Leicester travel to Reading to take on London Irish next weekend and a win would see them move up to second in the Aviva Premiership. Anything is possible after the demolition of Newcastle and the return of some internationals to the selection mix. Any news on Croft and Flood?
I'll stick my neck out and say that neither Flood nor Croft will feature, I'd even go as far to say that Ben Youngs may only feature on the bench, given the hammering they've had over the last month. Ayerza and Castro should both feature, as well as A.Tuilagi. Irish will be up for this one, given their beating at Franklins Gardens it will be a very tricky encounter. I predict a losing bonus point for us, although I will be jumping up and down and praying for a win.
Even if floods available he should not start and i'm pretty sure croft is going to be out for some time (hope I'm wrong) would put youngs on the bench as well as A Tuilagi geordan back at fullback, castro starting at tight and cole on the bench billy at ten allen and smith in the centers or you could put manu at 13 and smith on the wing second and back row same as last time and we will get a win by 4 points or lose by 6
It's a shakey Not Nots at the moment,they are there for the taking,I'll reserve judgement on the points we may collect untill I've seen the team sheet.
"If you want entertainment, go to the theatre," says Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill. "Rugby players play the game to win.15/1/21.
15. Geordan Murphy
14. Scott Hamilton
13. Matt Smith
12. Anthony Allen
11. Manu Tuilagi
10. Billy Twelvetrees
9. James Grindal
1. Marcos Ayerza
2. George Chuter
3. Martin Castrogiovanni
4. Louis Deacon
5. George Skivington
6. Thomas Waldroum
7. Craig Newby
8. Jordan Crane
Replacements
16. Rob Hawkins
17. Peter Bucknall
18. Dan Cole
19. Ed Slater
20. Steve Mafi
21. Ben Youngs
22. Toby Flood
23. Alesana Tuilagi
Let's hope for a start that the Irish make sure the undersoil heating is switched on, given the forecast weather for the rest of the week, and what happened two or three years ago
Cockerill has surely got to start with his strongest available team available.
Youngs - has not played full games for England
Flood - should play if available
Cole - He has a break for the Samoa game.
Ayerza - he has come from the bench in most of Argentina games
Castro - just because he is awesome
Murphy - Captain
This is a game which we have every chance of winning given the recent run of form for Irish. A win would leave Tigers in a very good league position and give the team confidence going in the next rounds of the Heineken Cup.
Tigerbeat wrote:Cockerill has surely got to start with his strongest available team available.
Youngs - has not played full games for England
Flood - should play if available
Cole - He has a break for the Samoa game.
Ayerza - he has come from the bench in most of Argentina games
Castro - just because he is awesome
Murphy - Captain
This is a game which we have every chance of winning given the recent run of form for Irish. A win would leave Tigers in a very good league position and give the team confidence going in the next rounds of the Heineken Cup.
I only saw the second half of the England game yesterday but Baby Ben looked knackered, bless him. Maybe he needs a rest for this game - or maybe on the bench. If he truly is as knackered as he looks then if we plunge him straight back in it could be asking for trouble..
It might be worth swapping the Tuilagis and starting with Alex for the psychological effect it will have on Lamb, even though Manu is playing brilliantly at the moment. Failing that its just the frustration of having potentially one of the best 9-10 combinations around and not playing them because England have either broken them or worn them out. If they are available the should play. Not to mention losing two of the best lineout guys to injury.
Trouble is we just don't seem to travel well at the moment. Now you could say we've got to win away soon, and this could be it, but somehow I don't see it. Losing bonus has to be the minimum expectation. Everything points to a close game.
Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
