Tigers v Worcester Match Report
By RichW
April 2 2012
Evening all. It was an odd experience to watch Friday’s game against Worcester as I did from a different perspective in the Goldsmith’s stand from my normal terrace half-way point. The different perspective affords a better view of the space and of the angles but means that much of the action is further away (much further away for a large part of the time) making it harder to discern what’s happening at close quarters and the yardage made as well as losing intimacy with the game.
Having settled into my seat to watch the old warhorse himself, Julian White et al parade the Lovely Vase, Lead Violin, Loaded Volvo, Luncheon Voucher, Lord Vader - oh-whtever-cup with a tear in my eye. Thanks Tigers - classy - hope the young farmer appreciated it as much as we did. And so the game kicked of with Worcester attacking towards us.
Despite the visitors gaining first blood with a penalty goal by returning former Tigers favourite Andy Goode most of the action in the first period was frustratingly distant from us as the home side asserted themselves at set piece and in the loose with the lineout providing an especially rich hunting ground as former Warrior Graham Kitchener in particular ran riot on his former team-mates’ drills.
It was from a lineout error by the visitors that the game’s first critical moment occurred as Tom Waldrom seized on loose ball on to charge 20 metres to where he was tackled just short of the line. At the ensuing ruck the aforementioned Tigers old boy Goode was adjudged to have failed to roll away and was the recipient of Mr Barnes’ yellow card.
Despite ensuing pressure punctuated by further penalties Tigers were unable to convert their numerical advantage as Worcester’s scrum held up well and aggressive defence saw them clear their lines.
However it was Leicester scrum pressure that produced the first try. There was evidence of plenty of imprecision in the hosts’ game - none more so than when Scott Hamilton and Geordan Murphy both chasing the same kick managed to create an unlikely knock-on without an opponent in sight but at the ensuing scrum the Worcester pack were rocked back on their own ball and with Grindall applying pressure to the number 8 Cowan the turn-over gave Flood ample time to place the ball, with a beautifully weighted kick in front of Hamilton to make amends with an unchallenged run to the line.
Helped undoubtedly by the absence of Goode though it was, where there had been inaccuracy and imprecision it was rapier like. Unfortunately, from wide out Flood coud not add the extras his kick well wide. Hmm where it had been rapier like...
Further errors followed - despite pressure with an overlap missed here and a couple of dropped balls there. They all conspired to keep Worcester in a game their discipline and Tigers shear volume of ball ought to have seen them well out of.
And so Goodey returned with only 5 points lost from his absence.
Another lineout steal for Kitchener gave Leicester more ball and it seemed to have been converted when Murphy straightened at pace and Anthony Allen linked with the deftest of passes to put Alex Tuilagi into space down the left wing. With a try on for all money it took a tremendous challenge to force Alex’ foot into touch a metre short. Though why it went to the TMO was unclear to me - what exactly do touch-judges do again? Ideally positioned as he was I am bemused as why he wasn’t able to see the touch-line! However yet again Worcester’s lineout woes recurred immediately and, under pressure, they coughed it up for George Chuter to pounce and throw himself over the line. It was perhaps what the Leicester pressure deserved and certainly George will have been delighted with a rare score for him but that it came from opposition cock-up was a frustration.
Again the conversion from wide out was too much for Toby though he was much closer with this one.
The next period produced the game changing moment as that man Goodey, still filled with bristle and aggression after his earlier indiscretion clattered into Tom Croft off the ball as Tom dropped it. That he chose to use his shoulder and went high made it look worse and an inevitable sanction followed. Whether it should have been a straight red card or a second yellow made no difference - his dismissal reducing the visitors to 14 men with over 50 minutes to go - but it was a shame to see the old boy’s return end so ignominiously.
The outcome was an attacking lineout and after two turn-overs courtesy of Mr Banes’ stop-watch calculation of how long the ball could remain unplayed as the maul went down (both sides suffering from two of the most pernickety decisions I’ve seen) Tigers switched the ball left again and with a man over Flood and Murphy combined to put Croft in near the corner.
The conversion, from the same spot as that after Chuter’s try, was finally good - drilled down the middle as Leicester went into the break at 18-3 up.
So having watched the game from a distance from our temporary perch we hoped to see more of the game in the second period, hopeful that Tigers could turn up the heat and press their numerical advantage, attacking the line in front of us.
Again there were early errors from both sides with the Warriors getting first blood again from a penalty goal to replacement outside half Danny Gray after Manu crept up off-side. But, after a slightly casual restart that failed to go 10, when Tigers gained the ball their reposte was all power which the hitherto effective Worcester defence was unable to resist.
Numerous phases built up in the best passage of play in the match before Castro with Tony Allen providing a boost from behind drove over through the tackle of Rasmussen to score. Flood’s conversion was good to push the score to 24-6.
As changes were made by both sides Ed Slater saw yellow for collapsing an attacking maul as it drove towards the line but Worcester were unable to benefit from either the penalty as their lineout crumbled again or the card that brought the sides numerically level for a while.
A sequence of penalties saw Tigers progress almost without effort to the visitors’ 5 metre line to score the comedy try of the evening. Tom Youngs having replaced George Chuter threw long to Tom Waldrom alone at the back from where he charged to the line with all and sundry looking on in surprise.
The conversion good and the game was looking like a rout.
That it didn’t become one was as much to do with the resilient physicality of Worcester as Leicester’s continuing inability to find their rhythm and precision.
But despite their determination and commitment they were undone by their ability to control the breakdown, They gave away a penalty for holding on, on the Tigers goal-line before their breakdown was disrupted in their own half by the excellent Kitchener who proceeded to carry and deliver a perfectly waited pass to the motoring Tom Youngs for him to coast in. The subsequent minor niggle was something and nothing.
Again Worcester attacked and the play was at the wrong end for your correspondent but their inability to break the line and control the breakdown gave them nothing and led to the turn-over that saw Mafi hit the line, break the tackle and off-load for George Ford to finish the score.
It had been a fractured game - affected by yellow cards and imprecision and it went into the final stages with Alex Tuilagi harshly sin-binned after reacting to a shoulder in the back as the ball went into touch in a completely innocuous situation.
Tigers had more chances but missed out on them - with Smith and Croft both being guilty of failing to use the space available to them down the right wing and Mr Barnes losing his consistency at the break-down where his interpretation shifted from his earlier strictness for lying over the ball to a strange latitude as players failed to allow the ball to be recycled.
As the game stuttered on, Worcester were finally rewarded for their refusal to surrender on a difficult evening, when in the dying moments, the clock having turned red they finally rumbled the ball over for Ceri Jones to score. Gray’s conversion made the final score 43-13.
While there were some good performances from Leicester with Slater, Croft and especially man of the match Kitchener figuring large and Tom Youngs and Steve Mafi showing excellent form off the bench it was a frustrating, fractured performance and I suspect many supporters like myself will rather take the view that they can’t quite work out how a 30 point, 7 try victory could be so disappointing.
Truth be told neither side played very well. Yes there was plenty of commitment and some endeavour but the execution was poor from many with my temporary perspective giving a clear view of how man times overlaps were missed, wrong lines taken and passing imprecision indulged in. No the result was not really in doubt with the dismissal of Goodey sealing the deal but somehow it failed as a spectacle.
Shame. Not that Tigers won’t take the 5 points and the hatful of scores but I suspect what will have been of most use to them going forward to the season’s end is that they will know that there is work to be done.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:04:13:22:58:27 by Tiggs.
Good review, cheers !...