Tigersv Bath Match Report

By Rich W
December 4 2003

OK. I’m not writing any more of these match reports. Every time I do so, not only do I seem to end up reporting on a defeat but also a game of the poorest quality imaginable.

Tigers versus the old enemy at Welford Rd on 29.11.03 did not manage to satisfy on either of the above criteria.

Under the leadership of captain for the day Graham Rowntree Tigers did actually start brightly enough. The forward pack quickly established a dominance that they were not to surrender for the next eighty minutes. This was particularly notable in the light of referee Mr. Maybank’s attempt to emulate Andre Watson by protecting the weaker scrummage. This looked hopeful, we thought. The much vaunted Bath pack was rapidly back pedaling and Tigers made a couple of early incursions into opposition territory culminating in a scything break down the left hand short side by Austin Healey. However with only the full-back to beat and Freddie outside him in support the chance went a-begging as Austin chose to go it alone attempting to beat his man on the inside, when had he chosen to pas the Samoan would have had to do little more than fall over with the ball to score. Thus, perhaps, the pattern for the afternoon was established. The Bath and erstwhile England fullie, Matthew Perry, should be credited for the excellence of his defence. In staying balanced and moving late he gave himself the optimal chance of saving the try. Tigers support however quickly cleared the ensuing ruck and were only prevented from scoring wide on the right by a scrambling and eventually off-side defence. The penalty, kicked to the corner as an indication of intent failed to create a score from the old faithful catch & drive but did produce moments later another penalty kick and this time Ramiro Pez was allowed to secure the 3 points from 25 metres out.

It was not long before a second penalty goal, this time from a little further out, was added to give Tigers a deserved 6-0 lead after 15 minutes.

The visitors seemed to have been caught cold by the unexpected (well unexpected to this correspondent anyway) speed of Tigers start, but as the first quarter drew to a close they began to compete. Whilst still securing less than 50% ball they did manage to start to create some phases. Their ball retention was good though they made little forward progress and it was from a Leicester error that the first telling turn of the game transpired. The home defence was looking satisfyingly solid after recent weeks and had succeeded in pressuring the visitors attack into a sequence of failed attempts to cross the gain line. However, as they moved the ball across the back-line again they found an angle to run at the Leicester centres. Ollie Smith unusually mis-timed his challenge allowing the runner to slip behind the defensive line. Another missed tackle and Andrew Higgins, running a good line of support was able to take the pass that beat the full-back and finish under the posts. The simple conversion gave the visitors a hardly deserved lead but not, we thought, one that would unduly concern Tigers. However, the loss shortly after of skipper Graham Rowntree to a blow that saw him a-rolling and a-reeling to the dug-out seemed to sap the home side’s conviction and confidence. The pace and intensity seemed to drop as errors began to creep in.

The remainder of the half degenerated into a rather fractious affair, riddled with spilled ball, scrappy set pieces and some dubious adherence to the laws by both sets of players. Despite this your correspondent remained up-beat if only because after 23 minutes Bath scrum-half Martin Wood was dismissed, harshly from where I stood a mere 50 metres away (!), for reckless use of the boot. Were I disposed to credit the RFU disciplinary panel with as much as a jot of credibility I might be inclined to modify my opinion is the light of his subsequent ‘harsh’ ban. That fact that his enforced rest is significantly less than James Hamilton’s and the same as Harry Ellis’ for his ‘reckless’ but ‘unintentional’ head-butt of an opponent some 10 inches taller than him does not so persuade me. Mr. Maybank and the beak have succeeded only in confirming my opinion of them as buffoons.

It was at about this time that something truly bizarre happened. Mike Catt suffered the injury which some amongst us had feared might have occurred down under, and as he limped from the field he received what I can only describe as a standing ovation from the Welford Rd faithful. Make the most of it Catty. It’s unlikely to ever happen again!

Bath, however, rallied well from their losses and reorganizing their shape and their ambitions succeeded in preventing any Leicester gain for the rest of the half. In fact it was the visitors who finished the half the stronger. Whilst still on the back foot when in possession the Leicester back-line provided them with an almost inexhaustible supply of supply of ball by their own errors. Knock-ons and aimless kicking allowed to the forwards hard work to go unrewarded and deep into injury time Bath center-cum-stand-off pumped a high ball above the increasingly shaky Tigers back three. John Holtby appeared to knock the ball on and Ramiro Pez was penalised for fielding the ball in an off-side position, in front of Holtby – a law which Mr. Maybank appeared to have learned since his last visit to Welford Rd when his disregard for it was remarkable. The result was a to hand Bath a somewhat undeserved 10-6 lead at the half. They had, it seemed, hardly been beyond the Tigers 10 metre line let alone within the 22.

Even now I remained hopeful. The forwards had laid down a sound platform, the defence seemed solid enough (at last) and with 14 men on the pitch it seemed likely that Bath would tire and the holes would open up.

Despite a roar of welcome for England captain, and in my mind, player of the Tournament in Australia, the second half opened in as dour and depressing a way as the first had ended, with any skill being confined to the Leicester tight forwards and the excellent Bath defence. More handling errors, more reset scrums, more forward passes and some truly dreadful kicking both sets of backs was the order of the day. However the steady supply of ball was sufficient to provide Ramiro Pez with a pair of opportunities to put Tigers back in front. Denise got her wish to see Lewis do something, well, loony at the start of this second period. Unfortunately in obliging whilst leaping to challenge for the restart he succeeded in having himself assisted from the field with what appeared to be a damaged shoulder. The injury did not seem serious however and his replacement, new Club Captain and world cup winner (you know I’ve still not tired of that phrase!) Neil Back came on to rapturous applause.

Thus hardly weakened the pack continued, despite Mr. Maybank’s best efforts to disrupt, to control the game. However the backs persisted in squandering their opportunities with gay abandon. Even the most reliable ran laterally, tried to force passes in too little space and treated the ball with scant respect. With field position and possession frequently frittered away they failed to move the visitors 14 man defence around effectively enough to create any clear cut opportunities and allowed Bath to believe that they could snatch the game.

When the west-country invaders were awarded a penalty on the Leicester 10 metre line on 75 minutes I felt my heart sink. Berkley had not looked like missing all day and from a little right of the posts stroked the ball home to give his side a one point lead going into the final minutes.

Oddly enough, and with apparent complete disregard for their efforts since early in the game the team upped their game and for much of the last five minutes played with a pace and energy that had been absent thus far. It rather reminded me of the end of the League game against Sale. With Austin now in his best position at 9 Tigers finally moved the ball with purpose to maneuver themselves upfield and into opposition territory forcing Bath to infringe. From the ensuing advantage Austin took a pot at a 50 metre drop-goal. It is rare that I have heard the A&L stand rise to cheer so convincingly but Mr. Maybank refused to raise his arm as the ball sailed, agonizingly, inches wide. However, Leicester still had the penalty kick – the last of the game with which to snatch victory. While the Tigers had not looked like scoring a five pointer for almost 80 minutes they had probably been marginally the better side and a successful kick might have produced a fair result. However the previously reliable Ramiro failed at the last, the wind seeming to die at the wrong moment. The ball drifted right instead of left as it had throughout his pre-match practice and the game was lost.

After the match I managed to find the grace to congratulate the Bath coaching team in the club house even though it rather stuck in my craw. My feeling was that this was a game that Leicester lost (or rather discarded with a wanton negligence) as opposed to one which Bath won. Their try had come from a defensive error and had fewer errors been committed by the Tigers backs then the game would not have come down to Ramiro’s last missed penalty.

That said a performance as error strewn as Tigers’ did not, in all honesty, deserve victory. Nor can I take any solace in another abject refereeing display as both sides suffered equally from Mr. Maybank’s erratic and seemingly arbitrary efforts. The simple fact is that generally in sport one gets what one deserves in this case a losing bonus point.

As the players applauded each other at the end of the game Ramiro stood, disconsolate at his missed kick. It was clearly evident that the defeat had hurt him. I was grateful to feel that he seemed to share our pain. Losing to Bath is an unpleasant experience!

I scarcely dare look for a Man of the Match such was the poverty of the game. I cannot help but feel that this was not the product we wish to be presenting to any new post RWC supporters: stop-start, fractured, poorly officiated with skill levels almost non-existent.

If pushed: Jim Richards again looked both effective and feisty & both Corry and Moody looked hungry and willing with Martin Corry bringing some much needed edge to the lineout particularly on the opposition throw, but for his destructive scrimmaging and for the power of his game in the tight areas of the game Julian White gets my vote on his debut. Indeed all five front-rowers used performed well. It was one of the very few highlights.

Oh dear now I’m all depressed again. I am definitely not writing any more of these!