Did the Board sack the wrong man?

[rdracup]

No they did not. But that is not to say Mauger is the long term answer either.

The root and branch review needs to be done quickly but thought. Minimum objective is top 6 and stretch is Top4. Despite last night Top4 is not beyond Mauger and this team.

Last night was the perfect storm.

A talented team, on top form, playing the sort of Rugby Mauger aspires to play, with big incentive.

A dead rubber for us

Some England players, particularly YBY focused on their Feb/March fixtures. Exception was Genge when he came on.

A back line that is our pretty much our second string. Maybe Burns and Tomo make first XV.

Academy players just learning filling in key positions.

The coaching team changing.

Some players perhaps just playing for themselves as individuals rather than the team, perhaps unhappy at the recent changes. They will either have to accept or move on. They have no choice.

Dreadful yes, but not terminal. We can make 4th and reset with new coaching team in the summer.

[Hull Fan]

No way will we make top 4.

[wellstiger]

I understand the sentiment for Cockers. He cares deep down.
Mauger does not appear animated or bothered. During half time Tv Shots of the changing room looked more like a waiting room in a doctors surgery.

Agree Genge plays with his heart and takes the loss as I'd expect a Tiger to.Best purchase made in recent years and performs and grows.

Thompstone's a keeper. Matt Smith always gives for team always has.
The rest are underperforming. Good players individually not a team makes
The academy are obviously finding their feet. When they come on lift the team. Thacker is learning his craft and gets the ball out quickly.

[BFG]

I understand the sentiment for Cockers. He cares deep down.
Mauger does not appear animated or bothered. During half time Tv Shots of the changing room looked more like a waiting room in a doctors surgery.

Agree Genge plays with his heart and takes the loss as I'd expect a Tiger to.Best purchase made in recent years and performs and grows.

Thompstone's a keeper. Matt Smith always gives for team always has.
The rest are underperforming. Good players individually not a team makes
The academy are obviously finding their feet. When they come on lift the team. Thacker is learning his craft and gets the ball out quickly.

The old subs lifted the team spin!
The game was over, Glasgow still should've scored four or five more tries second half but started to get carried away from the structure that had already won the match.
Thacker is a prime example of all that is wrong, unable to attack the gap for fear of being held up and turned over, too weak to break shoulders, goes off on his own so slow support, runs into the tackler and crawling along the floor to make ground, playing in front of the defence, slow static ruck ball, no go forward, no turning the defence and as a defender unable to stop good players doing the opposite.
Leicester keep getting rid of the wrong men.
Young Hamilton and Genge are the two best youngsters by some distance!

[Noddy555]

Sorry Hull fan I dispute your contention that we can't finish 4th. As long as we can recover our form by making the necessary changes I still think we have chances to win our next two Aviva home games against Gloucester and Bristol, then we shall have to look at Bath's form,if they lose one of their next two matches then we could be just a point behind them and we still have to play them at Twickers in April. I fully expect Wasps Saracens and Exeter to occupy the top 3 places at the end of the season, but 4th place is still up for grabs.

[Cagey Tiger]

Probably not.

Two seasons ago, we didn't concede many tries or points but really struggled to score ourselves, hence the recruitment of a coach with a playing career in the backs.

I think that the following season, many teams were caught out by the abilities of our new players like Veainu and Betham and we won more matches than our overall play merited. This hid the problems of the conflicting philosophies of AM and RC.

This season, our star backs have been sussed out by the opposition (when they are not out injured) and the players have been confused about the defensive system, hence the conceding of lots of tries early on. Hansen goes and RC and AM take over the defence. I suspect that RC had a major hand in this, defence was one of our strengths 2 seasons ago and reverting to this would not have been too difficult for many players.

RC gets the chop, AM takes overall responsibility and the defence seems to revert to its early season generosity. I suspect that AM has a different defensive policy to what we had been using since the departure of Hansen and the players are trying to get to grips with it (and not succeeding). As AM and SH coached together in NZ, you would assume they had similar views on defence.

Well that's my thoughts. Hope I'm wrong about AM and his defence, or that Brett Deacon sorts things out, otherwise... I shudder to think.

BTW, Munster and Glasgow have both had games where "everything they tried came off". I would suggest that Tiger's woeful performances played a significant part.

[Hull Fan]

Sorry Hull fan I dispute your contention that we can't finish 4th. As long as we can recover our form by making the necessary changes I still think we have chances to win our next two Aviva home games against Gloucester and Bristol, then we shall have to look at Bath's form,if they lose one of their next two matches then we could be just a point behind them and we still have to play them at Twickers in April. I fully expect Wasps Saracens and Exeter to occupy the top 3 places at the end of the season, but 4th place is still up for grabs.

That's fine Noddy its probably me seeing the glass half empty, mathematically we can but just feel the wheels have come off the season. Even if we do finish top 4 I feel it will just paper over some cracks. Just want to see some backbone and grit with what's left of the season.

[TigerCam]

No way will we make top 4.

The Premiership 'Fat Lady' hasn't sung yet

[strawclearer]

I think we have to give AM the rest of the season as Head Coach to prove he is worthy of keeping the Head Coach position (he's not DoR calibre) but I'm increasingly irritated by his comment: "It was clearly embarrassing for all involved and it's not a situation I've found myself in through my career, I've always been part of successful sides."

Implying that it can't be his fault because it's never happened to him before is the grown up version of 'the dog ate my homework' excuse.

[rdracup]

The reason we can finish 4th is because BATH still have Tigers at Twickenham, Wasps at home and Sarries away, and there is only 5 points between us.

Assumption is we can lose 1 other AP game, not Bath, in run in and they could easily lose 3.

I am not saying it will happen, just that it can happen.

It is not out of the question that we win all the following. Bristol, Gloucester, Newcastle, Saints, Sale Worcester.

We lose to one only of Quins or Exeter, and beat Bath. Obviously bonus points could alter the picture but this would be pretty certain to give us 4th.

Even if it does happen Sarries or Wasps away in a semi will, I think will be long odds against us progressing.

[BengalTiger]

To get a view of our current malaise, look at Vereniki Goneva, he scored 41 tries in 87 appearance, in last years European cup he was the joint top try scorer.
Would any other premiership team allow a diamond like that to be signed by Newcastle, no of course not, please do not blame RC for allowing it to happen, he was the one who bought him over from the French second division, any club that cannot hold onto such talent purely because of the tight financial regime is in for a big struggle.

[Doghashadhisday]

Yes

[fentiger]

To get a view of our current malaise, look at Vereniki Goneva, he scored 41 tries in 87 appearance, in last years European cup he was the joint top try scorer.
Would any other premiership team allow a diamond like that to be signed by Newcastle, no of course not, please do not blame RC for allowing it to happen, he was the one who bought him over from the French second division, any club that cannot hold onto such talent purely because of the tight financial regime is in for a big struggle.

+1
Cohen balancing the books and creating imbalance in the squad..... who'd of thought it

[Tigersunited]

Or maybe the DOR and head coach decided they wanted JPP
By the sounds of some folk SC is actually DOR
The coaches decide on players the CEO tells em if if fits the cap. You honestly think RC would let SC tell him who to sign?

[fentiger]

"You honestly think RC would let SC tell him who to sign?"

Probably had no choice!