Tigers v Northampton Saints - today's game.

[leic]

All i have heard is there was a bit of niggle? I also heard the sound of "when the saints go marching on" became sickening! What about the boys who havent played for a while?

[Mr Bean]

I said after the bedford game that tom youngs throwing needed some work but i got told not to be so silly. If he is going to push for a 1st team place he is really going to need to work on it. He is very good in the loose but the lineout is more important for a hooker. After the bedford game i heard some bedford fans saying that they felt he was better when he was playing at centre.

[Btiger24]

Sitting amongst the saints supporters today the singing of saints go marching on does become rather annoying after a while as did most of the tigers play. In general theline out lost it for us as well as tuilagi not taking an easy try the line out meant we had little possesion even from penalties and what we did have was scraps while vesty just looked devoid of any ideas. The saints deserved their win but must remember theres was nearly a first team. for anyone wondering how indivdual players went iv e tried my best to give a rating below

[size=85]Amorosino- played really well was the most inventive of all the tigers players looked like real class creating the try and lots of breaks out of nothing 9/10
Tuilagi- worst one of tigers players looked lazy uninterested gave away penalties fluffed a fantastic try chance not effective as crash ball 4/10
Twelvetrees- played well again making breaks and running good lines took try well 8.5/10
Mauger- IMHO uneffective as captain didnt speak to ref or for that mattter encourage any of the players a fairly anonymous game 6/10
Smith- looked dangerous in parts hopefully regaining some of his form 7.5/10
Vesty- A pretty awful game his kicking mostly aimless and runs lateral or straight into tacklers no peetration or inventiveness only positve was his excellent tackling lets hope he gets back to his old ways 5.5/10
Ellis- much better game than vs. Bath passing was good a few sniping runs and managed to clear up the scraps from a malfunctionig line out box kicks also quite good 7.5/10
Stankovich+ white- scrum was varied to who had control so very difficult to tell and both average in the loose as not the most mobile! 7/10
Youngs(tom) fantastic in the loose very abrasive making good yards but line out throwing is woeful contantly not straight over the top stolen needs work but showed promise 6/10(as line outs one main reasons for loss)
Hemingway- Nothing special but did the basics and tried in the line out 7/10
Kay- a decent performance helping a dire line out to a few wins even if having to reach a metre or so to either side and did a decent job around the park 7.5/10
Piennaar- another decent perfromance but nothing amazing 7/10
Woods- best tigers forward by far making ground putting in some crunching tackles and great in the loose moody will need to play well to dislodge him 9/10
Deacon- one of his worst games in a tigers shirt providing little go forward and lost countof the number of dropped balls dissapointing. 5.5/10[/size]

[boon]

saints were missing, for one reason or another, dowson, foden, geraghty, hartley, murray,clarke, lawes who would likely otherwise have started, while downey, dickson would probably start not sit on the bench and day would be on bench ahead of cannon.

so thats maybe 10 changes from our first choice team, while the bench contained vickers parkins and neale who are yet to start in the prem.

as i posted before, saints depth is better than it was so please dont kid yourselves we needed our 'cup final' team to beat your guys today.

my observations of tigers?

too many errors, simple as.

amorosino impressed, 12-t too. ellis looked a shadow of his former self, while g murphy looked good as soon as he came on. tuilagi looked a busted flush, simply not able to break through our second choice centres despite being given the crash ball time and again. stankovich seems a very dirty player, saw him having a few digs / blocks off the ball that went unpunished. kay is on his last legs, i he may have another season in him but not playing 80 mins week in, week out.

there was some niggle, but for me, the penalty not card when our guy was taken in air (which led to the main & pretty much only brandishing of handbags) was the right call.

saints had to defend well for chunks of the game, but did and were deserved winners. contrary to another thread i dont see that the ref turned this game against tigers, both sides gained from odd decisions.

either way tigers get another crack at claiming the bragging rights in a few weeks.

good luck in the mean time.

[Tigerbeat]

I just wish that Saints and Tigers could have at least one game against each other, outside the International window.

It would be good for both teams to have a full squad to select from.

Had a great day at the Gardens today.

[Darc Tiger]

By the way, we can still qualify if Sarries lose by more than 7 against the Dragons and score 2 tries or less!

KEEP THE FAITH!

[kingol22]

saints for the euro and anglo welsh double unless sarries lose by 7 or more 2morrow and then saints will just have to settle with europe.

[simon redshaw]

I don't see Sarries losing at all with the team they have out, at least on paper.

I would say saints were still very much up for three competitions at the mo, certainly a good candidate for the playoffs too.

Boon, whilst you may have made a lot of changes, your team still seemed a bit stronger then Tigers or at least it was touted by some people in the media as quite a strong team. But maybe, as you say, that is a measure of the strength of your players that don't play in the first team regularly as compared maybe to Tigers, and also the form of the players like Ellis and Tuilagi for Tigers, although I think with only two competitions at the time available for Tigers, all of the Tigers players should have been more then up for it. Its not as if Tuilagi hasn't been playing at all recently. Ellis, just coming back from injury, but don't see why she should be playing so badly.


I would prefer a straight knockout competition, but even so, I have never really agreed with the way the competition is treated by a number of the clubs, and it should either be classified as a development competition or treated seriously throughout as an opportunity to win a trophy. Its a foolish thing to put too many eggs into one or two baskets, and has cost teams like Arsenal in the footie dearly. I don't agree with the sentiments of a number of people on here of the LV and its previous names as a development competition. We nearly won the treble when Paddy Howard was here, with the pests stopping us winning the treble.

[simon redshaw]

It will be hard job for the Saints at Thomond Park, but miracles sometimes happen. Tigers won there.

But failing that, there is still two competitions for saints, Tigers have just one. I know which position, I'd rather be in, even with the internationals on.

I don't know when else the LV Cup could be played to be honest, unless group matches were played at the start of the season or earlier in the season to lessen clashes with internationals.

[Purebob]

Bah. Loads of reasons / excuses why Tigers haven't been successful outside the GP this season. Salary cap / injuries / international call ups / sixteen men / biased referees blah blah blah.

In truth we have a first team with loads of bash and nous, but little enterprise and a second string with bash and some enterprise but little nous.

The only blessing of being dumped out of the eurozone is that we have a quarter season now to focus ONLY on the prem in training, team assembly and tactics.

Lean on Lote while we have him, Luke and 36 as our most dangerous attacking forces. Just recognize that prem defences have caught up with us - and sledgehammering the gain line doesn't deliver the attacking opportunities it once did.

Onwards and Upwards !

[Jazz Head]

I was at the game, and I agree with most of the comments on the game and players.
Some of the tactics are from the Jurassic age and too many Dinosaurs on the pitch.

[salcombe bob]

quite honestly I don't mind being out. At least the players will get a rest and the only reason the LV exists at all is to give the squads a run and the winner gets into the HC. Without that I doubt it would survive.

[Neilers]

Well if you felt 'when the saints go marching in' , which we have sung for years without complaint before, got on your nerves then we'll record a tune similar to the Sarries one cause that will really pee you off!!

As Boon said we didn't field a full strength side at all!

Our defence kept us in the game and we took our chances - Ashton IMO was lucky not to get sent off with a number of shoulder barges he did - one of which was bang in front of the ref.

Look forward to seeing you in the GP game!

[APJones]

Saints might not have fielded a strong team , but it was stronger and more cohesive than the tigers who I found very dissapointing. In the first half we had most of the territory , but they scored the points ! 2nd half saints had most of the territory and again scored the points. Harry naturally was match rusty , but he didn't really look sharp or quick either.(didn't he go off injured, according to my wife he did, I missed it) Geordan looked good when he came on and was roughly tackled off the ball , infact there was a lot of that going on.
The handbag swinging episode was an amusing interlude but really not justified. The passing and catching was abysmal (Tuilagi made up for his brilliant lone try last week by fluffing a sure try this week ) #36 was good but could have done with the rest of the of the team playing to the same standard. as for the singing the saints have a ready made song and they sang it when they wanted , it is their ground - I tried getting the clap clap clap clap Tigers chant going to no avail , there were only about three of us chanting TIGERS and I would have thought that the players leaving the club might have put on a better show to impress their new club - but they didn't, Avery dissapointing day but at least they have a good car park , until it was time to try and get out of it.

[NaptonTiger]

After my recent whinge about the youthfull Ospreys "fans" I must say how good I thought the Saints fans were. Their singing & chanting was together and enthusiastic. They really got behind the team.

Is it time to restart the old debate about the half hearted Tiiiiiguz dirge-like chant again? (only joking - I don't want to be told off again)

The only down side on the day (apart from losing) was almost being mown down by a senile idiot in a jag who could not wait to get out the field he was parked in on our way back to the carpark. Loads of wheelspin on the grass then aim for the pedestrians and try to barge through them! He was not going to stop for anyone crossing the gateway in front of him. Did anyone else see him?