Teams up v Saracens

[WhitecapTiger]

jp called maul once yby had hit the ground!

That is no surprise at all.

[h's dad]

How do you know what my team talk would be? I don't think I ever proposed that? I've coached kids playing cricket who have had to go up against really good sides laden with county class players. There's not a gap, there's a gulf. The kids know there's little hope as there are at least four blokes in the opposition team who can score 50s and also bowl quickly, accurately and "at you." There's that difference in class and focus again.

How do you pick a team up? Concentrate on doing the basics well. Bowling, they miss we hit. Fielding drill, drill, drill so the right thing becomes natural and we work as a team. Put best fielders in key positions. batting? Defend and run hard. If we all score 20 we'll make a game of it.

Never known a team talk like that. It's 15v15 (substitute appropriate number for cricket) our passion and commitment against their complacency, Go out and make them know they're in a game from the start and they'll be so in shock they won't be able to come back. Often accompanied by an excessive use of bad language. I've even known it to work occasionally.

In this position I honestly "Can't see a win," to quote myself, but that doesn't mean I give up.

But when you're sharing it it, it can sound that way. Don't tell anybody but I couldn't see the win either - but I can see them coming now.

Fine margins today. Anything could have made the difference.

[fortysix]

Whoever made the decision not to go for the penalty try needs shooting
Simply put, it cost us the match

And Cockerill should be massacred for not removing Williams early on, sticking Burns at 10, an attacking fly half

Williams most certainly is not a top notch attacking 10

12 possibly, 15 possibly, but no where near enough speed or decision making for a Top 2 side at 10.

[mol2]

Do you think we could sign Itoje for next season please?

He may be only a youth but his ability to read a game was head and shoulders above any of the others on the pitch.

I hope Eddie Jones took note of that and makes him England captain.

[westwinds31]

Lots of heart and effort which was good to see. Should be the bare minimum every week though. It only gets you so far though. Inability to break the gain line again, not much go forward and Ben Youngs must be so frustrated with slow ball. As the years go by, the Top 4 is getting harder and harder to reach, as other sides improve and we stay still. I said it last year but we made the top four, although surrendered with a whimper in the semi final, but this year will be even tougher and I can't see us making it.

[BFG]

Oh well, Sarries got the result in the end, pleased that Leicester were in it right until the finish but still disappointed as anyone that Leicester couldn't quite pull it off today.
I thought the conditions favoured Leicester in some areas such as the scrum and Sarries in others such as defensive pressure, Sarries made better decisions in key moments in the conditions.
Leicester scrum was superb, what a difference from last January at Allianz.
Cockerill slated on FB for leaving Thacker out, proved the correct decision I think.
Sarries won't lose many matches this season and they will rarely be pushed as hard as today.
Disappointing to lose but many positives!
I thought the officials had a very good game.

[Big Dai]

How do you know what my team talk would be? I don't think I ever proposed that? I've coached kids playing cricket who have had to go up against really good sides laden with county class players. There's not a gap, there's a gulf. The kids know there's little hope as there are at least four blokes in the opposition team who can score 50s and also bowl quickly, accurately and "at you." There's that difference in class and focus again.

How do you pick a team up? Concentrate on doing the basics well. Bowling, they miss we hit. Fielding drill, drill, drill so the right thing becomes natural and we work as a team. Put best fielders in key positions. batting? Defend and run hard. If we all score 20 we'll make a game of it.

Never known a team talk like that. It's 15v15 (substitute appropriate number for cricket) our passion and commitment against their complacency, Go out and make them know they're in a game from the start and they'll be so in shock they won't be able to come back. Often accompanied by an excessive use of bad language. I've even known it to work occasionally.

In this position I honestly "Can't see a win," to quote myself, but that doesn't mean I give up.

But when you're sharing it it, it can sound that way. Don't tell anybody but I couldn't see the win either - but I can see them coming now.

Fine margins today. Anything could have made the difference.

Brain fades cost us. The six inches between the ears. Their pressure caused these errors.

BTW Never accompanied by bad language. One sure way of getting zero respect is to lose control of your vocabulary. Get them onside the first time and build from there. They make the right calls more often. They "buy in to your ethic". The team talks change. Sound familiar? We played against it today.
Agreed it was much much better. But we have to get the brain fades out of the game.

[Dave J]

Just back from the game, disappointed with the result obviously but couldn't fault the passion.

In defence of the penalty decision before the half, bearing in mind it was JP Doyle, what if he'd penalised Tigers at the next scrum? I don't think anyone expected OW to miss the kick so I can understand the decision.

[WiggoTiger]

Agree with Big Dai, brain fades cost us today. Two or three times just offloading through the hands would have given us a possibility of running to the line. Sadly the decision from Brady and late on by Roberts to pass too late or not at all denied us a scoring opportunity.
I was amazed how good we were in the scrum and that Saffas looked like they had been out last night as they seemed out of sorts.

Is it me or do we play our subs FAR too late??!!

[LE18]

No one has mentioned the penalty that JP gave against McCaffrey, no way was he off his feet, he dived over bodies on the ground to make a super tackle, how/why was that a penalty?

[ellis9]

100% agree that wasn't a penalty. No idea why JP Doyle thought he was off his feet! Luckily Farrell missed the kick anyway.

[Greenwhiteandred]

JP had a shocker today

[WhitecapTiger]

No one has mentioned the penalty that JP gave against McCaffrey, no way was he off his feet, he dived over bodies on the ground to make a super tackle, how/why was that a penalty?

Initial thought was because JP Doyle is (becoming more and more) a clown.

At the time I thought maybe it was another Tigers player in the ruck pinged for of feet, but as you say it was definitely given against McCaffrey then that can't be the case.

So revert to initial thought.

[WhitecapTiger]

Is it me or do we play our subs FAR too late??!!

In the context of today's game I thought it was utterly pointless bringing Sam Harrison on for 5 minutes. Ben Youngs should have had the shepherd's crook far earlier.

[Doghashadhisday]

I was at the match and not seen the game on the tv again yet so here are my thoughts without the benefit of replays and commentary.

Some posters have said we never looked life scoring but neither did Sarries until Ben threw that pass. We dominated them in the scrum but JP didnt reward us as much as he should have. Sarries had the better kicking from hand. Our back 3 played well, in particular Burns. We got done for a high tackle but they seemed to get away with a few in the first half. Manu's run showed what he brings to our go forward, so unlucky to get another injury, and probably put an end to some of our attacking ambitions.

I am disappointed at the loss and we will probably lose next week away to Wasps who are un-defeated at home but after todays performance I am still hopeful we can make the top 4 but please Rugby God's no more injuries