First Preseason Game vs Cardiff

[TigerCam]

It worries me a bit that Holmes is starting. I can't imagine anyone else starting that will make the first VX. Surely not even MOC still favours Thompstone over him!

Maybe Holmes is another of those players MOC doesn't favour......along with BOC, 12T in days gone past and so on....

Well if that is the case then I'll get MOC a white stick for Christmas!!!!!

[FrontRowUnionMember]

I always thought that Gigena was a LH, not a TH. Wonder if we’ve converted him over to the other side.

I always thought he was a specialist LH. Equally, two specialist TH on the bench, with Grahamslaw I believe the only LH. Wonder if Gigena will come off early to be replaced by a TH, then maybe return later on.

[JP14]

I always thought that Gigena was a LH, not a TH. Wonder if we’ve converted him over to the other side.

I always thought he was a specialist LH. Equally, two specialist TH on the bench, with Grahamslaw I believe the only LH. Wonder if Gigena will come off early to be replaced by a TH, then maybe return later on.

It’s preseason so it doesn’t matter, interesting how Hills isn’t involved, judging by instagram he’s still training with the senior squad not involved tomorrow at Oval Park.

[TTRITH]

Not one to defend MoC but... Maybe he's just giving Holmes the chance to stake his claim. I also think Wells will be pushing that starting XV strongly as well.

I'll be more worried if he isn't involved in the last game, rather than him being involved in this one.

[PaleoTiger]

Woo hoo!
7-0 up after 10 mins, Jonah Holmes & Jordan O combining. I’ll take that.

[strawclearer]

"Tigers chip ahead and Jonah Holmes makes a clean catch on the far wing, the ball is passes back inside for Jordan Olowofela to make a break through the centre of the defence and run in under the posts."

There's a tweet I wouldn't mind hearing a few times this season!

[Mark62]

Not read many details but always good to start with an away Win particularly with very much a development side

[RagingBull]

Very good game potentially ruined by the weather.

+++ Olowofela - IMO the standout.
++ Back Row work was excellent although hard to tell who is who what with there being no numbers on the back, but the young players showed up the Cardiff back row.

- Handling but weather meant both teams suffered.
--- Scrum bad day at the office although players where playing out of position in the scrum and it was being mixed a lot.

Lineouts look better.


Heyes also carried very well, will get game time.

[JP14]

I was attending the game therefore will do my usual rating, plz notify me if I have missed anybody:

1. Ma'afu - Very poor scrummaging as expected, hope we don’t need him in the coming months 4/10
2. Stevens - Solid, but left twice for injury 5/10
3. Gigena - Obviously not a tighthead scrummaging wise but did carry well in the loose 6/10
4. Voss - Lost a lineout but led the calls well, carried alright but sometime went into contact too high 5/10
5. Wells - Lost too early to injury, hopefully not serious would like to see him captain more 6/10
6. Lewis - Didn’t see to much of him but made his tackles and carried decently 5/10
7. Reffell- I don’t think he is a 7 and struggled to hold off Cardiff at the breakdown but made a try-saving turnover and carried well 7/10
8. T.Smith - Scored on unofficial debut from the maul, got stuck in, I think he’ll make the grade soon 7/10
9. White - Slow to the ruck and kicked a ball out on the full once, replaced at halftime 5/10
10. Ford - Made a stunning game winning penalty but was too predictable in attack and never played directly 6/10
11. SAR - Got stuck in but had to depart with injury 6/10
12. Worth - Another assured performance at inside centre 6/10
13. Macken - Poor really, got tackled a lot backwards and got turned over when instead he should have passed the ball 3.5/10
14. Holmes - Always looked a threat and made a stunning catch in the build up to Olowofela’s try 7/10
15. Olowofela - Ghosted through the Blues defence to score the opening try and looked a real threat, Cardiff supporters also impressed by his performance. My man of the match 7.5/10

Kerr - Struggled a little bit in the air but was really good in the loose 6.5/10
Grahamslaw - Surprised by his impact, he could be good for us, might be the next Andrew Sheridan 7/10
Heyes - Carried really well and improved the scrum dramatically, can’t wait to see more of him 7/10
Jordan - Was well shackled but impressed that the 19 year old was proving a menace to stop 6.5/10
Tuilagi - Did miss a tackle but carried really well when required 6.5/10
Lavin - He carried really well too 7/10
Simmons - Was better than White and added speed to the breakdown 6/10
Hardwick - Poorer than what I thought he would be, knocked on a couple of times but did make a good break in the lead up to the game winning penalty 5.5/10
Smith - A typical Matt Smith performance 6/10
Thompstone - Wasn’t really given a lot of ball but did make some meters. 5/10

Do you agree?

[JP14]

Never been to Cardiff before thoroughly impressed by the city and culture and the Blues supporters were really chatty and welcoming. Would definitely go again, love to experience a rendition of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau in the Millennium Stadium .

[kpj tiger]

Thanks for the review JP, hope non of the injuries are too serious, will also be interesting to see if Olowofela gets a chance with the 1st team in the coming games

[ellis9]

I was attending the game therefore will do my usual rating, plz notify me if I have missed anybody:

1. Ma'afu - Very poor scrummaging as expected, hope we don’t need him in the coming months 4/10
2. Stevens - Solid, but left twice for injury 5/10
3. Gigena - Obviously not a tighthead scrummaging wise but did carry well in the loose 6/10
4. Voss - Lost a lineout but led the calls well, carried alright but sometime went into contact too high 5/10
5. Wells - Lost too early to injury, hopefully not serious would like to see him captain more 6/10
6. Lewis - Didn’t see to much of him but made his tackles and carried decently 5/10
7. Reffell- I don’t think he is a 7 and struggled to hold off Cardiff at the breakdown but made a try-saving turnover and carried well 7/10
8. T.Smith - Scored on unofficial debut from the maul, got stuck in, I think he’ll make the grade soon 7/10
9. White - Slow to the ruck and kicked a ball out on the full once, replaced at halftime 5/10
10. Ford - Made a stunning game winning penalty but was too predictable in attack and never played directly 6/10
11. SAR - Got stuck in but had to depart with injury 6/10
12. Worth - Another assured performance at inside centre 6/10
13. Macken - Poor really, got tackled a lot backwards and got turned over when instead he should have passed the ball 3.5/10
14. Holmes - Always looked a threat and made a stunning catch in the build up to Olowofela’s try 7/10
15. Olowofela - Ghosted through the Blues defence to score the opening try and looked a real threat, Cardiff supporters also impressed by his performance. My man of the match 7.5/10

Kerr - Struggled a little bit in the air but was really good in the loose 6.5/10
Grahamslaw - Surprised by his impact, he could be good for us, might be the next Andrew Sheridan 7/10
Heyes - Carried really well and improved the scrum dramatically, can’t wait to see more of him 7/10
Jordan - Was well shackled but impressed that the 19 year old was proving a menace to stop 6.5/10
Tuilagi - Did miss a tackle but carried really well when required 6.5/10
Lavin - He carried really well too 7/10
Simmons - Was better than White and added speed to the breakdown 6/10
Hardwick - Poorer than what I thought he would be, knocked on a couple of times but did make a good break in the lead up to the game winning penalty 5.5/10
Smith - A typical Matt Smith performance 6/10
Thompstone - Wasn’t really given a lot of ball but did make some meters. 5/10

Do you agree?

No.

If players played as badly as you have made out, we wouldn't have won.

[JP14]

Thanks for the review JP, hope non of the injuries are too serious, will also be interesting to see if Olowofela gets a chance with the 1st team in the coming games

No problem, the injury substitutions were hopefully precautionary.

[JP14]

No.

If players played as badly as you have made out, we wouldn't have won.

Ha, Cardiff ratings were around the same, please remember Ellis it was the opening game of preseason where players are rusty and they weren’t helped in wet conditions. We only won the game at the death.

[ellis9]

No.

If players played as badly as you have made out, we wouldn't have won.

Ha, Cardiff ratings were around the same, please remember Ellis it was the opening game of preseason where players are rusty and they weren’t helped in wet conditions. We only won the game at the death.

They still weren't as bad as 3 or 4 ratings. Don't get me wrong, we weren't brilliant but we didn't play poorly. Those scores suggest players and the team were poor. As a team, I'd give a rating of 6.

We didn't win the game at the death. We won it by doing enough over the 80 minutes to put us in a position to score a penalty in the last minute. If we had been as poor as you have made out, a last minute penalty score wouldn't have made a difference as we'd already have been too many points behind.