Last weekend saw a fixture that fully lived up to its heavyweight billing, as Leicester Tigers hosted Leinster Rugby at Welford Road in the European Champions Cup Quarter-Final. Both teams went into the game sat on top of their domestic competitions, with internationals littering all parts of the field. Ultimately however, Saturday saw Tigers fall short as Leinster won the game 23-14, however are there lessons to be learnt from the afternoon?
Game lost at Half-Time?
Saturday’s game was eagerly awaited by fans of both sides, as well as neutrals alike. Mainly because of the fixture consisting of two good teams packed full of good players, giving hope that this would be a close-run fixture with both sides going hammer and tongs at each other. To a certain extent that is how the game transpired, neither side could be accused of lacking effort, however the game was won in the first half by Leinster who stormed into a 20-0 half-time lead. Good teams never let those types of leads slip, and that was again the case, despite Tigers winning the second halt 14-3.
Fundamentally that first half was where the game was lost for Leicester. No-one could doubt their commitment to the cause at any point throughout the game, however their overall quality was several levels below where it needed to be. However almost the opposite was true – Tigers in the first half resembled a boxer trying to take out his opponent in the first few rounds, rather than being prepared to go the distance and work the opposition over.
Leicester’s game plan in the first half was also curious. Going into the game, their kicking strategy was well-advertised and recognised as being part and parcel of their approach.
However the first half against Leinster saw the Tigers kick even more than usual. As a result, this meant their game became very staccato and not joined up. Combine this with the high errors, it made sure that the side could never get a from foothold in the game and allowed Leinster to attack with wave after wave. The move to going through the phases more in the second half paid off, however did leave questions as to why they left it so late to revert back to their usual keeping it tight philosophy.
Uncharacteristic Errors
Their performance in that first half was striking in that it did not resemble their true selves. What has characterised their season so far has been their ruthlessness, calm under pressure and their ability consistently execute the fundamentals of rugby to a high standard. However on Saturday that was not the case, as Leicester were far too frenetic, ensuring they became heavily error-strewn and losing their shape – both in attack and defence. This saw too many dropped balls in promising situations – think Harry Potter in the first half from a heavy George Ford pass. Or the defence losing their alignment, which was pointed out by Austin Healey on BT Sport when Leinster made 40 yards up the field from Tigers defence losing their connectivity.
It was not just the errors in their execution that caused Tigers issues. They compounded those errors with poor decision making throughout the game, not just in the first half. A poor call from a line out saw Julian Montoya bundled into touch, at a point when Leicester were desperate for a foothold in the game. Hanro Liebenberg deciding to tap and go from short-range when the better decision would have been to stay patient and go through the usual processes in those situations. Whilst these incidents are not the only reasons why Saturday saw Tigers fall short, but they do reflect the nature of the game and how Tigers undermined themselves through their own actions. Tigers had to be flawless to give themselves a chance of winning the game, ultimately they were not and that went a long way in deciding the result of the game.
Good players Having Off-Days
When playing a game of this nature, a team looks to their big players to drag them over the line and inspire others through their own actions. For Tigers, that means looking at the likes of Julian Montoya, George Ford and Hanro Liebenberg to lead the way and inspire others. Unfortunately after being brilliant all season, Leicester’s big names had a collective off-day together, contributing to a performance that never resembled the Tigers of this season.
Montoya for starters had his struggles at the line out. Whilst possibly his weakest area, this has not normally been an issue this season, with Leicester’s line-out a well-oiled machine. However on Saturday, at crucial moments throughout the game, his throwing form deserted him. Throws on the Leinster 5 metre line were underthrown, allowing a world-class second row in James Ryan to get in front of his opposite number and steal the ball back for the boys in blue. Given the importance Tigers put on their lineout catch and drive, this proved fatal to Leicester’s ambitions of getting back into the game, just at the point when they were beginning to look threatening.
In games of this stature, the battle between the two fly-halves are crucial and go a long way in deciding the outcome of the game. Unfortunately for Leicester, Ford was also not at his best. All season, Tigers fans have been hailing Ford’s ability to find aggressive touch finders from hard-fought penalties, setting him apart from his domestic rivals in this regard. However on Saturday, Ford held back meaning when Leicester did have line outs from penalties, they were too far away from the Leinster try-line to really test their mettle. In addition Ford’s passing and distribution was not at his usual high standard, meaning Tigers’ attack became forced and never really fired.
Red Zone Efficiency
When looking at the game back and when using the statistics of the game to analyse what happened, what was striking was the difference between the two sides in their red zone efficiency. Leinster were completely ruthless with this, scoring 2.83 to Leicester’s 1.08. This was personified in the second half with Leinster making one trip to Leicester’s 22, yet coming away with 3 points on the scoreboard. In contrast Leicester spent the vast majority of the second 40 minutes based in the Leinster 22, yet through their own errors and undoing, they could not convert that pressure into points.
In addition, Leicester were guilty of not taking points when they were on offer. Just after scoring their first try of the game through Chris Ashton, Tigers were presented with an ideal opportunity to close the gap further to 20-10, with a penalty awarded bang in front of the posts. Instead of banking the points, building their score and keeping momentum going, they chose to kick to the corner, but then losing the ball due to a poor throw. In big games like these, keeping the scoreboard moving, even with just three points is a crucial way of putting pressure on the opposite side. Now in defence to Leicester, their rolling maul has been so strong all season, that the kick to the corner is not a completely wild choice. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but this is an area of the game where Leicester will learn a great deal from for future big games.
Lessons To be Learned
There are plenty of positives to take from the defeat, no matter how disappointing the team feels. This is a team and squad that is still very early on it its development, as shown by the average age of 25 all season. This was their first experience of facing top class opposition in Leinster, a team that for numerous years have been at this level and have the medals and silverware to show for it. This young Tigers side will now come away from the game with a better idea of what is needed and required at this top level to be successful.
In addition, the errors that Leicester made can actually be a positive, if they learn from them and look to improve for next time. Tigers still have big games to come in this season, as they look to become Premiership champions. Drawing on the afternoon and reflecting on what they can do better will make them better players and a better team overall. It should put them in good stead for future honours, whether this year or not.
Overall Tigers did fall short on Saturday, however they were not blown away, and showed they could compete with Leinster. Whilst the damage was done in the first half, there were enough positives to take from the next 40 to give them confidence for future games and years. The rest period will also do them good, as their attention now turns to domestic duties, with all up for grabs there too.