Amongst all the (justified) euphoria and excitement of Leicester Tigers making their first Twickenham final appearance since their Premiership final win over Northampton Saints in 2013, it has covered up their form on the domestic front. The Tigers go into their weekend fixture against Harlequins at Welford Road on the back of three straight league defeats. The result of this has meant that Tigers are currently sat in 8th position but with Wasps breathing down their neck in 9th, and more worryingly, not totally clear of Gloucester and Newcastle in 10th and 11th. As a result, ahead of next week’s final against Montpellier, Saturday’s tussle with Quins has all the hallmarks of a must-win game. Not easy against a team that has looked exceptional over recent months, and come into the fixture in good form, and deservedly sitting in the higher echelons of the league.
Now let me be honest with you, dear reader. This is not a moan or a criticism of the team or of the coaching staff, anyone who has read enough of my scribblings about Leicester Tigers since this blog began knows that I am more positive than negative, and that I am overall happy with what Borthwick and his men have been producing this season. Nor should it be misconstrued that this is a rant stating that we should be higher in the table and everything is going to hell in a handcart after a few defeats. I am pragmatic enough to know that given the size of the challenge that Borthwick took on, there would be blips and bumps in the road. Tigers are currently have hit a blip, no more than that. That said, it is quite reasonable to be happy with the overall shape and overall progress with the side, as well as point out things that are slightly concerning and still need working on. I owe it to you, the reader, to be as objective as possible and not just put a spin on things for the sake of it.
The major headlines from the last few weeks in the league do not make for great reading, and are fairly clear. Three games, three defeats, only 2 losing bonus points secured, numerous beers sank to drown the sorrows. Upon closer inspection, things could have been different. Against both Bath and Saints, a combination of bad luck, ill-discipline and a lack of ruthlessness cost them and ensured they were on the losing side. In both games, there was very little difference between winning and losing and only fine margins decided the victor. Away at Sale last week, they were outplayed and deservedly lost, but if Zach Henry had caught the ball and scored at 10-0 down, then the game could have been different. There were a couple of other if’s, but’s and maybe’s in the second half as well. The point is, is that in another world, I am writing about 2 famous victories against our oldest rivals, and positives to take from a notoriously tough trip away in Manchester.
And it is in that, that will possibly disappoint Borthwick and the team the most. Their commitment, work-rate, desire to win games for Leicester is not in any doubt, nor is the improvement in the team hard to see. Progress is quite clearly evident, this is a much better team than last year and the year before. For all the success in developing the squad, bringing through a lot more youngsters and having a pack that is the envy of most in the league, sport is also about tangibles. And currently, this group are not getting the rewards that their hard work deserves, which is disappointing for both them as players and for us as fans. And more disappointingly, it is quite often their own actions that undermines the good work that they do.
Discipline, game management and not taking their chances have been the common themes over recent weeks. What is most frustrating is that these have been the most common themes for most of the season. The first half against Sale followed the first half against Ulster. Insipid, lacklustre, error and penalty strewn, allowing the hosts to rack up a 13 point lead at half-time. It is not often Tigers have been that poor, but to have consecutive bad starts in a row is a concern, and no doubt will be looked at by the coaching staff ahead of Quins visiting. Certainly, whilst Tigers rallied in the 2nd half against Sale, it is not a winning formula to allow your opponents to get a
sizeable lead before changing tack, and following the game plan originally set.
Discipline again is a familiar headache. 4 penalties were conceded against Sale in the opening 10 minutes alone. The net result was that it allowed the hosts to take total control of the game, and over the course of the game, conceding penalties just undermined Tigers’ efforts in getting back into the contest. Whilst there were a few occasions where the penalties conceded were marginal or debatable, the reality is that we still paint a pretty poor picture to referees. The fact that this is still such a common issue is a frustration. For all the words spoken by the players, this is still a recurring theme and does need fixing. It is of no surprise that when Tigers have won, their discipline has been fantastic.
A lot of the challenges that Tigers are facing are really down to growing pains. They have pretty much reached the end of phase 1 of their rebuild, with a lot of the foundations now in place. What is evident in recent weeks is Tigers looking to expand and develop their game-plan and their attack, and go from an inexperienced group finding their feet, to one that is more capable of mixing it against the better teams and show a more varied game. As a result, we have seen a greater amount of dropped balls amongst other errors. A lot of that is natural and to be expected. Attack, as I have written previously, relies on a lot of strong timing, knowing your colleagues’ movements inside out and pure repetition until these things are ingrained in your head. Given the challenges of time and other priorities, this is not an easy fix, and one where a full pre-season programme should allow for this to be improved.
As mentioned Tigers now have gone from potentially looking at a top 6 spot, to now holding onto 8th by their fingernails. Whilst not a total disaster if this was to happen, a finish of 9th would mean ending up in the bottom third of teams, and would only represent an improvement of 2 positions from their consecutive 11th positions. Tigers have shown over the course of this season that they are a much better side than that, and have shown signs that they can mix it with the better teams in this league, the challenge is that they have not done this enough. Given the important pre-season coming up, Tigers could do with finishing in the top 8 to help generate some momentum and positivity into the summer and next season. Allowing the season to slip away at the finish would be disappointing, and not what the players and coaching staff deserve after their hard work they have put in over this season.
I personally had a target of 50 points - 10 wins, 10 bonus points for the team to achieve, with an 8th placed finish. They are almost there on victories, with 8 secured so far, including a single Covid win, but with 39 points and only 5 bonus points secured, which is the 2nd worst in the league. Tigers need to get better at obtaining bonus points, and preventing opposition teams from getting them. Only 2 losing bonus points suggest that for all the positives, the margin of defeat is still wide. Again, only 3 try-scoring bonus points is just as disappointing. For anyone thinking these things do not matter, add a further 4 points onto Tigers points’ tally and they would be 6th. Factor in an additional 6 points from beating Bath and Saints, then Tigers would be a point behind Saints in 5th. Bonus points now have a big factor in where a team finishes in the table, we need to be taking them more seriously.
Finishing in the top 8, would signify a return to the top tier European competition, and the fresh challenges that that would mean, but for me it is more than that. It would also be a fair reflection on where Tigers are as a club and a squad. They are a “middle third” team, they do not deserve to be amongst the lowest ranked teams in the league on their performances this season, but there is a concern they could end up there, which would be a massive shame. Whilst Tigers are definitely a much-improved outfit, they need a table position that reflects that. A win against a tough Quins side would definitely be a huge step forward for this group. Fingers crossed for a Tigers victory!