European Challenge Cup - Tigers vs Connacht Sat 03 Apr 21 at 2000

[Jimmy Skitz]

15 Steward
14 Potter
13 Moroni
12 Kelly
11 Murimurivalu
10 Ford
9 Youngs
1 Genge
2 Youngs
3 Cole
4 Lavanini
5 Wells
6 Liebemberg
7 Reffell
8 Wiese

16 Clare
17 De Bruin
18 Heyes
19 Green
20 Martin
21 Van Portvliet
22 Henry
23 Porter

[Ian Cant]

To be honest I’d give Ben Youngs another week off. He is a great Tiger but has played a lot for England and with Wigglesworth, JVP and White around there’s no rush. JVP has an excellent pass, an eye for the try line and kicks very well, so keep him in the squad. At the week end for Steward’s wrongly disallowed try, it was JVP’s lightning pass that enabled Ford to provide the next important pass.
For once, I see Europe as a “ free shot” as I’d really prefer us to beat Saints, Bath and Wasps.
Connaught are a much underrated team and they too will feel it’s a “free shot”!
Having said all that: come on Tigers win every game( I know it’s not realistic but feel it’s great to believe in the team again).

[kk20gb30]

Concur Europe is a 'free shot' but also believe it is an opportunity. An interesting match on paper and potentially a good test - hopefully in selection and performance we wont shy away from it.

[sam16111986]

To be honest I’d give Ben Youngs another week off. He is a great Tiger but has played a lot for England

Ben has played 6 games this calendar year. If we lose on Saturday there's no game next week which will mean 6 games in three and a half months. I think he needs to play this weekend just to keep ticking over with his match sharpness.

[Tigerbeat]

This is an opportunity for silverware so we should be putting out the strongest available team.

[TigerFeetSteve]

To be honest I’d give Ben Youngs another week off. He is a great Tiger but has played a lot for England

Ben has played 6 games this calendar year. If we lose on Saturday there's no game next week which will mean 6 games in three and a half months. I think he needs to play this weekend just to keep ticking over with his match sharpness.

Agree, plus lose this week he's forced to have next week off because we didn't make the next round and we've given him 3 weeks off not the required 2.... Wigglesworth has been good during the 6N, but looked leggy on Sunday, needs time off, bench or starting for me Youngs has to play. I'd go starting tbh myself, his understanding with Ford will generate that bit more space for him to play heads up rugby and we go from there.

[tigerburnie]

For once, I see Europe as a “ free shot” as I’d really prefer us to beat Saints, Bath and Wasps.
Connaught are a much underrated team and they too will feel it’s a “free shot”!
Having said all that: come on Tigers win every game( I know it’s not realistic but feel it’s great to believe in the team again).

Have to agree with this sentiment, beating Saints at home is a priority for me, happy for Borths to rotate the squad if he so chooses, whoever puts the shirt on will do the job as best as they can, we have that ethos again, which is great.

[OakhamTiger32]

To be honest I’d give Ben Youngs another week off. He is a great Tiger but has played a lot for England

Ben has played 6 games this calendar year. If we lose on Saturday there's no game next week which will mean 6 games in three and a half months. I think he needs to play this weekend just to keep ticking over with his match sharpness.

100% agree. We need to keep the momentum up and personally I don’t see this as a free shot. It’s a chance of silverware and potentially (not sure of the rules this year) a route into the Champions Cup. It’s also a chance to test ourselves against a quality opponent in European knockout rugby.

We go into this match with the mentality that it’s a free shot and we will lose. We need to go in fully focused with a strong side and get the job done not rotate imho... Youngs and Ford to start for me.

[ourla]

I doubt Borthwick will view this as a "free shot".

[JGrifolas]

I think that as we have a realistic chance of winning this competition then he have to target it. Experience of the latter stages of a European competition can only be a good thing for this team, especially the young players.

[Tiglon]

I doubt Borthwick will view this as a "free shot".

I doubt he has ever treated any match as a free shot.

[Jimmy Skitz]

no such thing as a free shot with a European Trophy on the line, win the cup, its a massive step in our rebuild and a huge shot in the arm for the players to believe in the policies of Borthwick

[Rob18C]

best XV for me.

don't see much point in Youngs being on the bench. he is meant to be the best 9 in the country therefore should be starting. Understand if we rested him like last week to contribute to one of his required rest weeks but if he is on the bench you don't get the full benefit of supposedly your best 9 and still don't get a rest week out the way for the sake of him playing 10/20 minutes or so.

Wigglesworth and JVP are great options (and White for that matter) but a knockout European cup game is where your best team should start.

[westwinds31]

Exactly this. Why leave Ben Youngs out ? Does he need a rest ? I doubt it.

[RichieB]

I’d be very surprised if they don’t start with Youngs and Ford. I agree with strongest team possible. Reading the alleged tactics likely to be employed against us, looks like they are going to try to run our big forwards around the field, so hopefully we can plan effectively for that.