Tigers Coaching

[bc]

In todays Leicester Mercury Cockers says that defence has to be tightened and, of course, they have done something about that be recruiting Phil Blake from down under. A great move which will bring new thinking in which is something that was lacking last season.

IMHO, that should not stop there - Paul Burke has to deliver this season. Last season our back/attack play feel behind others but injuries were a lucky excuse. This season we have greater depth so no excuses!

If I was in charge I would be recruiting again from down under and you don't have far to look beyond todays Super Rugby Final. Waratahs backs coach = Daryl Gibson, Crusaders backs coach = Aaron Mauger.

We have the playing squad we just need to complete the coaching structure.

[Noddy555]

What the coaches have to tackle this season is precisely that, i.e. tackling.
For most of last season our tackling can be described at best as awful at worst pathetic. Tackles were made too high for the most part and when we did go lower, the lack of speed in the tackle often meant that we were shaken off too easily, or we got our head in the wrong position which all too often led to injuries.The only player who seemed to know what he was doing in the tackle was Julian Salvi, but even he at times was guilty of mistiming. The Tackle along with the set pieces (i.e scrum and line out) together with passing are the 4 main planks of the game. Last season the set pieces were mostly fine but tackling and passing were not, That's 50% of the game. Come on Tigers get your heads screwed on, and coaches please address these faults
or we will get nowhere this season

[The Boy Dave]

Don't get your post Noddy555.
If I recall Croft got injured going low in the tackle on Nick Easter and Ayerza got injured going low against Bakkies Botha.
Sometimes the size and pace of the game requires a higher tackle, go low at the wrong time and you are asking for big trouble.
The problem is having a good rugby brain and choosing the correct tackle for the situation in a split second, Anthony Allen being a prime example of an instinctive player who tackles better than anyone so nothing wrong with the coaching he is receiving.
I felt Tigers defensive problems were a culmination of several ongoing problems, injuries being the main cause of it all.
Injuries deprived us of many players and several players were required to play more, fitness suffered all round with tiredness and further injuries resulting and we struggled to get numbers around the corner which made things easier for opposition and we slipped off more tackles due to the extra space opponents had, not good but it happens!
Same can be said of passing/tactics i.e tiredness or fitness levels or lack of continuity due constant changes and also playing catch up all season with different personnel needed caused by injuries etc, by the winter months pre-season training/plans/tactics must have gone out of the window.
I also witnessed Dan Bowden's defence improve massively in his last few months with us last season so work that one out!

[mol2]

I wouldn't say it was all down to tacking, but it is a factor.

The assertion that it is down to last season's injury problems again is a factor but our defence has gone from the most miserly in the league to the leakiest (of the top teams) has been coming on for longer than that.

Some of it is down to defensive structure, for example having a flanker drift off to the wing may be good in attack with a pacey flanker like Croft but if it leaves your defence thin in midfield you may have problems.

Some of it is down to personnel - the likes of Deacon and Crane may be technically solid tacklers but if you aren't quick enough to put yourself in the position to make the tackle you will be exposed.

Again defending isn't just about tackling, keeping the ball is much of the battle and we have been guilty of aimless kicking, not running support lines and the like all contribute to giving the ball to your opponents and with it the chance for them to expose the defence.

[The Boy Dave]

I wouldn't say it was all down to tacking, but it is a factor.

The assertion that it is down to last season's injury problems again is a factor but our defence has gone from the most miserly in the league to the leakiest (of the top teams) has been coming on for longer than that.

Some of it is down to defensive structure, for example having a flanker drift off to the wing may be good in attack with a pacey flanker like Croft but if it leaves your defence thin in midfield you may have problems.

Some of it is down to personnel - the likes of Deacon and Crane may be technically solid tacklers but if you aren't quick enough to put yourself in the position to make the tackle you will be exposed.

A scenario which highlights Dan Cole's value.
Player combinations and continuity are important to structure which were again limited by injuries.
With Cole missing more dog was required elsewhere, very hard to replace world class within a salary cap and the pack balance was thrown upside down IMO, a massive loss to the team IMO.

[jgriffin]

I wouldn't say it was all down to tacking, but it is a factor.

The assertion that it is down to last season's injury problems again is a factor but our defence has gone from the most miserly in the league to the leakiest (of the top teams) has been coming on for longer than that.

Some of it is down to defensive structure, for example having a flanker drift off to the wing may be good in attack with a pacey flanker like Croft but if it leaves your defence thin in midfield you may have problems.

Some of it is down to personnel - the likes of Deacon and Crane may be technically solid tacklers but if you aren't quick enough to put yourself in the position to make the tackle you will be exposed.

A scenario which highlights Dan Cole's value.
Player combinations and continuity are important to structure which were again limited by injuries.
With Cole missing more dog was required elsewhere, very hard to replace world class within a salary cap and the pack balance was thrown upside down IMO, a massive loss to the team IMO.

Would agree, as I believe the whole of last season was NOT a yardstick to judge anything but Tigers ability as a club to scuff through despite a crippling injury list that would've killed off any club (except perhaps Saffas ).

[mol2]

Perhaps the Cole issue highlights some of out tactical issues.
He does function like a back row in the loose but does that make it wise to send the flanker to the wing?
Is it a good use of Mulipola to be the one running the ball out of defence instead of your No 8? Occasionally yes but regularly and he will run out of steam too early which did expose the gulf between the starting and bench props.

[tigerburnie]

Last season highlighted a problem when we don't have a fully functioning first XV, that has now been addressed. I have never been more confident going into a season since Johnno retired, we really are looking good for the season ahead. It will take a few games for the pecking order to be established and for the team to gell, but I am confident that we will be in the mix for honours again with this squad of players and coaches.

COME ON YOU TIGERRRRRSSSsssssss

[iceman_19]

Agree with bc in that the defensive issue is not of tackling, per se, but one of aggressive line speed and organisation. Too often we sat back last season and let the opposition run at us (especially around the fringes). You are always going to miss more tackles that way. What Blake will bring is an aggressive mindset to the defence and a different, fresh perspective, brought about by his Australian and rugby league background.

For me, I absolutely understand the need to keep that unique Tigers culture when recruiting both players and coaches. We don't seem to work well with coaches who don't understand the culture. But I do think that we are prone to being too insular when it comes to coaching selections and there is a balance to be struck. Paul Burke and Geordan Murphy may well become world class coaches one day, but did they have the necessary experience to take over from MOC? I am not saying this as unconstructive criticism, but for 95% of last season, we had no fluency and masses of predictability in the backs out wide, all too often relying on moments of brilliance from individuals. Injuries cannot account for a flawed structure/attacking plan that players stepping in cannot understand and/or execute (that is not to say injuries had no effect of course).

If I was RC, I would look at 'loaning' Geordan out to a Super Rugby club where he can learn something different and return with a broadened set of ideas. I'd also beg senior management to bring over Daryl Gibson, who has turned one of the most predictable attacks in Super Rugby at the Waratahs into a record breaking one. Paul Burke to become kicking coach. This way we would be able to maintain that Tigers spirit and bring in something new at the same time. We have too many quality players in our backline for predictability to be acceptable.

[fentiger]

Worth noting Mat Taits comments in the Merc (http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Battl ... story.html) about how they are going to trying more instinctive and off-the-cuff moves. I think last season when Ant Allen was out we lacked any defensive leadership on the field with many players either not having or, not using, their instincts.

[L Smith]

Worth noting Mat Taits comments in the Merc (http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Battl ... story.html) about how they are going to trying more instinctive and off-the-cuff moves. I think last season when Ant Allen was out we lacked any defensive leadership on the field with many players either not having or, not using, their instincts.

I have mixed feelings about an intent to play off the cuff a bit more; a pragmatic tigers team should be clinical and always come back with 3, 5 or 7 points when they're in the red zone.
If you play fast and loose and try to force an offload or miss pass when it's not on, then you'd better have some serious pace to defend from deep! As Cockers said, defence needs to be improved.
I just hope we take this approach after we already have 4 tries in the bag.

[Jay C]

If you play fast and loose and try to force an offload or miss pass when it's not on, then you'd better have some serious pace to defend from deep! As Cockers said, defence needs to be improved.
I just hope we take this approach after we already have 4 tries in the bag.

With Geordie as a coach, this was always likely to happen - not everyone has his rugby brain though !!
In the current climate of super organised defences, I would suggest that you are less likely to get to 4 tries if you DON'T take this approach. multiple phased play is now the norm & we are always asking players to play what's in front of them rather than following the play book....

[Grimlish]

Surely in this day and age you need both attacking flair and great defence to be a really top team - which means its about selecting the right time to make the break and knowing when defence comes first. If that's the sort of rugby brain and skill set we now have available on and off the field then we can start to compete with the likes of (dare I say it?) Sarries, Quins, even Bath, when they play fast off-loading attacking rugby, rather than playing the rather staid 'rugby-by-numbers' game we sometimes resort to when inspiration runs out and grunt isnt enough.

[Noddy555]

For the Boy Dave Crofty got injured not through making a low tackle but of having his head inthe wrong position. He mistimed the tackle too so that contributed greatly to his injury. Like in so many areas of life Timing is everything.

[johnthegriff]

I feel it should be noted that last season Tigers scored more tries than either Bath or Quins indeed Bath for all their much vaunted backs play score few tries. Defensively we suffered early season when our mid-field was decimated by injury but with the full complement of players we did ok however there is always room for improvement and we should not be so dependent on Anthony Allen.
Croft did get his neck in the wrong position when injured tackling Nick Easter. The Quin's eight was close to our try line, Tom had no time to position him self in what Noddy would think of as correct. He bravely tried to stop the man, going high to hold arms to prevent the off load or the stretch that may have led to ball being grounded over the line. Rugby is a tough game and injuries happen, they always have and always will.