Sale v Tigers AP Match Preview

By ChrisC
April 28 2014

Driving Force - John had been a chauffeur for many years, most recently for the Lord Mayor of a large municipality. He’d tired of the long hours and time away from his family so had decided to seek less arduous and more considerate employment which is how he found me.

I’d been recruited for a new job in the North West which was destined to be a short term but highly lucrative engagement and with the job came a beautiful Mercedes and John.

I lived in the Midlands and so, with my assistant, commuted. I’d never had a driver before (or since) and it was a wondrous experience. My assistant and I would spend the commuting time working and using the car phone, back then a recent innovation.

John would arrive at my home in a leafy suburb of Birmingham at 7am with the daily papers already purchased, which he then laid out in regimental order while the car’s interior was warmed. I sat in the back although I did try to move to the front passenger seat on an occasion when it was just John and me in the car but the pain in his eyes at this breach of etiquette was palpable as it was when I suggested he need not always wear his peaked cap. “If sir really insists” he said “but I’d prefer to wear it - thank you. It’s my badge of office you see?” I was always “sir”, my wife: “madam” and my assistant “Miss”. He blenched when I suggested we be addressed in some more informal manner; “if you don’t mind sir I’m more comfortable with the present arrangement”.

There was no small talk between us and when, on a particularly long journey, I suggested he might like me to take a spell behind the wheel it was as if I’d suggested his children be sold to white slavers. We thus settled down into a, for me, odd relationship.

On Friday evenings John would ask if I required him during the weekend which, other than if I had to entertain somebody or have a business meeting, I did not. “Will sir be requiring the Mercedes or be using madam’s Range Rover” John would politely enquire, clearly horrified that his beloved car would be off down some muddy track so my wife could look at horses jumping fences.

If a speck of dust or, heaven forefend, a piece of mud should sully either the interior or exterior of his charge he would be to work returning the vehicle to pristine condition at the earliest opportunity.

There was a mystery though. When he’d drive me into London he’d deliver me to my destination and then disappear with the car until I telephoned to say I was ready to be collected, following which he promptly reappeared, the car again immaculate and fuelled ready for the next stage of our journey. I eventually asked him where he went during those times as he never submitted a claim for parking fees or car cleaning. He fixed me with a half smile and said “we have places; trade secret amongst us drivers I’m afraid sir” – I never asked again.

He was a consummate professional. He knew what he was doing and didn’t need any amateur assistance; a bit like Richard Cockerill and Steve Diamond must feel when part time (and for that matter full time) pundits give them the benefit of their sagacity.

Rugby players are similarly professional it’s just such a shame that we no longer have a sufficient cadre of match officials who exhibit the same degree of professionalism.

We saw this again in Tigers’ last match against Quins when, not for the first time, I was left with the conclusion that the match officials had too great an influence on the outcome of the game.

When the same official one week issues a Red Card for a punch and within six days issues a Yellow Card for the same offence there’s something awry. Later in the match one player made a tip tackle and, the officials; spirit level at the ready, awarded him a ten minute break for his trouble yet when subsequently a player from the opposition committed an identical offence the match officials didn’t consider it warranted like sanction.

Some laws aren’t administered at all, others sporadically and using variable criteria from minute to minute, match to match and season to season, depending on the mores of the “guidance” from the IRB or the preferences of the match officials themselves and of course incompetence plays a part. The shibboleth surrounding match officials has, sadly, long been lost under an avalanche of incoherence, inconsistency and incompetence.

Some time ago I forecast the approaching imprecation of a hybrid “Leagunion” to suit the SANZAR countries’ wish for the more “flowing play” demanded by their supporters, who presumably lack the acuity to follow the traditional format, and broadcasters, one of whom recently opined to the effect that Nigel Owens is a good referee due to his not being too concerned with all the rules (sic) if their enforcement inhibits the flow of the match. Oh dear!

For this corruption of the sport it can be the only explanation for the miasma that the administrators and their ciphers have visited upon us. The supreme irony of this engineering is that the game is less attractive than it was two decades ago. If overweening southern hemisphere influence isn’t at the heart of matters it’s a mystery to me what is.

And speaking of mysteries; what’s happened to Exeter Chiefs? Since they lifted the LV= Cup they have shipped 45 points to Tigers, 33 points to Worcester (of all teams) and now 55 points to Sale who demolished them in an eight try rout, which represents almost 20% of all the tries Steve Diamond’s team have scored in the whole competition!

In the penultimate match of the season Tigers have the unenviable prospect of a trip to Manchester to play the rejuvenated Sale, who are unrecognisable from the shambolic outfit that flirted with relegation for so long last term and who have just recorded their fifth consecutive Premiership victory while away from home.

Tigers meanwhile have struggled their way through a quagmire of injuries, the remnants of the season long crisis clinging to their boots even as the competition approaches its denouement.

After two high intensity matches against Clermont and Northampton Tigers seem to have suffered from a hangover but have had the benefit of a fortnight off to regroup.

When writing these pieces it’s my habit to watch Tigers’ putative opponents in their previous encounter but this time I’m not sure it had much relevance as the match resembled a (lightly) opposed training run for Sale, Exeter providing little in the way of attacking play and even less in defence where they fell off tackles as if the Sale players were coated in Teflon. Otherwise Exeter backed off, presumably so as not to unduly crowd the attacking players, who, thus unhindered, ran their choreographed training ground routines with great aplomb.

Even the Sale scrum worked well so we shall need to see how it performs against the visiting Tigers after it ran up the white flag when it came to Welford Road at Christmas time and we were subjected to innumerable resets and penalties by young Matt Carley before he succumbed to the inevitable and awarded a penalty try to the hosts. The more self aware Sale supporters who witnessed Mr Wigglesworth’s award of a penalty try against Tigers last time out will, I hope, have permitted themselves a rueful smile.

Back in the bleak midwinter at Welford Road Sale fielded a front row of Lewis-Roberts, who had a season at Toulon before returning to Sale, joining with Moldovian international tight-head Vadim Cobilas flanking Welshman Marc Jones and as this has been Sale’s default starting trio of late I can see no reason why they should not be deployed once more come Saturday afternoon.

When Dan Cole started last time the clubs met little did we know that he had only one more match before his Premiership season was ended by Stuart Lancaster’s England. As it is the twenty stone Mulipola has been a worthy replacement after his move from the loose-head but will be physically well matched by Sale’s Welsh international.

In spite of a solid performance from ex Sale favourite; Neil Briggs Tigers missed the presence of Tom Youngs and I expect to see him back at the grindstone in this must win fixture alongside his international colleague Marcos Ayerza so in reality I can’t see anything other than advantage Tigers in the front row battle. Officialdom permitting of course!

Kiwi Michael Paterson; the ex Super 14 player with Crusaders and also ex of Cardiff Blues where he spent a couple of seasons, brings solidity to the Sale line out, is robust in defence, marvellous at the breakdown and in the loose. So I can’t imagine the erstwhile New Zealand Under21 international won’t start on Saturday. His partner in the second row looks more settled nowadays and likely to be another Welshman in the presence of ex Scarlets and London Welsh lock; Jonathan Mills who is getting more reward for his efforts than he did at the Kassam.

Tigers for their part will probably start with captain elect; Ed Slater, who’s having a fine season, and has hopefully managed to reduce his blood pressure and overcome his exophthalmia after nearly exploding with well placed frustration at the antics of Mr Wigglesworth last time out. British Lion Geoff Parling is another player returning from an England induced injury that’s counted him out for most of the season and given the influence he had when he made another cameo appearance at the Stoop I hope he starts.

With Jamie Gibson and Wasps bound James Gaskell likely to neutralise each other at the line out I’d expect Parling and Slater to get an edge at the set piece.

If I were to have to give the reason for Sale’s survival and then resurgence I’d have two words: “Dan Braid”. The thirty-three year old All Black has been one of the best signings of the past couple of seasons but once again he’s been injured for the last few matches however with another fortnight in the Sale treatment room he may be restored for next Saturday. If he is then the Tauranga born flanker will likely be on the blind side for his club although as he played his international rugby on the open side he is understandably a terrific influence at the breakdown.

The effect of having two traditional open-sides, as I expect David Seymour, to be in the Sale #7 shirt, will make an interesting contest with the ultra specialist Julian Salvi and sometime #7 Jamie Gibson. We may even have the benison of a referee with a more than a passing understanding of the laws that inundate the breakdown and who officiates with a passing nod at consistency in his decision making. I know it’s late in the season for such radicalism to take hold but I live in hope!

Veteran Welsh international Dwayne Peel still has all the tricks, pace and nous that won him seventy-three caps for Wales and five for the British Lions during their tour to the land of the Long White Cloud in the summer of 2005. Given a decent platform, which is not something he’s had too often since his arrival from the Scarlets back in 2008, he can still cause havoc with his pace and fizzing pass.

Ben Youngs on the other hand invariably has a solid foundation for his work and it’s this underpinning that, with his renewed form, may see him get the measure of his vastly more experienced opponent but he’ll need that structure.

I hope that Danny Cipriani doesn’t get lured back to the bright lights of London. Steve Diamond seems to have got the prodigiously talented fly-half back on the straight and narrow where others have failed and although he was playing against an Exeter defence that appeared to be auditioning as Crash Dummies he was still beautifully accurate and sophisticated in executing his task. Of course come Saturday he’ll likely be afforded less space and time than he was at Sandy Park when he reminded Lancaster of his skill set as the accidie of the opposition gave him free rein. There’s a media groundswell for his recall for the summer tour to New Zealand and that alone should be enough to see him reconciled with the national side.

Owen Williams gave way to Toby Flood in the starting line up against Quins and I rather missed him, which goes to show what an impression the young Welshman’s made. It would be interesting to see him opposite Cipriani as I think is likely.

Steve Diamond has enjoyed a settled centre partnership of late including ex Blues, Worcester and Munster All Black; Sam Tuitupou who broke the Chiefs’ gain line with an ease that must have delighted him and with the crunching presence of ten time capped Samoan international Johnny Leota outside it’s a tough, hard running duo albeit with all the subtlety of a pair of Centurion Tanks.

They have similar styles and while this enables them to act as a pair of auxiliary flankers when required there’s less of the Ying and Yang that I prefer in centre pairings. Also they can look uncertain when opposition defences are upon them quickly so Tigers will need to improve their line speed to expose any such frailty and preclude the opportunity for the Sale pairing to get up a head of steam.

With Tony Allen back the Tigers defence looks more solid although Manu Tuilagi is another whose proclivity is to leap out of the line like a started stag. With Tigers ball slowed to snail’s pace continuity in attack was stifled last time out and so Tuilagi wasn’t given enough opportunities to show his own gain line busting talents against Quins.

Opportunities against Sale will be limited. They have the meanest defence in the Premiership conceding just thirty-one tries compared to table topping Saracens with thirty-two. So this, with only Saracens and Northampton having successfully crossed the opposition try line on more occasions than Tigers, should prove a fascinating battle.

I can see Tigers fielding an unchanged back three with the lethal force that is Niki Goneva combining with Tuilagi still to consistently realise its full potential while Blaine Scully, who must be one of the best around under the high ball, will still be smarting from the realisation garnered from Mr Wigglesworth that it is not permissible to compete for the ball in the air – who knew? Nobody but Wigglesworth I suspect and then only at that moment!

Matthew Tait will be looking forward to his return to face Sale with whom he didn’t have the happiest of sojourns, managing just three Premiership starts in his last season with continuing injury woes limiting him to a like number in his first season with Tigers. After another season ravaged by injury he’s showing some late season form, his jinking run the nexus of the sequence of play that led to Goneva’s try against Quins.

There have been a few changes on the left wing for Sale of late with Cueto, now thirty-five, sharing the shirt with Miller and, last time, Ingall.

If he’s fit I expect to see the return of the fifty-two time capped England international, another who has five Lions’ caps to his credit, earned on the same tour as current colleague; Dwayne Peel.

Young Tom Brady has four Premiership tries to his account this term, taking his career total with Sale to twenty-four. He’s a really dangerous lad. Loads of pace and a hard worker in defence, he may not be sprinkled with stardust by the media as are less deserving wingers but he consistently gets over the opposition whitewash for his club.

The big kicking, fleet footed Tom Arscott looks likely to retain his position at full back against Tigers having enjoyed sibling bragging rights when Sale put his younger brother’s team to the sword last time out. Very different in style to Tait but in his own understated way the ex Plymouth, Bristol, Worcester and London Welsh player can be highly effective.

There’s no cliché that doesn’t benefit from endless repetition (just watch rugby coverage on TV or read the sporting press if you don’t believe me!) so this is a must win game for both teams. That’s better out than in!

I think the edge Tigers may get at the set piece in treating their hosts to another peristallic experience could prove pivotal, so I’m going for a Tigers’ win but by no more than a single score.

Remember before you scorn me – I’m not a professional!

Sale v Tigers AP Match Preview

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

Date: 28/04/2014 22:14

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:05:05:22:10:17 by Tiggs.