Next match- Coventry v Tigers

[Big Dai]

Ok GS. Agree about the drums and the Jodderal Banker on the mike but a few dolly birds wouldn't hurt?

[GS]

That's the old BillW talking, isn't it?

[Clowbeck]

Poor start and reasonable second half. As ever though Tigers focus was on forwards play, have yet to see back win or challenge a game for Tigers this season. Some will call out injuries but I'm concerned back organisation and interplay is not at the races.

[ellis9]

What's wrong with forwards focussed? If that's our strength then use it.

[WiggoTiger]

Watched some of the game, can anyone enlighten me why the referee didn't yellow card Beale and a forward (can't remember who) for deliberate knock ons?? No way where they trying to intercept.
A better performance than I expected but again couldn't quite finish off really promising opportunities. Sadly Smith didn't dive early enough so was forced into touch, if that try had gone in Wasps might have panicked as they were very average 2nd half.

Looking slightly more a team from the last few weeks.

[GS]

Betham had his best game this season and you can't take the players we are missing in the backs out of any team and expect fireworks. The old adage that forwards win games still stands and today was no exception. Wasps are top of the league for a very good reason, their pack is strong and their backs excellent. The first half showed this, the second showed a Tigers reaction. There were periods in the second when I really thought we could win this, bearing in mind that Wasps didn't lose a game at home last year. Given what we had to play with that was an excellent result.

[fentiger]

Watched some of the game, can anyone enlighten me why the referee didn't yellow card Beale and a forward (can't remember who) for deliberate knock ons?? No way where they trying to intercept.
A better performance than I expected but again couldn't quite finish off really promising opportunities. Sadly Smith didn't dive early enough so was forced into touch, if that try had gone in Wasps might have panicked as they were very average 2nd half.

Looking slightly more a team from the last few weeks.

Beale should have been carded, and possible PT. However, the TMO, for reasons best known to himself, told the ref over the earpiece, 'just a penalty'!
Second half knock that I saw was in the tackle and, almost certainly, accidental.

We played very well for an hour today, if we had been able to keep them out in that first ten minutes......

[WiggoTiger]

Watched some of the game, can anyone enlighten me why the referee didn't yellow card Beale and a forward (can't remember who) for deliberate knock ons?? No way where they trying to intercept.
A better performance than I expected but again couldn't quite finish off really promising opportunities. Sadly Smith didn't dive early enough so was forced into touch, if that try had gone in Wasps might have panicked as they were very average 2nd half.

Looking slightly more a team from the last few weeks.

Beale should have been carded, and possible PT. However, the TMO, for reasons best known to himself, told the ref over the earpiece, 'just a penalty'!
Second half knock that I saw was in the tackle and, almost certainly, accidental.

We played very well for an hour today, if we had been able to keep them out in that first ten minutes......

Thanks for that FEN, I agree if we hadn't had a poor first 30 we could have won the game, glad they didn't get the TBP.

[TigerCam]

Watched some of the game, can anyone enlighten me why the referee didn't yellow card Beale and a forward (can't remember who) for deliberate knock ons?? No way where they trying to intercept.
A better performance than I expected but again couldn't quite finish off really promising opportunities. Sadly Smith didn't dive early enough so was forced into touch, if that try had gone in Wasps might have panicked as they were very average 2nd half.

Looking slightly more a team from the last few weeks.

Apparently as there was not a a direct chance of scoring a try, Beale got away with a penalty. I believe had the Tigers been in the 'red zone' then he would have been carded?

[sam16111986]

Watched some of the game, can anyone enlighten me why the referee didn't yellow card Beale and a forward (can't remember who) for deliberate knock ons?? No way where they trying to intercept.
A better performance than I expected but again couldn't quite finish off really promising opportunities. Sadly Smith didn't dive early enough so was forced into touch, if that try had gone in Wasps might have panicked as they were very average 2nd half.

Looking slightly more a team from the last few weeks.

Beale should have been carded, and possible PT. However, the TMO, for reasons best known to himself, told the ref over the earpiece, 'just a penalty'!
Second half knock that I saw was in the tackle and, almost certainly, accidental.

We played very well for an hour today, if we had been able to keep them out in that first ten minutes......

Never a penalty try for the Beale incident, too much cover. It was a 100% yellow card though. Cynical play, he makes no attempt to do anything other than slap the ball down. Really poor call from the TMO and the ref should have reviewed it himself.

You can't come through the ruck and target the scrum half we saw that last week so Cole was going to get pinged. Harsh yellow considering Beale got away with worse.

[BFG]

Game of two halves!
Wasps were on fire during the first 30 minutes or so.
Tommy Taylor and Thomas Young are two very impressive all round young rugby players.
Unfortunately very little scrummaging early on and Wasps just had enough to not be totally torn apart from set piece early on and they got well ahead, Wasps could've and probably should've been more ahead.
From there on in more scrums tired out Wasps a bit and got Tigers playing, Leicester could've and probably should've won it!
Key moment for me was a wild pass to the floor in their own half from Tigers which gave Wasps an attack from loose ball resulting in Cole being yellow carded, not Cole's fault really just cause and effect, Wasps would likely have crossed anyway had he not done what he did.
Still had more pressure after that but that yellow card and penalty just took the pressure off Wasps enough with the time left to play.
I didn't think the ref was very good, in fairness it was probably about 50/50 though, Wasps fans near me were furious with him on several occasions.
I thought Beale deserved a yellow for a deliberate knock on but also thought one of ours flew straight off his feet over the ruck just before we scored the try which could've been picked on.

[Big Dai]

There is hope if we can get some consistency. Today we had the inconsistency in one game rather than over two weeks. It's all very well being enthused over the big hearted 2nd half show when the first half defence was absent.

I hope we can use the European games to consolidate and escape them without further absentees, either by injury or suspension.

Mystified by the refereeing, Over the ball for one team is off feet for another. Plus there's all the hue and cry over head injuries and high tackles but straight line out throws are still required, are they not? with the hooker OFF the park? (There was a dummy throw yesterday that went unpunished too?) The offside line is still a moveable feast and is poorly policed.

Are refs concentrating on the big issue of the day and ignoring the first principles of the game?

[TigerCam]

Speed at the breakdown and straight running are wonderful things. Once the Wasp tacklers were knocked back and our support players were quicker we looked good. Running round the corner and taking the ball moving for the first time in a while.

It has been a while since I have seen the Tigers (especially the backs) run so many direct lines!!

I would add Brady to the list of those getting stuck in. He was one of the best in the first half.

Brady - chuffin marvelous

Genge is hard in attack but tends to be stationary and his body position is far too high defending the maul. He is getting pushed back when he should be the main driver back. If we cannot defend it we need to compete in the air.

His loose play was really good - Eddie must have been impressed and he had a much better game than Nat Catt had against the Falcons!!

Cole yellow was daft. I think he was not off his feet but he did dive over at the 9 and it is very likely to be penalised. He does it quite often.

Duh!! move from Cole. he was well off his feet

The first half reffing of the breakdown was poor in my view (having reffed under 15 this morning ). Our captain needs to talk to the ref and say we cannot place the ball away from their first man in when the tackler is lying on the wrong side. He may ignore it but if no one says then we cannot complain that they played the ref better than we did.

Thought the ref ran the game well and was consistent (if not always correct) for both sides

Dai Young said he was disappointed at the scrum but I think the penalty against us then the ref had not got as far and "bind" and Wasps stepped back should have been a reset at the least. The penalty to us 5 m from our try line was 50:50 as both Genge and their prop were angled in but then they landed on the ground first.

Proves that the Tigers still have a scrum to be wary off. They stuffed Sarries with last week and despite the bulk in the Wasps pack didi it again!

Overall interesting times!

If Munster can stuff Racing in Paris then that is the bench-mark for next weekend


Better handling and the Tigers may have pinched it. Will Evans must rue his mistake of looking up at Wade rather than catch and take him on

[TigerCam]

Thinking back to the game today. Am I right in thinking that there were no 'head-high' tackles? Given the 'direct lines' that the Tigers ran I am surprised that both sides played the new directive well?

[LE18]

Betham similar to Worth's drop, both took their eyes off ball, such a pity, we were almost certain to score!

Game reminded me of the song, "hello mother, hellow father" has the sun finely come out, backs started to move ball impressively in 2nd half!

Did anyone else think there was a double high tackle by Wasps on 30 secs remaining, when Gopperth got hurt, I thought we should have had a penalty and them a yellow card, No one mentioned it, why?