Tigers v Exeter AP Match Preview

By ChrisC
March 17 2014

Critical Mass - He was insistent that a service I had rendered should for some reason attract a restaurant meal as a gesture of his gratitude, a reward in excess of the pleasure I had already derived from receiving his thanks and friendship over many years.

The restaurant had been selected by him. It was in an upmarket part of the provincial city where he lives and was one of those ghettos of converted warehouses that contain “destinations” for overpriced consumer goods and places where weary shoppers, businessmen and managerial types gain sustenance during the day.

Once the lights go down and the prices go up the well heeled appear, the males insisting on having their shirt tails flapping around their buttocks while the distaff side have their skirts so short and tight as to surely preclude eating being a pleasurable and comfortable experience.

We were required to stand, like two Oliver Twists, at a lectern until a supercilious gel haired youth arrived and raised his delicately plucked eyebrows in sardonic enquiry. Like the rest of the staff he gave the impression that he was just passing through en route to better things.

Our table was neat and clean and, aside from one other group of diners, where the men clearly felt that honking like a line of taxis was the way to impress the bevy of blond beauties that accompanied them, it was an artfully lit quiet space. Sort of post industrial English meets Connecticut.

The menus arrived and were full of things that were drizzled, primped, wilted, nestled and wafted. Descriptions that some pretentious half wit had decided would hide the paucity of intelligent, let alone interesting dishes.

The over-priced starters were large, albeit tasteless, but occupied us until the main course eventually arrived appearing to be a bit of slug like beige cartilage in a pool of toning oleaginous gloop which, according to the menu, was “caressing” the meat.

It was as peculiar of taste as it was visually repulsive. I poked it around a bit to see if anything crawled from the overcooked vegetables and, deeming it not too toxic to consume, ate a small amount by which time our young gel-headed friend had arrived and asked, in a way that would brook no demurring by us, if all was well. I didn’t feel able to provide an honest view given my guest status and merely grunted although I did ask what exactly the dish was.

Our ersatz maitre d’ raised an ironic eyebrow and repeated the description from the menu. “And that’s what this is supposed to be?” I asked, giving the gastropod mollusc another tentative poke to confirm it was post mortem, this caused gel-boy to leave with a flounce of which the late Larry Grayson would have been proud.

I had no wish to embarrass my host else I would have exploded like a Fourth of July firework at this twerp’s attitude as well as the quality, presentation and cost of the food provided. As it was, at my host’s enquiry as to my lack of appetite, I apologised that injudicious indulgence of the monstrous starter had prematurely sated me and embarrassment was thus avoided.

I have always enjoyed and appreciated food and all the more so since I learned to cook however it has made me even more particular and if, as was the case here, the damning comment leaks from my lips that I could have done better things have reached a pretty pass.

When being critical I am mindful of Brendan Behan’s observation that a critic is akin to eunuch in a harem. Seeing it done every day and knowing how to do it does not indicate an ability to do it oneself. But if one cares about something and is prepared to be honest and analytical in its appraisal then it’s a worthy calling to be a critical observer.

If that’s indeed the case then this rugby season has been one presenting an area of rare fecundity for such as I; your humble correspondent.

Be it the absurdity of the endless tinkering with the laws of the game by the IRB, the attempts by ERC and the majority of the unions to frustrate the clubs in the throwing off of their gyves, the worsening inconsistency in the way the game is refereed.

Not straight at the line out, feeding the scrum and forward passes have largely slipped into the annals of laws past unless they are required for the refereeing assessor’s sheet when they come stumbling, blinking from the sepia pages of the law book for a brief airing like an ageing relative.

While the nonsense and simple wrongheadedness of the disciplinary process and the ennui of our own Tigers where the causative effect of so many injuries has been a millstone have all given plenty to consider and ruminate upon.

The last time Tigers played they dispatched Falcons with increasing ataraxia as the game concluded but it was not the case early on when Tigers again struggled for fluency in both attack and defence.

The lack of defensive cohesion and the drift in attack that seems to beset Tigers when Tony Allen is absent was in evidence again and it was displays of individual rather than collegiate excellence that saw Tigers achieve their objective of four victories during the period of purdah that the Six Nations forces upon us.

High spots were the continuing emergence of Ed Slater, the nacreous talent of Nikki Goneva, the return of Manu Tuilagi, the continuing portents that Ben Youngs is regaining some of the form of which international coaches robbed him (and us) and the dominance of the Tigers’ pack, even sans Dan Cole, the latest player to be returned by Lancaster and his handmaiden Graham(Gutter) Rowntree like a discarded library book whose spine has been damaged. Except the library service would impose a fine and ban further use of their library card – if only!!

England once again failed to match the previous management regime’s achievement of winning the Six Nations. Blessedly both Tom Youngs and Manu Tuilagi, prematurely recalled, presumably by dint of media pressure, after just over an hour of match time, were unscathed in the fixture with the Italian minnows. The next stop on the self styled Red Rose’s journey is a summer tour to New Zealand where they will try to emulate the achievement of the 2010 tour to Australia and beat a SANZAR team on their own turf.

Tom Youngs and Tuilagi aside Tigers’ players have enjoyed a welcome fortnight’s break from competitive action. There was though no rest for Exeter’s players as the LV= Cup staggered to its denouement which saw them first see off big spending Bath in the semi-final at the Recreation Ground before the Devon side acted as hosts for the final when high flying Saints came to town last Sunday with a strong team.

They too were seen off by the home side who put in a magnificent defensive display coupled with some high quality attack, deservedly claiming their first senior trophy for over a century.

The Chiefs’ pack went very well against the Saints who, while having a couple of players missing from their normal line up, looked to have the edge on paper.

I think it likely that young Ben Moon will be asked by Rob Baxter to again compete on the loose-head side of the Chiefs’ front row with the recently restored from injury Chris Whitehead, who was superb in all facets of the game last Sunday, once more in the #2 shirt. I suspect that Lyon bound ex New Zealand Maori Hoani Tui may retain the tight-head berth holding off the challenge of Essex born, ex Saracen and Doncaster forward; Alex Brown who, if anything, I thought strengthened the Chiefs’ scrum when he came on last weekend.

Tigers will doubtless reunite their first choice all international front row of Ayerza, Youngs and Mulipola and it would seem that this combination will prove too much for the visitors’ likely trio at scrum time also providing a major challenge in loose play.

Rob Baxter’s pretty much default selections in the second row are Australian international, New Zealand born Dean Mumm, who was capped thirty-three times for the Wallabies and is a quite splendid leader and prolific try scorer, having crossed the whitewash seven times this season in all competitions. He joined the West Country outfit from the Waratahs last season and has become an integral part of the improvement in the Chiefs’ fortunes. The Australian international will most likely be in harness with Damian Welch, the thirty-one year old ex Scarlets and Cardiff lock being Chiefs’ go to man at the line out.

With Geoff Parling’s return awaited I hope to see Graham Kitchener recovered from injury to join Ed Slater in the hosts’ second row as they’ll bring pace to open play as well as around the breakdown where last weekend Chiefs looked under resourced at times.

I was once more impressed by Zimbabwean Dave Ewers who is excellent at remaining on his feet when tackled and offloading to his support. He was on the blindside last Sunday but with Tom Johnson back from England duty he will probably be in the #6 shirt for the visitors with the ex Cornish Pirate moving back to #8, deposing countryman, the unlucky Kai Horstmann, who had an excellent match against Saints.

Australian Ben White late of Brumbies and Cardiff Blues has been getting the nod for the open side berth and is a very impressive player at the breakdown where, with the rest of the Exeter break away trio, he shows great speed and accuracy at the tackle area. Last Sunday though he was replaced just after half time by yet another Zimbabwean; Donovan Armand who arrived from Stormers/Western Province for this season. Armand is more of a utility player, equally able to acquit himself at blindside, open side and lock but Exeter missed White when he went off.

White was reportedly removed due to suspected concussion so it remains to be seen if he’s fit for next Sunday to face Julian Salvi who, after a good few weeks off from this season’s unrelenting grind, will be raring to go and I’d bet on him bossing the breakdown, although it would be a happy day indeed to have match officials who know and consistently apply the laws.

My guess is that Jordan Crane will be preferred to Exeter bound Waldrom and go head to crunching head with Ewers. They are similar players so it should be good contest.

Jamie Gibson has been making the most of his opportunities to claim the Tigers’ blindside spot in the wake of injuries to Tom Croft and Steve Mafi and in the latter’s case his extended maternity leave. Mafi has been back for a while now though but lightly used so I have been musing as to how big a part the Tongan international plays in Tigers’ future plans and indeed they in his.

Tigers will find the Chiefs’ back row a handful at the breakdown but, refereeing permitting, should edge it if they can match the visitors’ intensity, Salvi’s presence enough to tip the scales in favour of the hosts who I can see also winning the battle of the set pieces. But they’ll have to be very aware of the threat presented by Chiefs’ quite exceptionally well organised and coached rolling maul, especially as these days referees seem to have the default position that any collapsed maul is cause for a penalty regardless of the circumstances.

Behind the scrum ex Gloucester scrum half Dave Lewis has wrested the starting spot from Haydn Thomas and is doing a good job of it. His kicking last Sunday was good in conditions not conducive to the art and his service is fast and accurate however I anticipate his platform being a bit rocky and the fast improving Ben Youngs should have an advantage here.

Young Henry Slade was preferred by Rob Baxter for last Sunday’s final and although his place kicking wasn’t to the standard of the sidelined Ulsterman; Gareth Steenson, his kicking from hand was exemplary and he has the most magnificent Exocet of a pass that gets his wide men moving in what has become a trademark tactic for the Devonian side. The danger is that he can go too wide too early, before the opposition defence has been drawn and he did make one suicidal cross field run which had the hearts of the Sandy Park faithful in their collective mouths. Ceri Sweeney is also on the Exeter books these days so there’s a surfeit of fly half talent for Baxter to call upon.

I really don’t know who’ll get the nod for the Welford Road fixture: Steenson of the uber reliable boot or the mercurially talented Slade. My choice (not that it matters of course) is Steenson as his team will need to be spot on from the tee and the Leicester pitch isn’t historically one for wide play unless one’s used to its peccadilloes.

Owen Williams has certainly set his stall out to be Tigers’ first choice fly-half next season and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t keep the shirt this week. Also that, if he’s fit, Tony Allen isn’t back in his janitorial and attack straightening roles opposite the newly restored veteran Kiwi Jason Shoemark ex of Super Rugby’s Otago and Highlanders, who’s a clever and incisive player through the 10/12 channel.

Ulsterman Ian Whitten is best known for his work at outside centre and if he’s fit I expect to see him reinstated alongside Shoemark even though it would be tough on Welshman Phil Dollman who can play from 12 to 15 and was superb against Saints with a little shimmy here and jink there repeatedly making mugs of the opposition defence.

In some ways, opposite Manu Tuilagi who can charge out of the line at times, Dollman would be a good choice to repeat his deeds against the Pisi brothers.

In attack though Tigers will be able to deploy Tuilagi and if he’s able to join with Tony Allen it’ll be a reunion of the most successful of Tigers’ latter day centre partnerships, their Ying and Yang being so complimentary with Allen’s steadying hand invaluable alongside the young super star.

I can see that with Youngs and Williams pulling the strings, Allen reading the runes and Tuilagi bashing down the door Tigers’ back line could get some chances to put the trials and tribulations of this season behind them.

Jack Nowell visibly grew in confidence as his tenure in Lancaster’s squad continued. Very raw to start with by the Italian game he was creating chances, scoring and looking confident and I hope we see him this weekend even though he’s a real danger man especially in harness with Fetu’u Vainikolo and the muscular Tom James may be in the selectorial mix.

I hadn’t seen much of the extravagantly be-whiskered Tongan international who joined from Connacht having also been with Highlanders and Otago. My goodness he’s a handful!

He’s scored five tries from his first thirteen appearances for the Chiefs. Two scores coming in the Heineken Cup and one in the LV=. Capped a dozen times for his country he’s managed nine tries for them as well.

He can play on either wing and so could find himself opposite another from the South Seas; Tigers’ own Nikki Goneva who’s been in great form and will be looking to exploit the holes that magically appear around Tuilagi as he draws opposition defenders to him as moths to a flame.

With Scully otherwise engaged Adam Thompstone should be on the other flank to keep an eye on Nowell while the fully restored Matt Tait will test the Chiefs’ back three as well as exploiting any broken field play. To save time just ditto that last sentence and substitute the words Luke Arscott for Matt Tait.

Arscott was magnificent in his ball carrying against Saints, repeatedly giving their defence conniptions and with Nowell and Vainikolo Rob Baxter has a very high class back three. But then so does Richard Cockerill, so it’ll be who gets the more chances and I think that’ll be Tigers but whether they’ll be able to breach the Chiefs’ defence is another question altogether.

The remaining questions are whether Chiefs can replicate the intensity of their LV= Cup victory or will it be a matter of “after the Lord Mayor’s Show” as they return to matters mundane in the Premiership where they have only an outside chance of a top five finish which may be what’s required for entry into the new senior European competition. Although it’s creation has been a matter that’s seen more fumbling than from a pair of teenagers in the back row of the Odeon, so who knows?

Will Tigers, after a couple of weeks without action, though refreshed and repaired be undercooked?

I think Tigers’, with their pack and full strength back line on duty, will have enough, especially should the Chiefs drop their standards by even a smidgeon.

Tigers certainly have the most to play for. Chiefs having effectively completed their season with silverware while Tigers are still striving to find something else to utilise all that metal polish, so I think Tigers will win.

But I’ve got my metaphorical pencil sharpened just in case.

Tigers v Exeter AP Match Preview

Posted by: TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk (IP Logged)

Date: 17/03/2014 19:17

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:03:24:20:43:07 by Tiggs.