Tigers v Quinns teamsheet

[LE18]

Get real you lot, we lost, stop trying to find excuses, move on, lets win next week, pathetic reasoning these things happen.

Tigers

[cc]

[quote="LE18"]Get real you lot, we lost, stop trying to find excuses, move on, lets win next week, pathetic reasoning these things happen.

indeed

[GS]

I seem to remember Tigers playing away to a French team in the HC. The weather was atrocious and there was some doubt whether the pitch was going to be playable and the ref told the teams that he would start the game but may have to abandon it if the conditions worsened/did not improve. Knowing the rules about the result standing if the game is abandoned after 60mins of play the Tigers crammed 80 minutes of rugby into the first half but were cream crackered in the second but they had built a substantial lead by then. The French team were fighting back but just after 60 minutes the ref declared the pitch unplayable and abandoned the game with the result standing - a win to Tigers.

Now you could speculate whether or not the ref was under pressure to get a result out of the game due to the costs and time problems of rearranging a HC game and this drove the decision to play, I couldn't possibly comment myself.

The abandonment of the Quins game was due to the real risk to the safety of everyone inside the ground due to the weather and the rules of the competition prevailed. In France you could say that Tigers cynically gambled (on a pretty good cert) and used the situation to win the game. With the score standing at 20 - 6 with 10 minutes to go at the Stoop I think there are few on here sitting on high horses whilst clutching at straws.

We was beat good. Accept it.

[G.K]

Would be helpful if anyone at the match could give us a view on the Tigers team, seems from the score we were coming off second best.

[drc_007]

A friend at the match told me Tigers were well beaten, and several players just did not turn up.

[G.K]

Hopefully someone will name those missing in action.

[Rykard]

hopefully we didn't pick up any more injuries, could probably do without a replay though..

[Big Dai]

Result should stand...........we came second!
Scaryqueens should get a hefty fine and possibly a points deduction for putting life and limb at risk. If it was just the weather, fine. But safety issues need sorting.

[susieblue]

Well we were there...............
Sitting on Row T (!!)of the Etihad Stand and we were soaked - never seen such swirling wind, rain, hail - the end of the world was nigh. Not surprised it was abandoned as it was dangerous - hoardings flying across the pitch.
The team was generally poor - very nervous: the pack was naïve in all they did I'm afraid. Melee was a chirpy captain and tried hard all afternoon, Matera was also keen but a bit like a puppy - over-eager at times. Smith,Scully and Thompstone tried hard too, but Mafi was very quiet and de Chaves didn't have the 'bullying' presence that Kitch/Slates have.
Do not get me started on Ryan Lamb - he gifted an intercept that gave their 3rd try and was generally Ryan Lambish in his play
Bring on Freddie Burns - oh no, what am I saying????

[MurphysLaw]

[quote="drc_007"]A friend at the match told me Tigers were well beaten, and several players just did not turn up.[/quote]

It sounds as if we were outmuscled. Quins did field a stronger looking pack,and it did look as if it would be a battle up front. It will have been a steep learning curve for some of the younger players, and perhaps the coaches will also have learned a thing or two about some of our squad, and it's strength in depth.

On the wider point of squad depth, I wonder where we currently stand. Difficult to assess with all the injuries, and when all fit and available I think we have a 23 to match any team. However, beyond this we do seem to be falling away. Did anyone see a much depleted Saints team (I think they had at least 20 unavailable/rested) completely destroy their Dragons opponents away in Wales?
Imo, Tigers have not had the strongest squad in the Prem for a while - Sarries took that mantle. Now, I would say Saints have also eclipsed us, and Quins and Bath are closing fast. Any thoughts?

[TigerLad]

A friend at the match told me Tigers were well beaten, and several players just did not turn up.

It sounds as if we were outmuscled. Quins did field a stronger looking pack,and it did look as if it would be a battle up front. It will have been a steep learning curve for some of the younger players, and perhaps the coaches will also have learned a thing or two about some of our squad, and it's strength in depth.

On the wider point of squad depth, I wonder where we currently stand. Difficult to assess with all the injuries, and when all fit and available I think we have a 23 to match any team. However, beyond this we do seem to be falling away. Did anyone see a much depleted Saints team (I think they had at least 20 unavailable/rested) completely destroy their Dragons opponents away in Wales?
Imo, Tigers have not had the strongest squad in the Prem for a while - Sarries took that mantle. Now, I would say Saints have also eclipsed us, and Quins and Bath are closing fast. Any thoughts?

I'd have to disagree with that, I think a problem a lot of fans have is that they take their players for granted and because of this they rate other teams players higher. Our first choice 15 is the best in the league, there is no doubt about that. Clearly we have been very unlucky with injury which has depleted our squad greatly. Take 3 Lions and multiple players out of any team and they will struggle massively. Take North, Myler, Hartley and Day out of Northamptons team and they would be massively affected. Take Vunipola (M), Borthwick, Brown and Farrell out of Saracens team and they struggle. Because of our injuries we have to think that this squad isn't as strong as it was last season, yet I remember at the start of the season we were all saying how strong this squad was and I still maintain that.

[johnthegriff]

I was there sitting in the South stand. I am sure there will be an enquiry into the health and safety factors that led to the game being abandoned, which in the circumstances was a correct decision. The weather conditions may have been freak, I think the gap between the South and West stands with the control tower could have created a small whirlwind detaching the advertising boards.
As a team we were very much second best on the day and the result should stand.
I believe Harlequins have a few questions to answer, not least the charger of being right meanies for pricing tickets in the corners behind the try line at £31.00 each, directly behind the goal was £35.00, a lot for an L.V (essentially 2nd team) match.

[ancientmariner]

[quote="susie
Bring on Freddie Burns - oh no, what am I saying????[/quote]

Burns had a brilliant season 2012/13 but has been poor this season, frequently being on the bench for Glos. Let's hope we haven't signed a player who rose like a rocket one year and then fell like the stick thereafter.

[MurphysLaw]

[quote="TigerLad"]
I'd have to disagree with that, I think a problem a lot of fans have is that they take their players for granted and because of this they rate other teams players higher. Our first choice 15 is the best in the league, there is no doubt about that. Clearly we have been very unlucky with injury which has depleted our squad greatly. Take 3 Lions and multiple players out of any team and they will struggle massively. Take North, Myler, Hartley and Day out of Northamptons team and they would be massively affected. Take Vunipola (M), Borthwick, Brown and Farrell out of Saracens team and they struggle. Because of our injuries we have to think that this squad isn't as strong as it was last season, yet I remember at the start of the season we were all saying how strong this squad was and I still maintain that.[/quote]

Tigerlad, I think we are in agreement with the 'first squad' strength. I am referring to the overall strength of the 40 odd.
Yes, I do think Sarries and Northampton are now in a position to cope better when top-line players are missing.

[4071]

Take Vunipola (M), Borthwick, Brown and Farrell out of Saracens team and they struggle.

Not really.

Due to injuries and international call-ups, they have lost three of those players for large parts of the season and really haven't struggled.

Vunipola has started just 8 games this season with Barrington and Gill filling in just fine, Brown has started just 9 games (and most of those because of the injury to Burger) and Farrell has started 11 (out of 21) with Hodgson a more than capable understudy (arguably better).

Of those players you mentioned, only Borthwick seems to have been key for them, and a Hargreaves/Kruis pairing has done well for them in his rare absences.

Sarries have a very deep squad and continual rotation means that they have very impressive strength in depth. It's only at hooker where they look unstaffed, with a group of youngsters behind Brits.