London Irish v Tigers

[Scott11]

If Kalamafoni misses out do we go Hamilton or Mapapalangi? I'd go Williams,BOC, Mapapalangi

[Big Dai]

Owen obviously needs more game time, but I think he could prove a very canny signing. Do they risk him against Racing, offering more of an attacking threat, or stay with Dossers lad who is more defensively capable, whilst still offering something in attack

Love it! He'll possibly be 84, enjoying a pint in the Tuilagi family memorial stand, enjoying a pint of Everard's new generation organic bitter.........but he'll still be Dossers lad.

[MikeR]

20 minutes very good , 60 minutes poor . Our best lineup is very competitive and the introduction of Ford , Toomua and May has improved the team no end . The forwards are still a concern to me - line out poor again - and when Kalamofoni went off the difference was worrying . Yesterday should have been 5 points all day long .

[Leicestertinytiger]

Very impressed with Will Evans, with over 20 tackles he has a good engine. Also a couple of turnovers and a try! Lacks a bit of physicality but at only 20 he will pack on some weight as he gets older and will be able to impose himself more!

Definitely the best prospect from the academy in a long time and future starting no.7 for Tigers and possibly England.

[LJS]

On Will Evans - Looking forward to seeing him when he gets back up to speed. No need to bulk up, he has the same build as Australia captain Michael Hooper, and I hope he can be as great an annoyance to the opposition too.

[LJS]

Just more catching / handling practice for all the forwards please.

[ourla]

Yesterday should have been 5 points all day long .

Despite the resting some, last minute pull outs, an accidental clash of heads taking two players?

4 wins on the bounce.

Smith to hold us defensively for 50/55 against Racing then use Owen for the killer punch.

[Roly]

Well, there's another 5 points gone begging. Oirish should have been buried by half time. You could have driven a bus through the holes in LI's midfield. My colleague who is an LI supporter was at the match and couldn't contain his glee - reckons Tigers would be better opening a butcher's shop than playing rugby.

That's three straight forward try bonus points gone begging now - put that into context - its three quarters of the way to nullifying one of the losses in the first two rounds of the season. Those three points would currently have Tigers in the top four. These bonus points matter.

Anyone who doesn't think Tigers should have had five points on Saturday is bonkers - regardless of injuries and the seeming propensity of the coaching staff to substitute everybody in sight with the match by no means certain, the game should have been out of sight by half time.

Owen was lucky to get a yellow. Freddie Burns saw red for a carbon copy tackle.

[BFG]

Well, there's another 5 points gone begging. Oirish should have been buried by half time. You could have driven a bus through the holes in LI's midfield. My colleague who is an LI supporter was at the match and couldn't contain his glee - reckons Tigers would be better opening a butcher's shop than playing rugby.

That's three straight forward try bonus points gone begging now - put that into context - its three quarters of the way to nullifying one of the losses in the first two rounds of the season. Those three points would currently have Tigers in the top four. These bonus points matter.

Anyone who doesn't think Tigers should have had five points on Saturday is bonkers - regardless of injuries and the seeming propensity of the coaching staff to substitute everybody in sight with the match by no means certain, the game should have been out of sight by half time.

Owen was lucky to get a yellow. Freddie Burns saw red for a carbon copy tackle.

So just to be sure, was that 5 points gone begging or 3?
Maybe they did butcher a point but there can be little doubt that disruption played a part on this occasion, Veaniu and Youngs were a big loss to the 23.

[Roly]

Well, there's another 5 points gone begging. Oirish should have been buried by half time. You could have driven a bus through the holes in LI's midfield. My colleague who is an LI supporter was at the match and couldn't contain his glee - reckons Tigers would be better opening a butcher's shop than playing rugby.

That's three straight forward try bonus points gone begging now - put that into context - its three quarters of the way to nullifying one of the losses in the first two rounds of the season. Those three points would currently have Tigers in the top four. These bonus points matter.

Anyone who doesn't think Tigers should have had five points on Saturday is bonkers - regardless of injuries and the seeming propensity of the coaching staff to substitute everybody in sight with the match by no means certain, the game should have been out of sight by half time.

Owen was lucky to get a yellow. Freddie Burns saw red for a carbon copy tackle.

So just to be sure, was that 5 points gone begging or 3?
Maybe they did butcher a point but there can be little doubt that disruption played a part on this occasion, Veaniu and Youngs were a big loss to the 23.

Its another 5 point(er) gone begging - so that's 3 points (a try bonus point in each of three matches).

Veaniu and Youngs would have made a difference - Veaniu in particular - but there can be no denying, or hiding the fact, that Tigers should have had 4 trys and 5 points in the bag by half time regardless.

[BFG]

Well, there's another 5 points gone begging. Oirish should have been buried by half time. You could have driven a bus through the holes in LI's midfield. My colleague who is an LI supporter was at the match and couldn't contain his glee - reckons Tigers would be better opening a butcher's shop than playing rugby.

That's three straight forward try bonus points gone begging now - put that into context - its three quarters of the way to nullifying one of the losses in the first two rounds of the season. Those three points would currently have Tigers in the top four. These bonus points matter.

Anyone who doesn't think Tigers should have had five points on Saturday is bonkers - regardless of injuries and the seeming propensity of the coaching staff to substitute everybody in sight with the match by no means certain, the game should have been out of sight by half time.

Owen was lucky to get a yellow. Freddie Burns saw red for a carbon copy tackle.

So just to be sure, was that 5 points gone begging or 3?
Maybe they did butcher a point but there can be little doubt that disruption played a part on this occasion, Veaniu and Youngs were a big loss to the 23.

Its another 5 point(er) gone begging - so that's 3 points (a try bonus point in each of three matches).

Veaniu and Youngs would have made a difference - Veaniu in particular - but there can be no denying, or hiding the fact, that Tigers should have had 4 trys and 5 points in the bag by half time regardless.

You may be right or not, after the start to the season the last four matches have been good.
Take all of the circumstances into account and only one point has possibly gone begging so far against Gloucs at home and even that is debatable given the shock losses before it and the pressure on that game just to get a win.
Four wins on the bounce is good against Quins and Irish away and Gloucs and Exeter at home, try bonus points or not.

[Roly]

A win is a win. Concerned about a lengthening injury list. But it was good to see some more junior members of team get some game time.
I was pleased to see Tait put in a good shift. Not got the pace of old as the commentators noted, but makes up for it with smarts and experience.

Tait always looks good when he's got acres of space to run into - the LI defence was non-existent at times.

Which makes the lack of a try bonus point all the more disappointing.

[Mark62]

Should probably been a 5 pointer, but Sarries didn’t get the tbp at Worcester who sit below Irish in the table.
No easy away games this season

[Roly]

Should probably been a 5 pointer, but Sarries didn’t get the tbp at Worcester who sit below Irish in the table.
No easy away games this season

True - but then how many TBP have Sarries dropped this season? The Worcester game was the exception, not the rule.

[johnthegriff]

After four wins on the trot I think if Roly tried really hard he could say something positive about Tigers.