked as he looked quicker over the ground than for a while and his positioning for Twelvetrees’ try making pass showed all his experience but he with Toby Flood must refrain from kicking the ball away unless his chasers are committed to the collection and the ball is close enough for them do the needful. If it’s a tactic to kick the ball deep to opposition backs then it’s a daft one.
So then will Tigers continue their climb up the league by beating the troubled Wasps? Yes I think so.
That’s it then for a while.
So until I return to have a look at Tigers’ prospects down at Sandy Park, when they travel to meet the Exeter Chiefs on 11th February, you can breathe easy as you’ll have a rest from my opinions for a while and as Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger would say “I’ll be back”
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:01:13:14:46:07 by Tiggs.
You can contribute from overseas you know! You'll get bored without the mental stimulation of writing your excellent previews.
Have a great time, and we are already looking forward to your return.
Good luck Tigers, though of course, hopefully not as much luck as us
See you then chaps
Anyway - have a good holiday - hope the warmer climes are - well warmer. I look forward to your return. Have a cold one for me will you?
Any takers to fill in for Mr C whilst he suns himself?
...
Enjoy.
'Profit Motive' .. the Vaseline of genocides.
'Reality' .. the new cynicism
Berry and Davis starting which may be a good thing, watch out for daly definately one for future England honours.... If we can hold you in the scrum and keep up our lineout % we have a small chance.... Let's hope for a good game either way.