Could Be A Tyke Finish

By Chris Chaplin
April 24 2003

Rather depressing times for the Tigers’ faithful with another loss. So will this week’s fixture with Leeds Tykes, against whom in the opening match of this sorry season all the trouble began, see the effective finish of the season as far as Tigers are concerned?

It is of course possible for Tigers still to finish in the top three if all the other teams co-operate but realistically unless home victories over both Leeds and London Irish are secured only the Wildcard route remains for European qualification.

Leeds put London Irish to the sword at the MadStad last weekend which was a feat that Tigers could not manage on a cold wet Sunday, Winter’s afternoon where I saw what has become a depressingly familiar site of a Tigers’ back division failing to function. Leeds have, this term, played a smart, if limited, game-plan using their big forwards, led by Mark Regan, to secure copious, penalties for Braam van Straaten to kick which he has with great alacrity all season. This is a strategy well known to Tigers supporters who will remember in particular the season when, with Joel Stransky’s help, opponents were regularly “kicked to death”.

However in some ways Leeds strategy is a mysterious one and I wonder whether they have made the best of themselves in this golden second chance season.

The Tykes pack is, in many ways, unremarkable. Mike Shelley is perhaps a prime example, with over a century of performances for his side behind him he is an out and out grafter and from this springs inspiration for his colleagues. Another fine example is Aussie Matt Holt, not a candidate for “Fame Academy” but while a hooker by trade has very ably deputised at prop, as he did against London Irish, and of course the newly rejuvenated Mark Regan completes the front row. Gritty, aggressive and while perhaps not what is these days called a “modern” prop he is the mortar that binds this pack.

At lock is one of the finest young second rows in the country, Tom Palmer, incredibly unfortunate to be pushing for full representative honours in the era of Johnno, Ben Kay, Grewcock and Shaw, although quite why Shaw is consistently preferred to the 6’6” Palmer is something of a mystery to me. Partnering him at Irish was Chris Murphy who while somewhat in the shadow of the shining Palmer is proficient in his role with appearances for England at U19 and “A“ testifying to the fact.

Cammie Mather is another young up and coming player in a hurry to prove himself and gain honours for Scotland and with the premature departure of Budge Poutney don‘t they need strength in their back-row? Mather will be everywhere on Saturday and watch for his blond locks being first to the breakdown. I saw him when he was at Worcester and thought him a fine prospect then and my opinion has not changed. Dan Hyde is one of those unassuming players so typical of this Leeds side who shows immense bravery at the breakdown and also provides a valuable extra dimension in the lineout and I actually see him as a major danger. At Irish the back-row lineup was completed by ex Newport player Alix Popham and true to his name expect to see him pop up everywhere and having even played at centre he‘s a bit quick around the park too!

With the unfortunate Scott Benton now released, who I rated highly when he was at Glaws, Midlander Alan Dickens is probably now first choice at scrum-half and having played at Sale with the finest of all the #9s in the Premiership, Bryan Redpath, he’ll have learnt his trade well. He’s a sparky type and can be very dangerous around the fringes. His partner at 10 will almost certainly be Gordon Ross who, for my money at least, is the one to watch at fly-half next year. I like his style of play, he’s sharp, can kick well from hand or the tee and although only capped once for his country there’ll be more to come, another danger man.

Outside of Ross is of course the man that’s made Leeds’ season, one Braam van Straaten. Capped 21 times as a Springbok he’s experienced without a doubt and his kicking is what’s made Leeds’ season a relative success having, thanks to a miscalculation by the RFU, escaped relegation last year. But I do wonder if his ultra conservative style has held Leeds back. Not the most creative of #10s he in many ways reminds me of Mercier at Glaws. Partnered by Welshman Tristan Davies, who is a worthy if perhaps a little uninspiring player, the Leeds centres are, for me anyway, something of brake on the talent of the side.

In these days of an almost inexhaustible supply of wingers the England incumbents must feel the hot breath of Dan Scarborough on their necks as he waits his chance. He’s a dynamic finisher and if he gets enough ball from his centres he’ll be trouble.

Winger Chris Hall has started to appear of late and while he is of strictly journeyman status at present he has impressed, however he’s probably up against our old pal Winston Stanley for his spot and we know all about him, while against Irish Diego Albanese played at #15. I saw a bit of Albanese when he was at Glaws and he is another of these mazy little runners, in the Booth, Robinson, Ripol mould and given space can cause real problems.

So there we are: an excellent pack supported by two first class kickers in van Straaten and Ross. A very dangerous back three but perhaps a little limited in attack in the centres but all 15 will defend until they expire for their cause.

Tigers? Well it’s becoming hard to know what to say!

I wasn’t at the Stoop but from all the accounts that I’ve read it rather seems that it’s the same old story of the pack grafting and securing the ball but the back division failing to convert the possession into points.

I have not heard anything adverse with regards to debutante Cook’s performance against that oldest of old campaigners, Big Jase, and so if he is again selected he should have gained confidence from that but if Freshwater or Rowntree are fit they must surely start against Leeds. Regan will be a handful and no mistake but a fired up Tigers front row of Tournaire/West/Rowntree would surely be good enough to best the Leeds trio. Johnno and Kay will have to compete hard at the lineout, with Hyde's’ presence needing careful watching and we can be sure that Palmer will feel he has something to prove against BK but really Tigers should dominate this area of play.

Similarly even if Backy is still unfit to play a combination of Josh/Corry/Balding should still be a match for the Leeds back-row.

Candidly I see the Leeds pack as a good eight whereas as far as pedigree is concerned the Tigers octet should cumulatively overwhelm them and while this will probably not be the case I nevertheless expect to see the Tigers pack secure a degree of dominance.

The well known and documented problems within the back division seem destined to haunt us through until the end of the season gives us respite. It’s a little difficult to see the way forward here at present. Ellis and Vesty are still trying to form the kind of enduring partnership that only time will produce, while Tierney is presumably still recovering from what must surely have been the nadir of his career against Munster and McMullen is clearly not yet trusted to perform. So Ellis/Vesty it is. In Dickens Ellis at least has a workmanlike rather than inspirational opponent and if the pack again perform he should be able to give a good account of himself. Vesty on the other hand will, against Ross, have a rather different fish to fry and he will need plenty of support from his back-row.

Kafer is back at inside centre and at least in him Tigers have experience, dogged defence and sometimes a flash of genius. Against van Straaten he may well find an opportunity to make a break and if he does the backs must make the most of it. Lloyd, for some reason known only to Deano, continues to be preferred to Gelderbloom and I can only hope that the perennially underrated and under used South African gets to start and brings some guile to the centre, which with Ollie Smith’s continued absence is sorely lacking, Leon being the very epitome of predictability.

Fred and Geordan remain our best wing options and against Scarborough and Albanese their defensive attributes will be needed, although in Albanese there may be an Achilles Heel in defence to be exploited although Scarborough is sound.

As the portents are of a forward battle on Saturday it could well be that the relative prowess of Stimmo and van Straaten’s respective boots could be the deciding factor and at least in this department it seemed, at The Stoop, that normal service had been resumed and indeed by all accounts Stimmo was markedly unlucky to see Gollings try awarded when many felt Stimmo had touched the chipped ball down. However Maybank (apparently the Premiership’s most improved referee this season) decided that the Tigers’ full-back had not exerted sufficient downward pressure!!??

So the outcome in front of a shell shocked capacity Welford Road? Well I seem to say this every week. On paper it should be a win and a good one at that for Tigers. BUT have the management, and I say the management advisedly, been able to instil some confidence back into the team? If they have and with all of us roaring them on they should and indeed must win. But if the backs play like they did against Munster and Quins rather than as they did against Sale and Bristol, then it’s the ignominy of an undignified scramble for European qualification through the auspices of the Mickey Mouse Wildcard competition for us, and time to rue how soon the mighty have fallen and why!