The Clash

[Mark62]

Technically the yellow was right because where Thompstone ended up he couldn’t challenge for the ball or tackle Wilson when he landed.
However he wasn’t to know that Wilson was going to leap like a Salmon. I was just a little disappointed in the way Wayne talked it through, as with the Mapapalanga incident he seemed to take mitigating factors into account

[jgriffin]

I feel sorry for Thommo their full back leaped high in the air and pretty much jumped up and over Thommo who had been obstructed by their player effectively delaying his arrival and leaving him no time to avoid their player.

There was nothing reckless or even careless about Thompstone's actions and quite frankly you could argue that jumping 5 feet in the air boots in front is dangerous. This seems to be a tactic employed by a number of players from Wales - jump up and significantly forward with boots/knees in front almost Aussie rules style.
It's one thing being allowed 3 or 4 feet in front of you to land but this type of catch effectively prevents fair competition from anyone within 2 or 3 yards without risking a card of either colour.

Yes I agree with this. It seems you can be as reckless as you like if you catch the ball, but any oppoistion player with whom you make contact on the way down gets carded, ridiculous! The original law was that you can't tackle a player in the air, not that you must be 2/3 metres away when he comes down.

We watched it again last night on C5 replay and Thommo did absolutely nothing wrong, indeed there is no contact. Thommo is prevented from competing, the gets a bloke in mid air studs up who literally dives over him as he ducks. Total farce and 'duty of care' my arras, dangerous play!

[Stephen18]

Thanks for that JP14
I agreed with Mr Partridge I hoped that Olowofela would come on when the Thommo yellow card lapsed and with Bath tired out a few runs from the youngster & May we might have opened the gates further.
However a great team performance.

It would have been good to see him get at least those 6 minutes, hopefully he’ll be retained on the bench next week and he’ll get more time then, like they’ve done with Simmons and slowly increase the amount of playing time he gets week on week. I wonder who they’ll bring on to the bench for next week with Tait failing the hia that’s usually a mandatory 2 weeks off and Manu didnt sound that confident about being ready for next week, and we’ll need a centre cover and even if Holmes is fit I don’t know if he covers centre so might be a chance for Worth, I fear it will be J Ford though.

[Mark62]

Thanks for that JP14
I agreed with Mr Partridge I hoped that Olowofela would come on when the Thommo yellow card lapsed and with Bath tired out a few runs from the youngster & May we might have opened the gates further.
However a great team performance.

It would have been good to see him get at least those 6 minutes, hopefully he’ll be retained on the bench next week and he’ll get more time then, like they’ve done with Simmons and slowly increase the amount of playing time he gets week on week. I wonder who they’ll bring on to the bench for next week with Tait failing the hia that’s usually a mandatory 2 weeks off and Manu didnt sound that confident about being ready for next week, and we’ll need a centre cover and even if Holmes is fit I don’t know if he covers centre so might be a chance for Worth, I fear it will be J Ford though.

Tait wasn’t a HIA it was his neck.
No longer 2 week mandatory there are protocols to be followed which must be passed but could in theory play the following week

[sam16111986]

Back after a great game. Here’s my player ratings for Tigers.

Genge - 6.5
Deducted half a point for getting a penalty reversed. Great at scrum time but not so prominent in the lose. Still a force of nature.

Polata-Nau - 7
Proven to be a shrewd acquisition. Has nailed down the starting birth in my opinion. Solid all round game with great set piece.

Cole - 7
Integral part of a dominant Leicester scrum which was the cornerstone of us winning the game.

Fitzgerald - 6
Started off poorly giving away a stupid penalty but grew into the game in the second half. Didn’t let us down put lacking maybe some power in the tight exchanges. Sadly feel our second row was our poorest unit.

Kitchener - 5
Very poor. Steamrollered by Dunn in scoring their only try. Also showed some poor handling in the lose. Spencer calls the line out for Worcester and is much more imposing for next season.

Mapapalangi - 6.5
Mixed bag performance. Put in a massive hit and a great off load. But also caught napping on the blindside at scrum time once and needs to find some consistency.

Hamilton - 7
Workman like performance. Good ball in hand and in defence. Nothing flashy and a solid player.

Kalamafoni - 9 MoM
Always been impressed with his stats this season, guys workrate is crazy. However came into his own this game and topped off with some tries and big carries. Best game in a Tigers shirt. Becoming one of the most important players in the pack.

Harrison - 7
As the game went on got better and better. Started attacking the fringes more in the second half. True Tigers spirit.

Ford - 7
Controlled the game well enough. Attached the gainline more in the second half. For this season though was poor off the tee. Might expect a bit more at this stage from Ford though.

May - 7
Always a threat, but didn’t see too much ball in hand in space.

Toomua - 7
Quiet game but didn’t make any mistakes. Was well marshalled by Bath’s defence.

Tait - N/A
Went off injured

Thompstone - 5.5
Nowhere near the standard of last season. Has never been a flashy winger but usually solid in all areas. I know some people complained about the card but you know you touch someone in the air you’re in trouble. No malicious intent but stupidity in touching the Bath player. Feel that Holmes and Malouf are now better.

Veainu - 8
Always a constant threat with ball in hand and our best back today. Rewarded with the last try and thoroughly deserved it.

Bateman, Youngs, Mulipola - 7
Continued the high standards the starting front row set. Imposing performance and set the tone for Tigers continued dominance.

Wells - 6.5
Made sure Tigers forwards maintained the pressure on Bath. Good basics.

Evans - 8
Great performance off the bench. Going to be a quality player for us in the future. Is a quick guy but seems to have added power. Smashed through the Bath defence a few times and a great link between the forwards and backs.

Simmonds - 6
Kept up the intensity, another one for the future.

Smith - 7.5
A solid player, never lets Tigers down. Shored up the defence in the backs. With the talent we have in the backs feel like he is a good defensive linchpin. Would pick him over Tait.

Olowfela - N/A
Only came on for the last minute.

For next week expect Williams, O’Connor, Smith and Malouf/ Holmes should come into the starting XV.

Kitchener 5? Are you mad? The one handed takes at the lineout, the try saving cover tackle on Joseph the phase before Fitz the idiot gave away the days most blatant penalty (which is saying something given the Bath scrum) and the work rate which was huge. He was unlucky to be held up just short by an immense Obano tackle and whilst he did get run over by Dunn I'm finally certain he made more tackles than his second row partner. Was integral to our win and should be partnering Spencer next season.

http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/playerstats ... gue=267979
Incorrect
Fitzgerald made 10 tackles missed 0
Kitchener made 6 missed 2, one of which directly cost us 7 points.
Overall don't think there was that much between them today. Although as a unit still probably the weakest part of the team.
If spencer can call the lineout from next season then kitchener doesn't really bring much to the team. Also if mafi signs kitchener and Fitzgerald will probably be battling for a bench spot.

Depends how you class a missed tackle. Fitz got caught twice early door rushing out the line and hit stepped. The one where Joseph waltzed past him like he wasn't there resulted in the Kitch try saver.

If Mafi and Spencer sign I'd expect Fitz to move on.

[TheRock]

Kitchener 5? Are you mad? The one handed takes at the lineout, the try saving cover tackle on Joseph the phase before Fitz the idiot gave away the days most blatant penalty (which is saying something given the Bath scrum) and the work rate which was huge. He was unlucky to be held up just short by an immense Obano tackle and whilst he did get run over by Dunn I'm finally certain he made more tackles than his second row partner. Was integral to our win and should be partnering Spencer next season.

http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/playerstats ... gue=267979
Incorrect
Fitzgerald made 10 tackles missed 0
Kitchener made 6 missed 2, one of which directly cost us 7 points.
Overall don't think there was that much between them today. Although as a unit still probably the weakest part of the team.
If spencer can call the lineout from next season then kitchener doesn't really bring much to the team. Also if mafi signs kitchener and Fitzgerald will probably be battling for a bench spot.

Depends how you class a missed tackle. Fitz got caught twice early door rushing out the line and hit stepped. The one where Joseph waltzed past him like he wasn't there resulted in the Kitch try saver.

If Mafi and Spencer sign I'd expect Fitz to move on.

The Joseph one was mapapalangi so probably was counted as a missed tackle.

[HantsTiger]

Did Toomua take a knock early door? There was a medic on with him in the first few mintues, I wonder if that lead to his quiet game? He was sound in defence but lacked threat in attack in himself but was still putting players into gaps.

I know Ford was poor kicking, and roundly boo'd each time he kicked from the Bath 'fans' around us, but he was more handy ball in hand than Priestland.

[Mark62]

Did Toomua take a knock early door? There was a medic on with him in the first few mintues, I wonder if that lead to his quiet game? He was sound in defence but lacked threat in attack in himself but was still putting players into gaps.

I know Ford was poor kicking, and roundly boo'd each time he kicked from the Bath 'fans' around us, but he was more handy ball in hand than Priestland.

Possibly game plan with Toomua.

Interesting listening to Geordan on the telly game plan was to wear them out first 60 minutes then move them around.
I love it when a plan comes together

[BFG]

I didn't know at the time but Barnes explains things very well when watching the recording today.
It's time they took action regarding the man in the air scenario, they launch themselves like a missile almost looking for some contact, make it law that at least one foot stays in contact with the ground, also the same at kick offs, none of this lifting and make it a fair competition.
By the way I think the breakdown was a complete mess all round and no wonder hardly any space was available until the boshing contest was done.

[MikeR]

No argument with the Thompson Yellow Card from the Tigers supporters near us - as soon as it happened we knew the result . This has happened before with Thompson - he doesn't compete in the air properly and just gets in the way when the opponent lands . Thought we played well yesterday - all the forwards had decent games with K excellent . Will Evans added something extra when he came on and indeed , all the bench did well . A good day out - beer upwards of £5 a pint at the Admiral Nelson , Whitton !! . Bath supporters very friendly !

[mol2]

I think the TV replays show that Thommo's failure to compete was as a result of obstruction and he made little if any contact with the player he was deemed to have fouled.

According to the laws of the game he gets penalised, but the laws are simply wrong..

Force players to jump up not forward and you will make the game safer and allow fair competition not a lottery with the prizes being the ball, a yellow or red card.

[jgriffin]

I think the TV replays show that Thommo's failure to compete was as a result of obstruction and he made little if any contact with the player he was deemed to have fouled.

According to the laws of the game he gets penalised, but the laws are simply wrong..

Force players to jump up not forward and you will make the game safer and allow fair competition not a lottery with the prizes being the ball, a yellow or red card.

We used Ch5 replay, and replayed it a few times - exactly as you state.

[Tiglon]

The problem for me is that the laws as they were applied in this instance do not seem to encourage safe play. They encourage players to jump higher and more aggressively, hoping to draw a foul and knowing they are completely safe from sanction as long as they try to catch the ball, or at least look like they are trying to catch the ball.

The Bath player's action in jumping so high into/over a stationary player was simply reckless. Surely rugby players should be held accountable for their own safety as well as each others? It was the Bath player who moved into Thompstone, not the other way around, so the cause of the fall was clearly himself.

From one of the restarts a Leicester jumper was dropped by his lifter - the logic that resulted in Thompstone's yellow should also mean a yellow for the lifter. Or, does a player not have a duty of care towards his teammates?

[Crumblies]

Back after a great game. Here’s my player ratings for Tigers.

Genge - 6.5
Deducted half a point for getting a penalty reversed. Great at scrum time but not so prominent in the lose. Still a force of nature.

Polata-Nau - 7
Proven to be a shrewd acquisition. Has nailed down the starting birth in my opinion. Solid all round game with great set piece.

Cole - 7
Integral part of a dominant Leicester scrum which was the cornerstone of us winning the game.

Fitzgerald - 6
Started off poorly giving away a stupid penalty but grew into the game in the second half. Didn’t let us down put lacking maybe some power in the tight exchanges. Sadly feel our second row was our poorest unit.

Kitchener - 5
Very poor. Steamrollered by Dunn in scoring their only try. Also showed some poor handling in the lose. Spencer calls the line out for Worcester and is much more imposing for next season.

Mapapalangi - 6.5
Mixed bag performance. Put in a massive hit and a great off load. But also caught napping on the blindside at scrum time once and needs to find some consistency.

Hamilton - 7
Workman like performance. Good ball in hand and in defence. Nothing flashy and a solid player.

Kalamafoni - 9 MoM
Always been impressed with his stats this season, guys workrate is crazy. However came into his own this game and topped off with some tries and big carries. Best game in a Tigers shirt. Becoming one of the most important players in the pack.

Harrison - 7
As the game went on got better and better. Started attacking the fringes more in the second half. True Tigers spirit.

Ford - 7
Controlled the game well enough. Attached the gainline more in the second half. For this season though was poor off the tee. Might expect a bit more at this stage from Ford though.

May - 7
Always a threat, but didn’t see too much ball in hand in space.

Toomua - 7
Quiet game but didn’t make any mistakes. Was well marshalled by Bath’s defence.

Tait - N/A
Went off injured

Thompstone - 5.5
Nowhere near the standard of last season. Has never been a flashy winger but usually solid in all areas. I know some people complained about the card but you know you touch someone in the air you’re in trouble. No malicious intent but stupidity in touching the Bath player. Feel that Holmes and Malouf are now better.

Veainu - 8
Always a constant threat with ball in hand and our best back today. Rewarded with the last try and thoroughly deserved it.

Bateman, Youngs, Mulipola - 7
Continued the high standards the starting front row set. Imposing performance and set the tone for Tigers continued dominance.

Wells - 6.5
Made sure Tigers forwards maintained the pressure on Bath. Good basics.

Evans - 8
Great performance off the bench. Going to be a quality player for us in the future. Is a quick guy but seems to have added power. Smashed through the Bath defence a few times and a great link between the forwards and backs.

Simmonds - 6
Kept up the intensity, another one for the future.

Smith - 7.5
A solid player, never lets Tigers down. Shored up the defence in the backs. With the talent we have in the backs feel like he is a good defensive linchpin. Would pick him over Tait.

Olowfela - N/A
Only came on for the last minute.

For next week expect Williams, O’Connor, Smith and Malouf/ Holmes should come into the starting XV.

If your going to do this and you want people to take you seriously can I politely suggest you take time to review the game studiously and objectively before posting.

I too was at the game and have watched replays twice since. (You can get a free download from Channel 5). How on earth you managed to give Matt Smith 7.5, whilst Genge gets 6.5, Polata-Nau 7 and Cole 7 after their Scrum performance alone beggars belief.You have marked Matt Tait as N/A, he actually played almost the entire first half (went off after about 32 minutes) that's more game time than Bateman,Youngs, Mullipola etc who you have given 7. As I have said I've watched the game 3 times and my objective assessment is that Tait was every bit as Influential as Smith. For example do you think Smith could/would have made the pass producing Thompstones try?

[PaulinBroughton]

One important factor for me was the patience we showed near Baths try line, early in the season we would have been trying silly offloads and risky passes, but the pick and drive through multiple phases eventually took its toll on their defence.
We all like to see flowing backs moves but to win games its not always the way. Keep possession, make them keep tackling eventually the gaps appear.