Toulon v Tigers ERCC Match Preview

By ChrisC
December 8 2014

I Haven’t The Foggiest. We were still gripping on to the last vestiges of summer when we left the UK to drive down to Spain via the Channel Tunnel and the spectacular Millau Viaduct. Back then, in early September, even here in the Peak District, autumn hadn’t yet exacted its grip and summer apparel was still very much the order of the day.

Now though here we are at last back home, where we have spent so little time of late, finding ourselves not only plunged into the depths of winter but with the Christmas season surprisingly already upon us.

How different a winter sojourn to the sun is from my childhood when, with my parents, I was obliged to endure the whole of the English winter.

They seem to have been universally foggy winters in the 1950s and 60s which saw us sent home from school early so as to be safely ensconced before darkness prematurely fell. Even when I started work the working day was curtailed as the trains would cease operating at nightfall when fog blanketed the capital.

Then of course it was smog, a toxic mixture of fog and smoke as efforts to improve air quality were in their infancy and homes, factories, power stations and trains still relied on coal for their energy.

The smog was so dense that it was impossible to see more than a few feet. The workers returning from the offices and factories would be muffled in sympathy with the silence that enveloped the city. They would trudge along, hats pulled down and scarves wound around their pinched faces, tentatively touching the fences and hedges that bordered the street so as not to lose their bearings.

Those vehicles that were abroad were like ephemeral monsters with the insect eyes of their headlamps making puny attempts at lighting the way through the stygian winter gloom.

Waiting spouses stood in open door ways that threw oblong islands of yellow light onto the pavement to welcome their homecoming partners. Names were called into the blackness as another figure stumbled out of the darkness into the blessed temporary relief of the illuminated havens. The response usually; “No Missus I’m not him but where am I and which way am I heading?”

Often, upon finding themselves going in the wrong direction on the wrong street, there’d be a muttered thanks as they turned on their heels and set off in the direction from whence they’d come stumbling from the darkness.

And then suddenly there he’d be – Dad. His cap barely clearing his eyes, his scarf wound around his face almost meeting the peak of his workaday headwear.

The resultant sartorial ensemble resembling the gas mask that had been consigned to the back of the hall cupboard barely a decade before. He’d stagger into the hallway, coughing and retching from the sulphurous clouds through which he’d battled. After he disrobed he could have passed as Zorro with a black band of soot around the unprotected part of his face.

Whenever I smell the cindery odour of smoke from a coal fire I am still transported back to those dark post war days.

On the way down to Spain we stopped overnight in Clermont where the local team was playing at home so there were plenty of rugby folk about. In our hotel an ex pat, originally from Market Bosworth, who was supporting Lyon, spotted my Tigers shirt and asked if I’d seen the result of Tigers’ fixture at the Recreation Ground that afternoon. I confessed that I hadn’t and he imparted the shocking news, which drove me into the arms of “Madame Merlot”

Next morning though I got my revenge as Lyon had gone down 43 -12, our eyes met at breakfast, I winked, he shook his head and shrugged, nothing more needed to be said! We shook hands and wished each other well. He set off back to Lyon while we headed south. The rugby brotherhood alive and well.

Meanwhile down in Spain our imminent arrival had been announced and I knew, just knew, that Jerry, a Bath supporter, would be in position in my favourite bar, wearing his Bath shirt and smugly awaiting my appearance.

With the advent of BT Sport and my prolonged absence in Spain I have seen very little Premiership rugby this season although Jerry, gleefully, kept me up to date as Tigers’ travails unfolded.

His high spot was the announcement that Tigers were languishing in tenth spot, following their loss at Gloucester.

Remarkably therefore as I write this Tigers have ascended the league table and are joint fourth with Saracens, although their quite dreadful negative points difference has consigned them to fifth and it seems unlikely that in a tight finish this element will be helpful.

It’s perhaps worth mentioning that after Round Nine of last season’s competition Tigers were also in fifth place and on twenty-six points, just one point better than this season’s twenty-five! And at the same point in season 2012/13 Tigers were – yes you guessed it; fifth, going on to finish second and wrest the End of Season Knockout cup from Northampton.

So all’s not lost – yet!

And there have been developments aplenty at Welford Road while I’ve been away most notably the appointment of Aaron Mauger as Tigers’ new Head Coach for the 2014/15 season.

I have borne witness to the grimness of England’s Autumn Internationals and maybe could be forgiven for thinking that I had been transported back in time as England beat a weary looking Australia by playing the same style of rugby for which previous England managers and coaches have been so roundly castigated by the press corps. Forward power augmented by, well, more forward power.

I also saw Tigers’ remarkable LV= cup match against Sale, the match with Wasps as well as last weekend’s meeting with this week’s opponents: Toulon.

After we’d bumped our way across the Bay of Biscay back to the UK within a few days I was happily settled down to watch Tigers’ fixture with Mourad Boudjellal’s galácticos. Bliss!!

Toulon’s comic book millionaire has assembled a “Who’s Who” of rugby names and has bought significant success for his home town club.

And so it was that Lord Snooty and his Pals arrived at Welford Road to meet up with Tigers’ Bash Street Kids.

The occasion was somewhat spoilt by the post match antics of Castrogiovanni who I would not be surprised to see omitted from next Saturday’s squad with the twenty-three year old Georgian international Levan Chilichava, who’s already played eighteen times for his country, preferred as back up to Carl Hayman who also struggled against a dominant Marcos Ayerza, who’ll surely start again down in the South of France, and when Rizzo appeared late on the iconic thirty-five year old All Black also failed to dominate his young opponent, seemingly discomforted by Rizzo’s scrummaging style.

Dan Cole looked as if he’d been feasting on cow pie and demonstrated for anybody who cared to pay attention why he ousted the foul mouthed fallen idol that is Martin Castrogiovanni from being first choice on the Tigers’ tight head. The recently returned Lion was mighty in all that he did whether in the loose or, in particular, at scrum time when he dismantled young Xavier Chiocci who may be benched so the similarly youthful Florian Fresia can chance his arm.

However given the way Cole is playing with such enthusiasm erstwhile France coach Bernard Laporte may be tempted to go for the vastly experienced international Alexandre Menini if he’s fit. Laporte will not want to see his pack dismantled again especially on home turf. The ex Oyonnax, Rumilly, Beziers, Aix, Mont-de-Marsan loose head has certainly been around making his club debut way back in September 2005 and his appearance on the international scene eventually followed when he started against both Australia and Fiji in this season’s Autumn Internationals.

Laporte seems to rotate Guirado, the twenty-four time capped French international hooker who is newly arrived from USAP, with Jean-Charles Orioli who is that rarity; a player who’s spent his career at Toulon having played over one hundred times for the club, including twenty-nine appearances in European competitions. So I think it’ll be Orioli who starts and although Tom Youngs support work in the loose led to Tigers’ try on Sunday I’d be sorely tempted to start with Ghiraldini to boost the technical aspect of Tigers at scrum time with Youngs arriving as the ultimate impact substitute. Rarely would the nomenclature be more apposite.

In the second row Toulon’s aging icons Ali Williams and Bakkies Botha failed to make much impression on the Tigers’ line out and with the depth of his squad I’d not be shocked to see Laporte go for French international Jocelino Suta paired with either Williams or another French international RomainTaofifenua, also newly arrived from USAP for this term, to freshen things up and bring more athleticism in an effort to gain some set piece superiority and give Tigers something different to think about.

It would certainly help the game if, unlike Nigel Owens; doyen of the after dinner speaking circuit, TV presenter, author, 2007 Gay Sports Personality of the Year, Gorsedd of the Bards member and, according to his agent, available for your functions and corporate events for a paltry £1000-£3000, Mr Clancy stops the Toulon locks flopping around at the breakdown.

Tigers line out was rock solid with Jamie Gibson dominating proceedings in support of Tigers’ Judge Dredd, the simply magnificent Brad Thorn, who unlike Messrs Botha and Williams seems unaffected by the aging process and has added a V12 turbocharged presence to Tigers’ scrummaging. I hope somebody has checked his locker to see if he’s snaffled the picture of Dorian Gray and if so makes sure that he has a good look at it before he trots out next Saturday alongside Geoff Parling who I think will be rotated with the excellent Kitchener.

Changes will be made by Laporte as he’s plenty to choose from but if Sunday’s performance is anything to go by I still think that Tigers can match whatever’s thrown at them by Laporte’s tight five.

Much was said and written about Steffon Armitage’s prowess and in all the adulation and admiration of his general wonderfulness the presence of Tigers’ very own Steel Claw; Julian Salvi was dismissed as a bit part player to Armitage’s inevitable tour de force. I can imagine Salvi having a quiet smile before outplaying the Toulon open-side who’d been well and truly worked out by Tigers’ analysts and to all intents and purposes neutralised. Armitage plays as Armitage plays but I foresee Toulon providing much more support to their provider of turnovers in chief.

Hard to see how Croft will displace Gibson who’s been a revelation. He came from London Irish as one of those signings that elicits shrugs and who’d have thought he’d become the player he has.

The Georgian giant; Mamuka Gorgodze, another new purchase, this time from Montpellier (can one buy rugby players from some sort of Platinum Card Amazon do you think!?) wore the blindside shirt for Toulon but made little impact so I expect to see the superb Juan Smith back in the starting line up in front of his home crowd. Thus far seventy times a Springbok, an international career which started way back in June 2003 when he played against Scotland during their tour to South Africa.

Far more mobile and dynamic he’s equally at home on the open-side, where he’s played some of his international rugby, he’d add a whole new facet to the hosts’ game and if he’s present then Tigers, facing two scavengers like Armitage and Smith, will not have such a happy time at the breakdown as they did last Sunday tea-time. If the Toulon half backs can get turnover ball as a consequence then there could be trouble for the visitors.

Chris Masoe is something of fixture at #8 for Toulon, the thirty-five year old is in his third season with the club and carried the ball into the congested area around the breakdown at Welford Road with little joy as the Tigers defence, benefitting from new coach Phil Blake’s influence, held firm, squeezing the oxygen out of the visitors’ putative attacks.

Crane was rock solid at the restarts and implacable in defence but one of his loose passes very nearly presented Toulon with another try. Barbieri is the more dynamic option but solidity should be the watchword next Saturday.

Behind the packs, wherein most of the action was, Ben Youngs had a good return from the fond embrace of Stuart Lancaster who’ll probably prefer his favourite son Mr Daniel Care come the Six Nations. By no means was Youngs culpable of being a Benny Bones as he was industrious throughout and did his best to get his back line moving on occasion but this was really ten man rugby and French international scrum half, the ex Castres and Biarritz player; Sébastien Tillous-Borde, who managed to stay on the pitch in spite of multiple infringements ignored by Mr Owen but spotted and signalled by his touch judges, wholeheartedly participated while living off the scraps provided by his forwards.

Recent medical joker, the newly arrived from Bordeaux; Argentine Nicolas Sanchez was good from the kicking tee for the most part but such skills as he has were obscured by the nature of the conflict with both teams laying up flat on the gain line so as to snuff out any attacking intent from the opposition. I must say that I would prefer that, given Toulon’s modus operandi, Tigers’ backs stood deeper so that they can take the ball at pace rather than stationary and engaging in trench warfare on the gain line.

Owen Williams continued to build his reputation. I was impressed by his being un-phased and able to resume his game (a quality that Toby Flood also had) following his daft speculative pass that gifted Habana an intercept try. I did ponder what the reaction of his detractors would have been had that error been made by Freddie Burns who, if the eyeball to eyeball alignment of the backs is to be pursued, could be a weapon worth deploying at some point with his deft chips exploiting the lack of a sweeper in the Toulon defence.

French international star centres Mermoz and Bastareaud were cancelled out by the superlative defence of Matt Smith and Tony Allen who worked their socks off. Allen first plugging away trying to get over the gain line, then bouncing back to organise the defence and make his own contribution to its efficacy.

It’s significant that it was Tigers’ errors that yielded the tries not the breathtaking constructs we’ve seen in the past from the comic book galácticos.

Against the potentially lethal star studded Toulon line up Allen and the ever resolute Matt Smith were the perfect combination, also doing their part at the breakdown as auxiliary flankers and I expect their partnership to continue next Saturday.

Out wide Habana and Drew Mitchell were well contained and probably got just two credible chances, both from Tigers’ errors and unsurprisingly they seized them with alacrity. The star duo look likely to be trying to torment Tigers next weekend while I expect that if the protocols have been satisfied Leigh Halfpenny, will replace Delon Armitage who has yet to be on the winning side at Welford Road. The Welsh superstar bringing his own siege gun boot to that of his compatriot in the Tigers’ #10 shirt in a long range contest.

Tigers’ back three looks likely to be Goneva who seems to have lost his mojo at the moment with his running lines and pace out of kilter and his hands seemingly fashioned from finest teak. Tigers need their favourite Fijian to be on top form next weekend and taking any sniff of a chance that eludes the smell of garlic and Gauloises.

Scully as usual impressed under the high ball and was again in the vanguard of the much improved kick-chase that led to Tigers’ first try and looked the more likely winger to escape the gyves which Toulon deployed.

Matt Tait is something of a revelation when the big games come along and showed his class under the high ball and took it up beautifully, his kicking game was good and his tackling saved at least one certain try. He’ll be back next week.

Can Tigers repeat the feat and go even further by besting the European champions in their own backyard?

Before the events of Sunday last I’d have said that I had more chance of becoming the next Michael Buble (you should hear me sing – well maybe not!) but now?

Well Tigers certainly could pull off another monumental victory of such magnitude that Roy of the Rovers would surely gasp in awe. The will, the motivation and ability are all there but will they do it?

I haven’t the foggiest.

Toulon v Tigers ERCC Match Preview

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

Date: 08/12/2014 19:39

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:12:16:13:20:43 by Tiggs.