Next up London Irish - home - 5th March 2021

[RagingBull]

Personally feel no crowds have helped us in this early stage of Borthwick.
Last night Crowd all pumped up.
Irish score in 2 minutes
Dead silence

Home crowds are great when they cheer for you but it's a lonely place when the cheering stops.

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Personally feel no crowds have helped us in this early stage of Borthwick.
Last night Crowd all pumped up.
Irish score in 2 minutes
Dead silence

Home crowds are great when they cheer for you but it's a lonely place when the cheering stops.

Imagine the reaction during the Sale game or the Quins game the end of last season.
I think the WR crowd can work for both teams as it does create an atmosphere, can help the away team motivation as much as support for the home team.

[sam16111986]

Personally feel no crowds have helped us in this early stage of Borthwick.
Last night Crowd all pumped up.
Irish score in 2 minutes
Dead silence

Home crowds are great when they cheer for you but it's a lonely place when the cheering stops.

Do the opposition score after two minutes of they've just run out through the crowd into the wall of noise at Welford Road though? Especially with a few youngsters in the team.

[fentiger]

There was a moment in the BT commentary when Austin actually said something positive about Tigers - I went light headed and had to sit down.

He did so on a couple of occasions, never heard it before!

[markharbtiger]

Encouraged by the determination seemingly rediscovered by our side. Irish were impressive for periods of the game.
More than anything, I’m pleased some of the younger players are getting experience.

[Scott1]

Second lowest BP,still a massive problem for us.

[OakhamTiger32]

Second lowest BP,still a massive problem for us.

We do leave a lot of BPs out there that’s for sure but while we might be second lowest on that stat we have won twice as many games as Glos & Worcester, 2 more than Irish and won one more than Wasps & Bath. Might be leaving a few points out there but plenty to be positive about. The BPs will come as we grow in confidence, it’s a long way back from where we were last season so hopefully these will start to come soon

[JP14]

Really feel that Green is starting to come into his own now, not only marshalling the lineout but starting to carry with real purpose and vigour too.

[Cagey Tiger]

Second lowest BP,still a massive problem for us.

Quite a few of them TBPs. Wait a minute, that means they've been winning games. Hasn't anyone told them that BPs are all important? that an LBP is more important than a win?

Seriously though, I agree that BPs are in very short supply, but they're getting wins which is the most important. Plus the last few games have shown a greater variety in how we score tries. If this continues, which I'm very hopeful of, the LBPs and TBPs will come.

[Crofty]

Second lowest BP,still a massive problem for us.

Quite a few of them TBPs. Wait a minute, that means they've been winning games. Hasn't anyone told them that BPs are all important? that an LBP is more important than a win?

Seriously though, I agree that BPs are in very short supply, but they're getting wins which is the most important. Plus the last few games have shown a greater variety in how we score tries. If this continues, which I'm very hopeful of, the LBPs and TBPs will come.

1) TBPs in no way mean that we've been winning games as they can be earned even on the losing side (indeed a losing side can earn one when the winning side doesn't, I'm sure that happened recently somewhere

2) If I recall correctly we won more games than the team just above us in the league last term but, as with this season we either squeaked a win or got blown out so (had Sarries not cheated) we'd have been relegated due to a lack of bonus points no matter how earned.

That's the overall point, it's why the last 15 or so minutes on Friday night were so frustrating, we had a chance at earning a TBP and sending home a close rival with none, instead we mentally went into the changing room early thinking job done, missed out on that TBP and allowed our opponent not only an LBP but also a TBP of their own. I know, I know, no relegation this year so what does it matter, right? Well what if LI beat us to the Heineken Cup places by 1 point, what if the TBP we squandered was enough, oh miracle of miracles, to have captured 4th place and a swing at the big prize? Will you tell me then that BPs don't matter, at least we're winning?

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Gaining bonus points & not giving them to opponent can make a huge difference over a season, Friday night should of been a 5 league point swing to us, it was only a 2 point swing come the Final Whistle, over the home & away games LI gained 2 more points than us, those 2 BP's we gave up on Friday.

[Cagey Tiger]

Second lowest BP,still a massive problem for us.

Quite a few of them TBPs. Wait a minute, that means they've been winning games. Hasn't anyone told them that BPs are all important? that an LBP is more important than a win?

Seriously though, I agree that BPs are in very short supply, but they're getting wins which is the most important. Plus the last few games have shown a greater variety in how we score tries. If this continues, which I'm very hopeful of, the LBPs and TBPs will come.

1) TBPs in no way mean that we've been winning games as they can be earned even on the losing side (indeed a losing side can earn one when the winning side doesn't, I'm sure that happened recently somewhere

2) If I recall correctly we won more games than the team just above us in the league last term but, as with this season we either squeaked a win or got blown out so (had Sarries not cheated) we'd have been relegated due to a lack of bonus points no matter how earned.

That's the overall point, it's why the last 15 or so minutes on Friday night were so frustrating, we had a chance at earning a TBP and sending home a close rival with none, instead we mentally went into the changing room early thinking job done, missed out on that TBP and allowed our opponent not only an LBP but also a TBP of their own. I know, I know, no relegation this year so what does it matter, right? Well what if LI beat us to the Heineken Cup places by 1 point, what if the TBP we squandered was enough, oh miracle of miracles, to have captured 4th place and a swing at the big prize? Will you tell me then that BPs don't matter, at least we're winning?

While I take your point about bonus points affecting league position, only 2 teams from 15/16 onwards have gone ahead of a team with more wins and it wasn't LI last season (which due to the facts that Sarries were already relegated and teams were playing 3 matches in 8-9 days at times renders any comparisons totally meaningless). Obviously where teams are level on wins, bonus points can be the difference, but where teams are level on points, it's the wins that count first. So it all depends.

The points I was trying to get across (and screwed up) were that yes, it is a problem, but not a massive one (at no point did I say that bonus points don't matter BTW ), and that I felt that this would become less of a problem as the season progresses (and, by implication, the current crop of players become more familiar with each other and our playing style under SB).

I was also very frustrated on Friday and at least one other win where we had 3 tries, but didn't really go for the 4th, or made poor decisions. But we got the wins which is by far the most important, not just because its 4 pts as opposed to 1 pt, but for team confidence and morale as well.

[mol2]

I think we did well to win on Friday. Could have been a 5 pointer but considering that we were missing Ford, Nadolo & Young’s in the backs and key attacking forwards in Genge, Wiese, Montoya and Liebenberg who give us dynamic line breaking options when camped on the opposition try line, a win was a good result.

[TheTigerKing]

The discipline to finish strongly and collect BPs will come as the confidence grows.

This is a team that was lowest of the low but 12 months ago.

Once they have confidence, the BPs will flow.

[Nofrontteeth]

Agree with leaving BP's on the pitch. I'm being cheeky but have any of you stats commandos ever produced an alternative league table with all BP's removed?

My maths is limited to quantities of ale and how many of them.

PS WE WON!!!!