The Drums, The Drums. Oh Those Infernal Drums

LI - Mapletoft kick
By Chris Chaplin
September 15 2004

Extraordinary as it seems with just two rounds of the Premiership played we are experiencing the first potentially pivotal weekend.This fixture with our old Shamrock bedecked,drum beating pals deciding who remains firmly linked to the top half of the table come Sunday evening .......

........and who has some catching-up to do.

I watched the highlights of the London Irish 18-12 victory over Harlequins, if indeed they could be called highlights, it was a dismal game in an opening weekend of dismal games with my being left feeling that thirty healthy men may well have been better employed mowing their lawns than running around looking for a game to play.

It seemed from what I saw that in spite of close season changes at the Madjeski little had changed in terms of the Irish mindset with lots of endeavour from the pack but then sterility and a general lack of ideas at how to use the possession won. Mike Catt though caught my eye and nearly the head of Monye with a high tackle for which he was lucky to escape the ten minute break that Everitt enjoyed later on in the game for a copycat offence on Dunne.

Darren Edwards was sparky around the scrum and when the Irish backs did get decent ball they looked dangerous with Geoff Appleford and Paul Sackey showing what good players they are.

While Tigers were putting Leeds to the sword at Welford Road Irish were involved in a rain sodden dogfight with the Cherry and Whites at Kingsholm where the residents of Florida could well have popped in for a dress rehearsal for the arrival of Hurricane Ivan.

Once again Appleford was on the score sheet with a rugged try which was made by new signing Scott Staniforth the three time capped Wallaby, who looks to be a big, fast player in the style of so many modern day wingers. It seems that he rather terrorised little Marcel Garvey in the making of Appleford’s try.

The London Irish pack again gave a good account of themselves in the scrum and the lineout where, for Gloucester, Alex Brown was making a record breaking 82nd consecutive appearance in the Premiership however this performance by Irish must be taken in the context of the home team playing their second choice props and converted flanker Peter Buxton at lock, a position where, as is the case at prop, there is a bit of an injury crisis at Kingsholm their having just signed Simon Emms on a short term contract.

The Exiles on the other hand had stalwarts Andre Flavin who, it seems, has been at London Irish for ever, ably supported by South African Neal Hatley, who is steaming toward his 200th appearance for his club and Rob Hardwick who will pretty soon make his 150th appearance wearing the Shamrock. So although new boy, Bristolian Richard Skuse, has yet to make an appearance, I don’t personally think he’ll bring anything to the front row that last Saturday’s trio don’t.

Scottish international #2 Robbie Russell, of Johnno’s intimate acquaintance, and South African prop Pierre Durant also wait in the wings together with young Halsey but I rather think that the Scotsman’s arrival at hooker will not compensate for loss of the imposing presence of Naka Drotsky.

Rowntree, and after him Darren Morris, joined with George Chuter and the hugely impressive Julian White in simply destroying the Leeds front row up in Leicester and it’s hard to imagine that the Tigers’ trio won’t give the eventual Irish partnership a pretty torrid time as well.

With the abrasive and talented Ryan Strudwick partnering that awkward cuss Bob Casey at lock I would think that this must be Irish’s strongest pairing with Casey being particularly eye-catching around the park. Against makeshift lock Buxton and subsequently the barely fit Adam Eustace, they gave Alex Brown plenty to think about as did Johnno and the ever improving Louis Deacon when they opposed the equally impressive (on paper at least) Tom Palmer and Chris Murphy.

I rather expect, assuming he’s fit, to see Ben Kay join with Johnno at Reading and while they won’t find the settled Irish pairing anything approaching a pushover I do think that the England World Cup winning duo should be able to gain an edge, indeed even if young gun Louis Deacon again starts the Irish will still know they’ve been in a contest.

While London Irish supporters will doubtless demur I think that once again the Tigers’ tight five will prevail and establish some go forward for their colleagues, they will also have noted that Gloucester got some return from their efforts in the use of the rolling maul.

The Tigers’ loose forwards welcomed back Neil Back against Leeds and what a difference he made. I guess young Brett Deacon will be a lot happier with his performance than he was when he left Edgeley Park less than a week earlier, although he’ll have been doing some more work on his handling skills this week.

Henry Tuilagi also returned from injury and put in a typical barnstorming performance even getting over the try line.

Until Moody returns to full fitness, reportedly to be at the end of this month, Tigers’ first choice back row is surely Henry Tuilagi, Back and Martin Corry and I hope that this is the combination that starts against London Irish next Sunday as the Exiles have some very good players in this particular department even though my personal favourite, Chris “Champion The Wonderhorse” Sheasby has now been put out to pasture!

Gustard eventually succumbed to an injury last weekend and doubtless the female supporters in particular will be offering up prayers for the speedy return of the object of their desires. However while Gustard may be injured Irish have a wealth of talent here which includes new signings Peter Poulos, an Australian born Samoan international, who had been playing his rugby in Japan and Tony Roques, recently arrived from Saracens where I was surprised to see him as part of the annual Vicarage Road Fire Sale. While I can’t remember seeing Poulos play I’ve seen plenty of Roques and have invariably been impressed by this very hard working mobile flanker.

The previously impressive Declan Danaher, who has managed to secure representative honours from both England and Ireland but who seemed to suffer a bit of a dip in form last term, joins young Haslett and Canadian international #8 Phil Murphy to wait in line for his chance.

On balance though, and assuming that 21 time capped open-side Kieron Dawson is fit to start, I’d expect him to keep his place however they may feel that the direct approach of the ball carrying Murphy will prove more effective and if Gustard is still injured perhaps Poulos will start.

In any event the Tigers’ back row will need to be at their very best against the eventual Irish trio and I don’t expect there to be anything approaching unbridled supremacy for Tigers in this key area, which will be very hard fought.

Behind the pack I expect to see another club stalwart, Darren Edwards, continue in keeping new recruit, Paul Hodgson, another Bristolian, on the bench.

A busy bee of a player is Edwards and he could have a fair old tussle with Harry Ellis who, were there such an award, would surely have won it for bad pass of the day against Leeds when, with Healey clear to run in for a try, Ellis delivered a pass in front of the winger aimed at Oz’s boots! However if both scrum halves are at their best then I think it fair to say that the Tigers’ man should have the edge.

With Andy Goode enjoying a fine start to the season both in terms of distribution and with his magical boot it will be interesting to see who starts in the #10 shirt for Irish.

I think that if Murphy starts at #8 with Mapletoft at #10 then we could be in for a free running game with Murphy making the initial thrust and then Mapletoft using his nous and superior skills to get Catt and the dangerous Irish backs into play. However if the more lateral Roche starts with Everitt then it could be back to the old routine of Everitt booting for the corners and the home team trying to play percentage rugby in the Tigers’ 22.

I don’t think that such a strategy would really be the best to bring Mike Catt into play who, while prone to drift out games for long periods, can produce that spark of inspirational genius to turn a match. He will of course have to cope with the robust delights of Daryl Gibson and the ex Bath man will need to be at his best to hold Tigers very own All Black powerhouse who repeatedly punched gaping holes into the Leeds defence last week.

Gibson by the same token will need to combine well with Goode and Smith to ensure Catt does not unlock Tigers’ midfield and either release Geoff Appleford for another try or feed a miss pass out to the wing. The other issue that will need to be addressed if Horak returns to the fray is the potential for Catt to put the fullback into space as he comes into the line on the angle. Given Appleford’s start to the season it looks as if another new signing, a Kiwi arriving at Reading by way of Orrell, Rodd Penney, will have to play second fiddle.

Partnering Gibson in the centre should be Ollie Smith who made a good return from injury last Saturday and while perhaps not yet back up to his usual blistering pace, which will only come from game time, he showed some sublime handling skills with one pass to Rabeni almost a sleight of hand with the Leeds defenders losing sight of the ball altogether for a while.

This will be an interesting area of the contest with both sides having a combination of silky skills and robust centre play however it may just be that Smith’s pace could gain a slight advantage for the visitors.

Another selection conundrum for Gary Gold will be what to do about the now recovered Justin Bishop and whether he is to be preferred to partner the ever dangerous, opportunistic and surely due for his chance in an England shirt, Paul Sackey rather than new boy Staniforth. I thought last season that Bishop looked revitalised following the departure of Venter, his skill and experience again presenting a very real threat, when he was favoured with the ball of course!

New signing Seru Rabeni had a fine debut try scoring start at Welford Road and I cannot see how he can be excluded this time. On the other wing Healey had a strange game and actually I think this came from him trying just that bit too hard and forcing the game much as he used to when he got his wish to be first choice fly-half for a while.

On a number of occasions last Saturday he made stunning Healeyesque breaks combining beautifully with his centres in smashing open the Leeds defence only to then take the ball on just that bit too far with the move dying or losing impetus as a consequence, however I expect to see him keep his place in spite of receiving a very public telling off from Johnno after one indiscretion.

Tigers’ old boy Micheal Horak has also been absent hurt of late and while his understudy Delon Armitage may well be another youngster to watch Irish will be pleased to see the attacking threat of Horak restored even if he can have his moments in defence.

Geordan Murphy saw much more ball at Welford Road last Saturday and used it to devastating effect even if at times he seemed to have missed the fact that Tigers had signed Seru Rabeni let alone that he was on the field at the Irishman’s left shoulder yet at other times they linked well. This will improve with familiarity between the two and as with Ellis, Goode, Gibson and Smith I firmly believe that, injuries permitting, these players should be bonded together with super-glue as Tigers’ back-line combination.

As was the case against Leeds I feel that Tigers’ tight five will secure a degree of dominance in the scrums and mauls although around the tackle area and breakdown I expect it to be a fierce contest with something close to parity between the sides the best that Tigers can expect however at half back Tigers should achieve a better platform than Irish, especially if Everitt is preferred to Mapletoft, the difference being whether the Irish back division will play off the front or back foot.

If an attacking mindset is put in place by Gary Gold then I think it’ll be very close however if Irish decide to play percentages and let Tigers run at them then it could be a very different matter.

Finally a Parish Notice:

After departing the heady delights of Reading on Sunday evening I shall be immediately going on vacation, so I shall be handing over the Previewer’s badge of office to my friend M.r Rich Walker who will be regaling you with his thoughts on the arrival of the Oxen drawn wagons, in which Northampton reportedly now travel, as they laager on Granby Halls ahead of their League of Nations team attempts three in a row in the Premiership at Welford Road.

However I shall return in time to bore you all rigid about Tigers’ prospects against Falcons. So there’s something to look forward to!!!!

Oh Sunday’s result? – Close win for Tigers.