LV Cup

[Goffer3404]

So the LV might be Tigers best route to the HC next year!
Meant to be a development competition, so why not play it during the world cup, full tournament week by week. World cup this year but it can still be done during the autumn internationals and if needs be the 6 nations.

[mightymouse]

Marcos, Thomas, Geordy all need game time to get them match fit for forthcoming HC matches, Meanwhile the likes of Castro, Manu,Deacon,Dan, Crofty as well as Boris,Salvi, Billy and Hamilton all need rest - Hence the mixed team.

I would play

Ayerza
T Youngs
White
Kitchener
Skivvington
Peinar
Waldrom
Woods
Harrison
Ford
Robinson
Allen
Smith
Forsyth
Murphy

I am concerned having looked at the England france game again that Crofty and Dan may have longterm injuries. I hopr they are both ok as I have read nothing about what is wrong with either of them but Tom had what looked like a bad facial injury and Dan seemed to be suffering with either a bad back or shoulder which is obviously very bad news for a prop. Anyone else seen anything about eoither of them

[crateman]

Play the best side available. Reasons being;

1. we need to get the big guns playing together again
2. the development side have already had lots of practise in the last 6 weeks
3. the club needs to gain some confidence again and get back to winning ways
4. it's Llanelli, nuff said.

[Ads677]

In that article, Cockers says that Tigers need to improve their defending, a reasonable statement. But, against Quins, the support staff should have recognised that Tait was injured before the first of the two tries Quins scored down his wing and replaced him. Tigers were effectively playing 14 against 15 - no wonder our defence was so easily breached.

[crateman]

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/R ... story.html

Seems we'll be taking the 3rd team to Llanelli this weekend.

[Isambard]

So are we planning on trying to win or trying not to lose again?
People have paid good money to watch a game that ought to be a contest.

[Tigerbob]

I agree with a lot of sentiment about taking the LV Cup seriously this season.

A lot of people think it will be a walk in the park to make the top 4 after a seriously poor start to the season.

I personally am not confident about Tigers making the top 6, let alone top 4! So it could be expedient to reach Heineken Cup qualification via this competition.

A good run for once in this cup could be a tonic to a demoralised group of players. A repeat of the Ospreys punishment last season is not what this team needs right now. Which is what we'll get if we send lambs to the slaughter again.

I hope Tigers play some of the World Cup returnees in the Scarlets game, players like Ayerza, Murphy and Waldrom should be chomping at the bit to get game time after little involvement in the World Cup. They will need game time to get a level of match fitness prior to the start of the Heineken.

On the other hand, a win on the road to Scarlets will be a massive boost to squad confidence.

[tb1]

Cockers has already said that he wont be using any WC players for this game.

[DickyP]

... They are doing better just lately than we are.

Like losing to Treviso? Like having a 2-0-4 won-drawn-lost record (OK it's one better than Tigers) and the wins are against the bottom 2 teams. I'd say they're in a very similar situation to us.

I personally would have let all the returnees have a run to work out their frustrations, but I suspect Cockers wants to avoid another home defeat next week.

Anyway we don't have to bother about the LV cup or the top 6 - we'll be in next season's HC when we win this years!!

[PM76]

IMO a side like this would still have a good chance of winning in Llanelli, there are as badly hit as we are by the RWC. This side would give a chance to young players and also give some of the second/ third string a chance to impress. I don't think the LV should be treated with such disregard as last year although it shouldn't be our main priority. The internationls will be better for a rest and the majority of the England players have been playing together for the last 2/3 months anyway.

1. Stankovich / Bucknall
2. Youngs
3. Bucknall/ Holford (has he gone back to Notts, I wouldn't mind seeing him kept on full time in the Buckanll mould)
4.Skivington (returing from injury)
5.Kitchener (let's see what he can do)
6. Pienaar/ Armes
7. Armes / Woods
8. De Carpienter ( similar to Kitchener)
9. Harrison
10. Ford
11. Smith
12. Allen (back from injury)
13. Twelvetrees/ Forsyth
14. Forsyth/ Tuilagi / Robinson
15. Morris

[PM76]

Not a bad call PM76! Close to the actual, then.

Close but no cigar, just a shame to see some of the first teamers I picked not playing. Although I think we should finish in the top 6 there is no disputing that we could use the LV as a back policy, but Cockers does not seem to agree with the general consesus on here. He is paid to his job and his neck will be on the line at the end of the season so it is up to him. Having said that it will be interesting to see some of the youngsters in what will be a hostile environment. I think Slater may be being looked at as a possible no. 8 given the strength we have in the second row and the injury to Crane it's a good idea IMO. It will be interesting to see what Symons is like, when I googled him it lead to the unoffy site and this link:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/theft/news/ar ... d=10721653

[trendylfj]

No point in trying for the LV cup as the semi's and final are during the 6 nations window and so we would lose the 1st team for both those games. IMHO it would be better to give our WC players "down time" which would contribute to the number of games they have to miss due to the England central contracts rest periods and concentrate on getting up the table and winning the HC

[WiggoTiger]

Why don't we just pull out of the Competition to avoid embarassment year on year. I feel the ethos of winning every trophy on offer has gone.
We are not playing for any trophy this year, I feel its a relegation dogfight!