Nigel Farage could never be a Leicester Tigers fan, given we’re not leaving Europe. Friday night’s comeback, somewhat against the odds, against Ulster saw a barnstorming second half. Steve Borthwick’s men overcame a half-time deficit of 11 points, to win the second half 27-7, and ensured that Tigers stayed in the hunt for silverware by reaching the final of the European Challenge Cup. Not only was the score-line so impressive, but the manner in which they did so, will have sent a clear message to the watching rugby world – that when this Leicester Tigers team gets going, they are some side to be dealing with. The raw, yet controlled and cleverly targeted aggression was fantastic, and meant that Tigers got a foothold back in the game, and somewhat surprised Ulster, who came away looking a little bit like a rabbit in the headlights. As Chris Egerton of BBC Radio Leicester noted, 15 points in the first 15 minutes of the second half blitzed Ulster, who never recovered, even with a late try to make the last 10 minutes more nerve-wracking for those of a Tigers disposition. In doing so, Leicester have now set their own standards. We now know the levels this team is capable of, and as they begin the next phase of their climb up to the rugby ladder, that second half should now be the norm for this group to work towards.
For all of the well-deserved praise that is being directed towards Tigers for their comeback, there is however a but, and a moment to pause. The first half against Ulster was by Borthwick’s own admission “poor”, and not one that will make easy watching back. Tigers reverted back to the “old Leicester” that was too often see prior to Borthwick joining, which allowed Ulster to get to their 11 point lead at the break. Insipid, lack of urgency and aggression, missed tackles, poor discipline (including another yellow card), error strewn are all words and phrases that could be used to describe their performance in that first 40 minutes from Tigers. It is to their credit that they turned it around so dramatically, and all praise should go to both the players and coaching group, who kept their calm and plotted the route to victory. However that first half should act as the warning to all involved, that if our efforts or our concentration dips then that is the consequence. Happily, it is not often this season that Leicester have been as bad as that, so I am confident that it was a rare blip. Tigers now have a Final to look forward to against Montpellier, who are belying their poor domestic form in reaching this stage. Indeed, they put in such a dominant performance against Bath in their semi-final, it is hard to believe that they are not further up their own table. It means that we are all set up for a belter of a Final, thankfully at Twickenham, and thankfully in front of supporters! I hope all of us who are lucky to attend, do our bit as supporters to cheer the team on.
Whilst Tigers are going great guns in their European adventures, they are in need of a win on the domestic front, following 2 narrow defeats in a row against Bath & Northampton Saints. Both defeats saw Leicester come away with a losing bonus point, and both were games that Tigers could and potentially should have won on other afternoons. What they did show was the gap between Leicester and those teams chasing top 6 really is not that big, and provides a nice idea of where Leicester will be targeting next season. As it is, they face a trip up to Manchester for a Friday night battle against Sale Sharks, who are current residents of the Premiership top 4. A tough proposition in any year, but now under new management in Alex Sanderson, this really will be an imposing assignment. Following the tough few weeks the squad has had, Borthwick has rung the changes, with 12 made from the team that faced Ulster, with Sale going full noise themselves. As a result, it is another great opportunity to see where the squad is at, and another good opportunity for Tigers to test themselves against some pretty solid opponents.
Whilst the headlines suggest this is a weakened Tigers team, delving into the detail of who has been picked actually suggests a different story. Of the selected backline, all are regular starters, with only Henry at 15 and Johnny McPhillips at Fly-Half the exceptions. In any case, Henry has been a regular in the matchday 23 since arriving, and McPhillips was very impressive in his European appearances against Connacht and Newcastle Falcons, and will be looking to put another marker down ahead of Freddie Burns joining us in the Summer. Having competition for places is a concept that we used to have, and has been missing for several seasons, so it is great that players feel they have something to prove to keep the jersey. Of the forwards, again, there are a lot of regular faces selected. It is arguably only Cam Henderson at lock, and George Martin at 6 that are the two most inexperienced picked, yet both have been utterly superb every time they have played for us this season. It is to the bench where we see the results of the majority of the rotation, with James Whitcombe, Nick Dolly and Will Hurd making up an inexperienced front row trio. That being said, the same three in their last outing together against Connacht were more than holding their own in the last scrum of the game. It was this stability that enabled wrecking-ball Jasper Wiese to crash over for the last try of the game. Alongside them, David Williams makes a return in Tigers colours for the first time this season As a result, I do feel the number of changes masks that this is still a pretty strong Tigers team picked. It is also a great reflection of the squad depth we now have, where we can make this number of changes and still feel confident in the names selected. Certainly Tigers have a group now, where no matter who is selected, they will put their heart and soul into wearing the shirt. Certainly Sale will know they will have been in a game once the final whistle blows.
That being said, with those successive league defeats, Tigers do find themselves in 8th spot. Whilst the top 8 make it into the Champions Cup next season, they still have some tough assignments left in the league. Top 6 is a tough ask at this stage, but consolidating their position in the middle third of the table and putting a gap between themselves and 9th is of greater importance. I would hate to call this a “must-win” game, and as stated, this is a very tough place to visit, but Tigers could do with coming away with at least a point here. If nothing else to take the gap between them and Wasps below them to 4 points, and put the pressure on the men from Coventry ahead of their own tough trip to Harlequins. Tigers themselves then take on Quins at Welford Road a week later, with Wasps down to play Worcester. Any sort of return to LE2 with points in the back pocket would be a very nice result for Leicester.
As to the game itself, this will be a fierce battle, and one that will probably be decided in the forwards. Both sides are known for their forward led dominance and both clubs pride themselves in their set piece. Martin, Brink and Liebenberg make up a pretty hefty back row for Leicester, where they will face Sale’s equally powerful back row trio in Du Preez x 2, and newly selected Lion Tom Curry. Whoever wins the battle up front is likely to come away the victors, which makes it such a fascinating contest. Leicester will be looking to the experience of Ben Youngs, who captains the side, Lavanini, Liebenberg and Moroni who make up the spine of the team to ensure that Tigers can stay on track. Tigers do have some firepower waiting on the wings however, with Wiese, JVP and Freddie Steward all capable of changing the game with moments of magic when they come on. If Tigers can get to the last quarter level pegging, they are in with a shot of nicking something with those three entering the field. The improved fitness levels of this squad means it will certainly be an 80 minute performance from the team.
In the first meeting of the two teams, Sale came away victorious, however this is a much changed and much improved Tigers team. As such, it is hard to use that game as any sort of pointer for Friday night. As such, if Tigers can get at least parity up front, and ensure they go into the last quarter still in the mix, they could just come away with a victory. Either way, it’s another great test to keep moving forward in their development and should be a great game. Come on Tigers!
(the profile photo is taken from the Leicester Tigers twitter page, and all credit should go to them)
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