johnthegriff wrote: ↑Wed Nov 01, 2017 8:35 pm
Mark 62 it seems to have escaped your notice that the game against Gloucester is an Anglo/Welsh fixture not a Premiership one. You also seem to have missed the fact that Fred Tuilagi excelled in the pre-season friendly away to Ospreys, played well in another friendly did well in the home A league fixture and was far from the worst player in the A league match in Northampton. If he is selected I am sure he will do a job. At just twenty it may be too early to say Fred will make the grade but he is definitely still improving in his transition from prop to back row so playing him is the only way to judge just how much he has improved.
No it hasn’t escaped my attention that the Gloucester game is in the awc but another poster mentioned him playing in the premiership.
Friendly v the ospreys was played in a monsoon hardly an indication of talent. His run out at home he had 3 carries when he dropped the ball twice, his tackling was poorly timed and no where near as effective as should be from someone of his size, then left the field injured.
I don’t doubt he is improving, with the time and resources that have been spent getting him into shape, I would hope he was.
Time will only tell but at his age he should be knocking on the premiership squads door, by my reckoning there are at least 4 players in front of him.
If the club really want him to develop he would be better off on loan in the championship or National one, not holding tackle shields for the first team
RagingBull wrote: ↑Wed Nov 01, 2017 2:31 pm
BOC played 8 for Hawkes bay and also 8 at super rugby so should be alright v Sale if needs be.
He's played 8 for us too IIRC.
Harrison and Ford have to start to get decent game time under their belts. Malouf would have been nice to play at 13 but he's had a busy start to the season (80 minutes of every game so far - even when he probably should have been sin binned?) and will rightly be rested. Wouldn't be surprised if Charlie Thacker starts at 12 with Matt Smith outside him. Thommo should start, probably at 11 with Holmes and Worth making up the back three.
RagingBull wrote: ↑Wed Nov 01, 2017 2:31 pm
BOC played 8 for Hawkes bay and also 8 at super rugby so should be alright v Sale if needs be.
He's played 8 for us too IIRC.
Harrison and Ford have to start to get decent game time under their belts. Malouf would have been nice to play at 13 but he's had a busy start to the season (80 minutes of every game so far - even when he probably should have been sin binned?) and will rightly be rested. Wouldn't be surprised if Charlie Thacker starts at 12 with Matt Smith outside him. Thommo should start, probably at 11 with Holmes and Worth making up the back three.
Malouf is well rested - he's been in Rome all week (my Mrs follows him in on social media)
Mark62 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 02, 2017 11:38 am
Friendly v the ospreys was played in a monsoon hardly an indication of talent. His run out at home he had 3 carries when he dropped the ball twice, his tackling was poorly timed and no where near as effective as should be from someone of his size, then left the field injured.
I thought his tackling against Treviso was very good, I remember him smashing their big black prop into touch. He also made a lot more than 3 carries and while he wasn't making Vunipola type metres I felt they were dominant carries and he was attracting 2/3 defenders to him.
We will see hopefully how good he is on Saturday but I think he deserves a start just to see his credentials.
Last edited by JP14 on Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Formerly of Burbaaage (not Inkleh), now up north at uni
mol2 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 02, 2017 4:56 pm
I think it might be a big ask to put Malouf - (a 7s forward who has just transitioned to 15s wing) to play at centre.
Malouf has already finished two games at 13 this season (IIRC vs Quins and then last weekend against the Falcons). I suspect long term he will be a wing/centre, but certainly this round of the AWC sees him getting a well deserved rest!
Malouf may be a long-term Tigers project, he certainly has attributes as a 13, and his learning curve has been steep as a winger. It is quite possible he could be groomed for the departure of one or more of our covers, e.g. Tait. TBH I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of recent signings and only hope that Joe Ford, Holmes and the rest show similar promise in the AWC.
Leicester Tigers 1995-
Nottingham 1995-2000
Swansea (Whites) 1988-95
A game played on grass in the open air by teams of XV.
Excited to see Pakalani, Simmons and Holmes get a go, Joe Ford must be well thought of to go straight in as Captain in his first proper start for the club
