Undone by Mr Angry
Legend....
By TheSaracens
February 24 2023
I always look forward to a trip into Tigers territory, both because it’s a day back in my native Midlands with the attendant good beer and Welford Road, the UK’s biggest purpose-built club rugby ground, is a ground I like and a mighty impressive place to watch rugby notwithstanding that last season’s fixture featured a lot of rain, defective drainage (causing us to sit watching the game with our feet in a couple of inches of water and spilt beer) with of course a highly controversial ending to proceedings when a penalty try well past 80 minutes turned a 6-12 lead for Sarries who’d largely controlled the game into a 13-12 defeat. Life was feeling good as Sunday’s adventures began in bight and fresh weather, with our drive from Hornsey to Leicester taking not much over an hour and a half with the hotel we’d booked for the night – with a hopefully celebratory curry planned for the evening – proving to be even closer to the ground than we’d envisaged…not so much “nearby” as “literally in the shadow of”.
For Sarries fans, the day was a special as Alex Goode was making his 350th appearance in the black and red - having passed Kris Chesney’s record of 338 Sarries caps back in October – and is a true club legend who continues to play at a level that players ten years younger can only aspire to; to mark the occasion he would lead his side out as captain, albeit in a no. 10 shirt.
Sarries’ squad for the game was, as is customary during the Six Nations, light of many of our internationals although Andy Christie, Nick Tompkins and Marco Riccioni were available for selection and would start.
Leicester, although not quite as badly affected as Sarries by national squad call-ups, were nonetheless short of a few names although on this sunny Sunday their squad was most noteworthy for the age of some of their starting XV with the likes of Chris Ashton, Jimmy Gopperth and Tigers debutant (and serial Sarries scurge) Mike “Mr Angry” Brown all due to find out in the not too distant future if life really does begin at a certain age.
The game got underway and although Sarries started positively with Billy prominent it was Tigers who had the early chances, with Wiese provoking the first bout of noise from the home fans as he broke through the Sarries line and galloping almost fifty metres before being hauled down just short of the line but this proved a brief let-off for Sarries as a lovely piece of play set up Pollard to go over on the right with his own conversion putting Tigers 7-0 ahead with 6 minutes on the clock.
Leicester continued to dominate, asking questions of Sarries’ defence and with Brown looking particularly in the mood in his new green, red and white shirt (which didn’t look right somehow, as it didn’t when he briefly wore the black and white of Falcons last season – I always envisage him wearing a Quins shirt and an enraged expression) – and sure, enough, h was instrumental in creating Tigers’ second try as a lovely piece of play set up Henderson to go over for Tigers’ second, with Pollard adding the extras to take the score to 14-0 and only 13 minutes gone.
Goode managed to gain Sarries a slight toe-hold in the game with a penalty for 14-3 on 17 minutes
Leicester continued to work the ball forward before three players with by my reckoning a combined of 112 conspired to put Tigers further into the lead as Ashton, Gopperth and Brown (which come to think of it sounds like a Seventies country rock act..) created an inevitable try for the latter, with Pollard again kicking successfully for 21-3 after 27 minutes sending the home fans into raptures.
Things got even harder for Sarries when on 37 minutes Pollard landed a long -range penalty for 24-3 shortly after Ashton had been stopped in the corner by a last-ditch tackle from Lewington.
As the half neared its close, though, Sarries began to work their way back into the game, and to the joy of the vociferous band of Sarries fans in the corner of the North Stand (or whatever it’s called now) our first real spell of pressure close to the Leicester try line was rewarded after a penalty created the chance for Mawi to power his way over with Goode converting to send our lads off for a breather and rethink at 24-10.
The half-time talk among those of us basking in the Spring-like sunshine was of momentum shifts, the psychological effects of a score close to half-time, Sarries’ legendary ability to claw back from losing scorelines and the efficacy of a good half-time talking-to from the coaches – this amid some cursing of Mike Brown with words I won’t use in a family-friendly match report.
Sure enough, it seemed as the second half began that all of the factors described above had indeed come into play, as Sarries showing a lot more urgency to their play, with Segun getting over the line but being held up on the line and on 47 minutes Goode landed a penalty to take matters to 24-13 and with a lot of time still left who knew what might happen….
Leicester seemed to be tiring as Sarries continued to press for another score, and sure enough it came though Lewington who picked up a loose ball inside his own half and sprinted for the line to dive over in the corner although Goode’s conversion was unsuccessful to leave the score at 24-18 with 49 minutes gone, and at this point we in the black and red were starting to believe that Sarries could pinch this….
Sarries put in some big shots through Billy and Lozwoski as they threw everything at Tigers in an effort to close the score down. with the future star Dan now on to provide some real “punch” Leicester had to defend superbly to hold off the black and red tide.
The Sarries fans were on their feet as Van Zyl, Maitland and Lozowski all went close, while Goode was stopped by a high tackle from Ashton, and Dan was held up.
Tompkins had a late chance but the ball was lost forward.
Hanging on at times desperately, and to their great credit, Leicester were able to see the game out with Sarries at least securing a losing bonus point.
A frustrating game, then, with Sarries unable to find answers for much of the first half to a Leicester side that, as in last season’s Premiership Final, had been better-organised and did the simple things well, while Sarries, the younger and fitter side, just couldn’t take their chances in the second half. No disrespect at all to Tigers but we could and perhaps should have won it….
And it pains me to admit it, but Mike Brown is on his day still a very, very good player…
As some recompense, the post-match curry at Kayal was stunning…
TEAMS:
Leicester: Brown; Ashton, Scott, Gopperth, Potter; Pollard, Youngs; West, Montoya (capt), Heyes, Martin, Henderson, Liebenberg, Cracknell, Wiese.
Replacements: Clare, Van Wyk, Hurd, Snyman, Reffell, Edwards, Atkinson, Simmons.
Saracens: Maitland; Segun, Lozowski, Tompkins, Lewington; Goode (capt), Davies; Mawi, Pifeleti, Riccioni, Ellis, Tizard, Christie, Wray, B Vunipola.
Replacements: Dan, Hislop, Judge, Boon, Knight, Van Zyl, Hartley, Harris.
Referee: Tom Foley
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:03:02:17:03:19 by Darraghgirl.
Quote:mrangry
Much as I applaud the efforts of all the selfless contributors who write previews and reports, I do take some minor offense at my nom de rugby being applied to a player, let alone an ex-Q%^^$. Keep him in parenthesis, he can never be as angry as me
Clearly not 😂😂😂
Pretty sure I have some of their early stuff on vinyl
Excellent match report as always JB.
The thing that really struck me on a second viewing was how many chances Sarries squandered. Not the Segun or Dan being held up ones where you have to credit great defence but where we needed one more pass, under little or no pressure, and a man in space could run the try in. It's also a shame not to take advantage of the huge shift the forwards put in committing defence to create that space.
I really hope if those same opportunities arrive we play a bit more heads up tomorrow.
I disagree with Mike Brown looking strange in Leicester green. I have often thought that he looked odd as a Quin and wondered if he had been a changeling child
and brought up in the wrong rugby area. Always little bit of welcome Leicester grit in the Quins fantasy world, perhaps he has now come home.Quote:AlanE2
Great report - thanks.
I disagree with Mike Brown looking strange in Leicester green. I have often thought that he looked odd as a Quin and wondered if he had been a changeling child
I do see your point, but I always rather liked the juxtaposition of Southern Softie Fancy-Dan multi-coloured jersey and red-faced, bulging-eyed, vein-standing-out-on-temples rage.
Quote:jonnybrowneQuote:AlanE2
Great report - thanks.
I disagree with Mike Brown looking strange in Leicester green. I have often thought that he looked odd as a Quin and wondered if he had been a changeling child
I do see your point, but I always rather liked the juxtaposition of Southern Softie Fancy-Dan multi-coloured jersey and red-faced, bulging-eyed, vein-standing-out-on-temples rage.
He's a good West country boy. Well, just about!
... IMHO, of course.
Now in Honolulu
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:02:26:04:05:39 by joethefanatic.