Bring on Sarries! - Teams Up

[strawclearer]

We lost to a very good team - tactically astute, fiercely and physically competitive and very skilled. We made mistakes - many of which were caused because we were playing a tactically astute, fiercely and physically competitive and very skilled team.

We were not humiliated (yes - I'm aware that 'not being humiliated' is not a particularly worthy goal) and, at times, we showed we're a good side, albeit we struggle to show that for more than 50 out of 80 minutes.

Onwards and upwards!

Oh and...I think my post suggesting Burns at 10 with Williams at 12 was...RIGHT!

[WhitecapTiger]

I fancy Sam is providing quicker ball

Overall yes but his mindless (IMO) dithering and marshalling of players to a ruck under Sarries' posts really killed us when we lost that ball, we had good momentum there and he blew it.

Well done Tigers, you deserved a bonus point today. Saracens are a top class side and we weren't embarrassed. A performance like that today would have beaten most other sides in this league.

They deserved a LBP on the last 15-20 mins performance - which was more akin to the performance last week. They showed that Sarries can be run around and forced into errors etc.

That leaves the question: Why did we not play that way for the whole match?

I suggest player selection. Burns made an attacking impact. Harrison was quicker (minus the example above). There was better kicking (generally).

We had enough in that last period to gain a LBP....but didn't.

Frustrating is putting it mildly.

At least Sarries didn't get a TBP - and to be fair, I don't think they were that special today (no matter what Alex Sanderson says or thinks), we gifted them feeble tries again, they were just smarter, smart enough to take their chance and smart enough to play percentages, kicks found touch, up and unders found chasers.

They got away with a fair amount of blocking, offsides, a blatant knock on (I hope Barnes get reamed for that one, it was a shocking decision). Barritt and Burger spent a lot of time hanging around our players necks too, some of those directly in front of Barnes. They rode their luck, fair play to them.

We coughed up a lot of cheap possession too.

I know people will say that our players must get frustrated and affected by poor decisions but they are professionals and should be able to adapt to the ref, good/bad/indifferent, and play their own game. They did it last week.

As i said, frustrating. But not ALL doom and gloom. I pains to say it but Sarries are a top outfit right now, I thought beforehand, taking into account last few visits and our hit and miss performances that a LBP would be a great (sad state of affairs I know but realistic right now IMO), we nearly got that, a bit more control, a bit more patience and we would have had it. Sadly, that was down to the players in that period, couldn't turn the screw enough.

Onwards and upwards I guess.

[maroontrunks]

Considering how poorly we have performed against the minnows of the league earlier this season, you have to consider this a good performance all told. The team fronted up physically and, in the last 20 minutes, threatened Sarries' defence.

The frustration though is that we didn't play that way all the way through, and in particular, the performance of the starting halfbacks. You could see the frustration early on from Ben Youngs, and the mounting errors went to his head. The injection of energy from Burns and Harrison, plus Mako's yellow card, suddenly provided the go forward we needed to compete against that rush defence.

The coaches need to be looking at the difference that was made in the last quarter, because if we had played that way throughout, we would have been contenders. For me, Burns must start, possibly with Williams at 12. Williams has looked useful in previous games but his kicking game was really shown up against Farrell, Goode and Spencer's purposeful kicking.

All told, I think Tigers need to recruit a coach to look at tactical kicking with the entire squad, as that area was really exposed today. Instead we had phase after phase of impressive forward grunt rendered completely useless by forced errors. If we had kicked the ball at the right time, we could have used that physical display in the right areas of the pitch instead of losing our momentum through the sapping power of the Saracens defence.

To give them credit, Saracens are clearly head and shoulders above the other teams in the premiership. They are ruthlessly drilled in a simple and direct gameplan that doesn't rely on fancy tricks but applied pressure at their opponents weak spots. The legality of some parts of their game (blocking, offside) is questionable and their discipline fell apart towards the end, something which we should be exploiting if possible.

By the way, did anyone else notice Burger wrapping his arm around Pietersen's neck just before JP went off? I was surprised that no comment was made by either the officials or the commentary team.

[Grumpy of Crumbie]

A couple of Vunipola's, a Goode and a Barritt should do about do it!

[RagingBull]

Should of got the LBP but better than previous games at Sarries.

Tactical game costs us.

Would be tempted to look at after the LV cup. (Without internationals).

1) Genge, 2) Youngs, 3) Logo
4) Slater, 5) Kitchener
6) Fitzgerald, 7) O'Connor , 8) McCaffrey.
9) Harrison, 10) Burns
12) Roberts, 13) Betham
11) Cachpole, 14) Thompstone, 15) Tait/Veainu

16) Thacker, 17) Ayerza, 18) Cilliers
19) Hamilton, 20) Evans
21) Kitto, 22) Williams, 23) Tait/Brady

V Quins.

[WhitecapTiger]

Would be tempted to look at after the LV cup. (Without internationals).

3) Cole


V Quins.

Cole not with England?

[Tigerbeat]

Should of got the LBP but better than previous games at Sarries.

Tactical game costs us.

Would be tempted to look at after the LV cup. (Without internationals).

1) Genge, 2) Youngs, 3) Cole
4) Slater, 5) Kitchener
6) Fitzgerald, 7) Evans, 8) Hamilton
9) Harrison, 10) Burns
12) Roberts, 13) Betham
11) Cachpole, 14) Thompstone, 15) Tait/Veainu

16) Thacker, 17) Ayerza, 18) Logo
19) Hamilton, 20) Evans
21) Kitto, 22) Williams, 23) Tait/Brady

V Quins.

Is Cole not with England?

[markharbtiger]

Disappointing result.
But with all the injuries and given the quality of the opposition, it's hardly a surprise.

[sapajo]

Should of got the LBP but better than previous games at Sarries.

Tactical game costs us.

Would be tempted to look at after the LV cup. (Without internationals).

1) Genge, 2) Youngs, 3) Cole
4) Slater, 5) Kitchener
6) Fitzgerald, 7) Evans, 8) Hamilton
9) Harrison, 10) Burns
12) Roberts, 13) Betham
11) Cachpole, 14) Thompstone, 15) Tait/Veainu

16) Thacker, 17) Ayerza, 18) Logo
19) Hamilton, 20) Evans
21) Kitto, 22) Williams, 23) Tait/Brady

V Quins.

Is Cole not with England?

Is Genge not with England?

[maroontrunks]

1) Genge, 2) Youngs, 3) Cole
4) Slater, 5) Kitchener
6) Fitzgerald, 7) Evans, 8) Hamilton
9) Harrison, 10) Burns
12) Roberts, 13) Betham
11) Cachpole, 14) Thompstone, 15) Tait/Veainu

16) Thacker, 17) Ayerza, 18) Logo
19) Hamilton, 20) Evans
21) Kitto, 22) Williams, 23) Tait/Brady

Seriously, no O'Connor or McCaffrey? Also Evans and Hamilton are both starting and on the bench?

[Bowden Tiger]

I would include Dom Barrow?

[RagingBull]

1) Genge, 2) Youngs, 3) Cole
4) Slater, 5) Kitchener
6) Fitzgerald, 7) Evans, 8) Hamilton
9) Harrison, 10) Burns
12) Roberts, 13) Betham
11) Cachpole, 14) Thompstone, 15) Tait/Veainu

16) Thacker, 17) Ayerza, 18) Logo
19) Hamilton, 20) Evans
21) Kitto, 22) Williams, 23) Tait/Brady

Seriously, no O'Connor or McCaffrey? Also Evans and Hamilton are both starting and on the bench?

Much like our kicking my Brain went missing.

[RagingBull]

I would include Dom Barrow?

I would aswell but that was his second concussion in a month and can see him being rested.

[RagingBull]

Should of got the LBP but better than previous games at Sarries.

Tactical game costs us.

Would be tempted to look at after the LV cup. (Without internationals).

1) Genge, 2) Youngs, 3) Cole
4) Slater, 5) Kitchener
6) Fitzgerald, 7) Evans, 8) Hamilton
9) Harrison, 10) Burns
12) Roberts, 13) Betham
11) Cachpole, 14) Thompstone, 15) Tait/Veainu

16) Thacker, 17) Ayerza, 18) Logo
19) Hamilton, 20) Evans
21) Kitto, 22) Williams, 23) Tait/Brady

V Quins.

Is Cole not with England?

Is Genge not with England?

Yes but can see him being released back. (Won't be ahead of Vunipola or Marler yet).

[Spicer]

Sarries really are an amazing team currently, and that is without arguably the best locks in the world and another first choice international standard lock as well. They are so well drilled and every single one of their players looks like very good all round players with no real weaknesses.
I think Freddie has usurped Own after the last few games.