Tigers v Quins

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h's dad
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Re: Tigers v Quins

Post by h's dad »

bluntiger wrote:I have avoided the forum all week after Saturdays game because, for me, that was the worst game I have seen Tigers play.

I can remember poor displays before, error-strewn games, many of them, lackadasical defensive displays, appalling kicking performances. I remember them all. But on Saturday, it was very different. When the final whistle went, I found myself feeling: 'How can that be, we havn't started playing yet?' Frankly, the scoreline flattered us if anything and I felt that Harlequins paid us too much respect based on our performance. Their intensity and off-loading made us look even more static and even when we were behind, it never felt like the intensity was ever going to be raised. There was a clear lack of leadership and not one player can in any way be proud of their performance.

Pearson didn't help, particularly with the continual offsides - it is difficult to play when the defense is onto you before the ball even reaches you but there are ways to play against that tactic. Grubbers, chips into space etc. but we never tried any of that. There needs to be a massive reaction this week or it will require a different course.
Harlequins must have been absolutely dreadful to have only scored one try against such a dreadful team which, with apparently better performances, leaked four tries in two games against foot of the table opposition. They must be hanging their heads in shame for failing to achieve a TBP for the first time this season, especially when they had such support from the officials.
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fleabane
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Re: Tigers v Quins

Post by fleabane »

Oh give us a break!

We lost because we were poor, and they weren't. The officials were also poor, but without favouritism.
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h's dad
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Re: Tigers v Quins

Post by h's dad »

fleabane wrote:Oh give us a break!
Was that aimed at me? I think it's my first post on the game and my first for a while that's relatively positive about Tigers :smt017 :smt018
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bluntiger
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Re: Tigers v Quins

Post by bluntiger »

h's dad wrote:Was that aimed at me?
Define irony? Someone who is extremely sensitive that someone else is critiscising their post ..... having just left a withering, sarcasm-riddled response to another person's post!
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h's dad
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Re: Tigers v Quins

Post by h's dad »

Not offended Bluntiger, just bemused.

I apologise to you if I have offended you by quoting your post for my comment (it just happened to be the most recent in that vein). I’m glad you picked up on the sarcasm, I didn’t mean it to be withering.

The point was meant to be addressed to all who criticised Tigers’ performance as dire and that Harlequins put in a quality performance when there was only one crossing of the whitewash.

Am I wrong in thinking that poor teams will leak tries to virtually any opposition and that Tigers didn’t against what is currently the best side in the country?

It is disappointing to lose at home but I can’t help but think that what is needed is tweaking (admittedly maybe substantial tweaking) rather than the wholesale change that some are calling for.
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bluntiger
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Re: Tigers v Quins

Post by bluntiger »

h's dad wrote:It is disappointing to lose at home but I can’t help but think that what is needed is tweaking (admittedly maybe substantial tweaking) rather than the wholesale change that some are calling for.
Not sure I can see the logic in the phrase 'substantial tweaking', isn't that an oxymoron?

All teams have off days and we all accept that. Fixing Tom Youngs lineout throw-in is a minor tweak (despite the fact that it has been an issue for some time already without resolution), getting Jordan Crane to offload is a tweak (ditto the previous remark) or getting Sam Harrison to get the ball clear of the ruck quickly are all examples of tweaks.

But in my opinion, the lack of leadership on the field, the lack of intensity, the lack of any cutting edge in attack or indeed the lack of a plan 'B' are not minor 'tweaks'. When things are not going well, you have to revert to basics - get someone who can throw into the line-out, play some set moves from first phase, take points every time they are on offer. It seemed we thought we could just out-muscle them and when that didn't work ..... we just kept on trying the same thing with the same outcome. No plan 'B'.

Take the 5M line-outs with 10 or 12 minutes left. Our line-out was poor all day, we get a penalty - we could have taken a scrum and trusted our attack but we take a line-out thinking that we could catch and drive. But that only works with a throw to the back of the line-out ..... and what happens? We get turned over again from a bad throw-in. That is not bad play, it is bad leadership and bad coaching.
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h's dad
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Re: Tigers v Quins

Post by h's dad »

If “major tweak” is an oxymoron, doesn’t that make a “minor tweak” a tautology? I think there’s a better word but I can’t bring it to mind.

I can’t disagree with the fundamentals of what you put in this post and mistakes have been made, but while I may also wonder at some of the coaching I have faith in the people in charge of the people in charge. I may be naïve but I think they’ve got to where they are for a reason.

As others have said, we had far more second/third choice players on the pitch than Quins and, while standards should still be high for a Tigers third choice, it will not have helped against this opposition.
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