The Meyer Era starts with a BiG WIN!

[Outlander]

OK, I am really excited, folks.

First, a superb win to start the season which sets things up. An away win against the the most often favored team in the GP. The win also sets in rock hard cement the Glaws players' inferiority complex when they face Tigers. That's 3 in a row AT KINGSHOLM!

More broadly, I am extremely excited about Meyer. I wanted to wait until after this game to speak up. But everything I hear testifies to the fact that this is exactly the sort of tough-minded coach that a side needs to win consistently in a professional context.

Last year, I like many other fans HOPED that a coach with a record of international success would provide the clear-eyed, tactical and strategic leadership needed to raise Tigers game. But, really, there was never really any evidence that it was happening. And not just in the games. All the indicators were neutral to negative.

Under Meyer, it is very different. Reading a variety of sources, it seems that all the players have been impressed and filled with a sense of respect. One gets what we call in America a "vibe," a sense of the track things are on. People of course say the right things, but I have felt that it has been much more than that. I have felt that the players were all fully aboard the Meyer bus, so to speak.

I also have liked what I have read about discipline in conditioning, effort, and focus. I think that's what produces championships. I try to be careful speaking of rugby which appears to be a sport with lots of room for individual initiative, but I am a deep believer in coaching as the source of championship quality discipline. I believe that coaching accounts for a wide variation in success apart from player talent. Suppose your player talent is at 5 on a 1-10 scale. To me, coaching can raise that 5 to an 7 or drive it down to a 3. I really think it makes that much difference in any sport depending on lots of team integration.

Of course, Tigers' talent level is more like 8.5 or 9 than 5. But I really thought the team's quality of performance sagged by 2-3 points last year BECAUSE OF uncertain and ambivalent coaching.

This year, with an iron grip on the reins, I have a strong sense that Tigers will soar.

Now, I hesitated to write any of that until the real bullets began to fly. But now, we have gone TO GLOUCESTER and posted a tough win. First game of the year. We were the ones who had the toughness down the stretch of what apparently was a tough game. That to me is a strong indicator.

Of course, I didn't see the game. Only listed to the last 2:00 of radio coverage--GLAWS radio at that.

But it struck me that we produced 2 tries in the last 10:00 or so. It isn't hard to speculate that all that conditioning Meyer insisted on played a major role in a tough game.

Well, of course, it's a long, long marathon.

But I am delighted by the first step!

[WhitecapTiger]

Good assessment outlander, it was a good win, away at Kingsholm AGAIN, but it was not all gloss, though I'm sure under Meyer that gloss will be applied soon and will not need a second coat!

We were however lucky, to a degree, that Gloucester were pitiful when 5 metres out from the try line on 2 specific occasions - I wonder if Glaws radio commented on those honestly?

Brilliant result which sends out a big message to the rest, now we need to consolidate and reinforce that message - and I'm confident we will.

You're right it's a marathon, but all great journeys begin with one small step, and IMHO we just took a great stride first off, with just a little wobble as we placed our foot for the first time.

A comment during Sky Sports build up, with reference to Heyneke Meyer, was that it looked like the players knew who was in charge, a backhanded reference I believe to Marcelo Loffreda, I was a supporter of ML, the players last year knew he was in charge too, but today it looked like they accepted and WANTED Meyer in charge, it also looked like the coaching staff had that opinion too, and that, for me, made a big difference on the pitch today.

Today, we rode our luck, we made our luck, we deserved our luck based on our possesion and pressure stats, I'd just like to see us finish off wounded, under pressure teams with no mercy, being ultra critical we didn't quite manage that today, but it won't be long before I get my wish methinks!

Wonder what position Sky etc have us to finish in now?

Onwards and upwards...........

[fleabane]

Hi Outlander, good to see you again!

A good win, but Glaws failed to score twice with 2 and 3 man overlaps, so some work for Tigers defence to work on. But yes, a good start, and we denied them a bonus point!

[Outlander]

We were however lucky, to a degree, that Gloucester were pitiful when 5 metres out from the try line on 2 specific occasions - I wonder if Glaws radio commented on those honestly?

...

A comment during Sky Sports build up, with reference to Heyneke Meyer, was that it looked like the players knew who was in charge, a backhanded reference I believe to Marcelo Loffreda, I was a supporter of ML, the players last year knew he was in charge too, but today it looked like they accepted and WANTED Meyer in charge, it also looked like the coaching staff had that opinion too, and that, for me, made a big difference on the pitch today.

On the first bit above, I just heard the last 2:00 of the game. I am just trying to piece together a sense of things from reading around.

I take the points that GLAWS made mistakes we benefited from and we also made some mistakes.

But then, that's sport. Rarely does any team play a perfect game, especially against top competition.

The point is that GLAWS choked the game away and we grabbed it, especially at the end.

All of which points to what you say in the 2nd 'graph quoted above. I have seen that sort of thing said in many places, and to me that is what produces a team that consistently plays at a high performance level.

And remember that we haven't even had a defence coach in place!

[Outlander]

Hi, Flea. Good to be talking Tigers rugby again!

Say, I saw a reference to this MyP2P thing. I am going to try to use that for next time.

I hear what you say about mistakes. But remember, as I said in my other reply, we haven't even had a defence coach bedded in yet! Meyer actually said in one article I saw that he didn;t feel that things were fully in place yet.

Nevertheless, we leave GLAWS with the big W and the 4 points!

[Bill W]

We " KEPT THE FAITH " and we were rewarded by a win!

[Qbec]

Yes Bill W: "We kept the Faith" & we did win.
but IMHO its was just as much our fitness that got us through this as anything.
But I'm sure you will agree that alone will not do next week far less penalties please & more togetherness in the backs.

Tigers Are The Best

[tigerben]

for me it was good to see the latest bunch of academy graduates being given chances to stake a claim for places in the 22 and taking them, tom youngs looked good after coming on and matt smith was quietly effective, doing the basics well.

[k1]

I agree about the mistakes. Glaws had overlaps on at least 2 occasions. The biggest culprit of wasting these had to be Luke Narraway. However, it was great to see Tigers players making so much effort to close the gap when tries looked to be certain - when the mistake(s) occurred, players were there to pick up the scraps. That shows great commitment where, perhaps, some other players might have given up.

[pogue3]

we were rusty on sunday and were off our best but we still won by 12 points at kingsholm. i think tigers will be awesome this year and i feel we will give some teams a right stuffing. i thought that before glaws game. meyer is an amazing coach. am really looking forward to seeing castro, moody, rabeni back in the squad too. the competition for places is really hotting up.
bring on the irish