Tigers v Sale (H) - Saturday 08th October 2022 - 3-00pm

[LE18]

Oh dear oh dear, I have not read the previous posts as had no time after stopping off on way home to drown my sorrows.
We were so outplayed by a very good Sale side, our pack was under pressure for the whole time, going backwards.
Our back play is unbelievably bad, in past years we got away with a kicking game, I didn't like it but Ford was 100% better at it than the current crop.
No team is ever going to be scared with our OAP backs, Wiggs, Burns, Gopperth, Scott and Nadolo, (I exclude Potter as he was our best back by a mile).
We have to change our stale game plan and also get some swift backs who can pass the ball, Sale were brilliant at it, offloading, backing up beautifully, well done Sale.
I am getting very despondent, I know we have some younger backs out through injury, but kicking the ball away every time we win it is just ludicrous. Turning down a possible 3 points to secure a bonus point was plain daft, why didn't we try kicking a penalty, and at the end kicking into touch just wasted time, twice we could have tapped and gone. Oh dear!

[Grannyman]

In the last 15 minutes it looked like they didn’t know what they were supposed to do. Like kids.Especially the age it seem to take to get organised for the goal line drop out.

I don’t know why Watson, Cokanasiga and JVP weren’t on earlier. We were chasing the game with half an hour to go. Good to have Montoya and Wiese back.

The North Stand running out of pies and sausage rolls before half time was gutting too.

[DingDong]

We won the prem final without Ford and with Burns... I don't believe it is that. Genge makes a difference.Neither team had Ford today!

Be realistic, Ford ran the show for the entire last season which won us the league and got us to the final. Ford's management shaped our playing style throughout that amazing season. Burns is not the same level.

[Ian Cant]

Was, as usual, at Welford Road.
Unless we stick with the same team 2 weeks running we won’t get any cohesion.
This season was always going to be difficult especially as the teams at the top of the league have all decided to run the ball more, at the right time and quickly.
Posters talk about disruptions but didn’t Sale have 3 players with England this week?
In the second half today, apart from knock near the try line we never looked like adding any points.
Is Ashton injured? We missed Reffel and as some of us thought, we’d be better resting Weise and Montoya! No one thinks we will win next week but we must beat Wasps so maybe have the two players just mentioned on the bench then pick JVP, Burns,Potter, Cockasinger, Scott, Ashton, Steward. The centre position, back row and locks are a problem! Watson probably needs to play too so we could rest Steward ( Watson at full back) so he can play the home games when we need to make sure teams know Welford Road, like last season, is a place where visiting teams expect to lose.
The other positive was the fans. We really tried hard to get the team going.
The other good news is Borthwick and the coaches surely know the relentless kicking game won’t succeed.
As for those who moan about plan B: plan B is giving the players the freedom to play what’s in front of them. If something isn’t working try something else.
We did it last season in Europe, v Bristol away, Newcastle away.

[TheCat]

Ding Dong
Spot on for me. You don’t realise what you,ve got until it’s gone. So missing the game management of George Ford IMHO
Cat

[LE18]

Youngs and JVP away with England during the week, Wigglesworth started as was working with backs all week……Autumn internationals ….Youngs and JVP likely to be absent…..Wigglesworth needed game time.
Sale had a team which had very little disruption and were good for their win.
Borthwick stated on Radio Leicester that the first part of the season was going to be tough with England players away for 1st 3 weeks of the season, Wiese, Montoya, Pollard away for first 4 games and all missing in November…..big boots to fill.
Injuries have not helped and the back line has been different in virtually all games so no real cohesion.

Sorry to be disagreeable Tigerbeat but why when Tigers lose outcome the comments, Tigers had players away, Tigers had Injuries, Tigers were playing new combinations, the opposition were at full strength and many other such comments.

We never hear that about the opponents when we win!

If we don't want to lose players to the Internationals why sign them in the first place, we could have played a team of journey men and performed better today. (yes I know that's a bit of an exaggeration but you cannot defend the fact that we were truly awful today, and last week, also bit lucky against Saints).
Its very worrying!

[Pellsey]

We won the prem final without Ford and with Burns... I don't believe it is that. Genge makes a difference.Neither team had Ford today!

Be realistic, Ford ran the show for the entire last season which won us the league and got us to the final. Ford's management shaped our playing style throughout that amazing season. Burns is not the same level.

I never said Burns was at the same level, just that we won the final with Burns.We also played considerably better in that game than we did today.

Ford was great, sure, but he is now injured, and so is his replacement, another world class 10.

[mol2]

Ford’s missed chunks of last season and we coped. His departure is just part of the problem.
Our midfield backs are way past their sell by dates. Lack the pace and hunger to play the game we did last season.
Where are the fast supporting lines?
Where’s the kick chase? Why chase when the opposition will run it to you?
But the defensive line and desire to be the one to make the next tackle is missing. Watson is a quality wing/FB but not worth losing Moroni for.
Would this feeble defending have been tolerated with Genge a captain or with Moroni orchestrating the backs?
We used to criticise Manu for charging out of the line, now the dog legs are the result of old men too slow to keep up with the line. It’s not just today, it is every game so far this season. Over the summer our backs have become a retirement home playing the equivalent of walking football. We coped with the limitations of Nandolo because his huge power from a few metres out was a redeeming feature. How has Gopperth become a wonder player when he was unexceptional for Wasps? Wigglesworth was a steady Eddie in his prime but now?

Borthwick has to take some hard decisions. Loose with experienced players or may be on, play the youngsters, risk what? The budget cap means there is little we can do other than hope for the likes of Kelly to regain fitness as too much has already been used.

[Postiger2]

Pains me to say it but Sale were really impressive today. They actually took some risks with ball in hand. We didn't and were well-beaten.

[LE18]

Pains me to say it but Sale were really impressive today. They actually took some risks with ball in hand. We didn't and were well-beaten.

Agree with this, but not just Sale, all the other clubs seem to be doing this using fast running passing backs, we cannot do this, why? There is no relegation this year, can we change and try this out, even if it means being very selective and using our younger players? I would rather lose in style than this horrible kicking game.

[Scuttle]

I think Sale were good for their win. They grew into the game and seemed much more aggressive than Tigers were in contact which meant they got over the gainline when in possession, and stopped us getting over it when we had possession. Their defence was fast which stopped us creating anything in attack whereas they were inventive in attack. I felt we just looked tired and somehow didn't seem to get into scrap and even though we got ourselves into a leading position in the first half, it never really seemed convincing. For the last few years I have put a tenner on Tigers winning the Premiership, until last season!!! I went to the bookies this morning to put a bet on before travelling to Leicester and the odds were 3/1. Someone thinks we can still do it. After all, it is early days in the seasoon!

[ay2oh]

Very disappointing don’t know which was worse the attack or the defence. The only players which were better than average were Cole, Potter, Wiese, Cronin and Steward. Probably the poorest display at home for 2 seasons.

[Scuttle]

Unless it makes that much difference to the mentality of the players, then I don't think this is so much the case. We have just looked clueless so far in both attack and defence.

I'm beginning to think it's more Ford's game management and Genge's snarl...

Ford's game management plus Moroni's organisation.

Agree with this. I think Moroni is the biggest miss of all our leavers.

[Greenwhiteandred]

We had no control at 9/10/12 - kicking from hand was absolutely shocking meaning we had no field position .... no field position means we struggle to get into the game. WW was poor - butchered 2 opportunities when we were in their 22 and his decision making for their try before the end of the 1st half was shocking ..... sold Harry and Freddie down the river. The irony of Luke Pearce penalising us for throwing the man across the line out and then side entry in the line out maul in the last 5 mins when Sale were doing that all game wasn’t lost on me. But we need to start controlling games which comes from accurate kicking from hand ..... penalty kicks to touch, don’t kick out on the full and for God’s sake, kick to compete. Love Freddie B but GF he ain’t

[Pellsey]

Ford IMHO is probably the best game management 10 in the game at the moment, and of course we are missing him, which is also true of Moroni in terms of defensive organisation of the backs. We, however, played games without them last year in which we looked far better than today. We won the final with Burns playing, for example. We have Pollard to come in, who is, in his day, also a world class 10. and has some qualities far better than Ford, but not game management. The loss of neither Ford nor Genge have anything to do with our dreadful line out today, but maybe this is just due to it being Montoya's first game back.

We do not know how long it will be until we have Porter, Kelly, and Pollard available, so we have just got to get on with what we have! Burns is our best 10 at the moment. JG is a kicking 12, which is preferred by SB. Then we have Scott and Cokasigna, who could also play at 12. Further out we have more options, but our issues are with the inner backs.

I believe there are 2 problems at the moment - game plan and mental attitude. Hopefully the game plans are more of a quick fix, but we need to improve our energy and attitude to the games. Many a time yesterday, we were losing 20 metres just in our attack in our backs. It seems to me that we are lacking the belief and desire of last season. I really hope this changes soon!