Tigers v Saints (H) - Saturday 28th January 2023 - KO 14:00

[Dangerous4]

I've said many times that we cannot continue with the same playbook as last year. As RW is of the same "ilk", for want of a better word, as SB, things will not change with RW in charge. We desperately need new ideas from a new head coach IMHO.

We have the players, but the headspace nor playbook is not good atm.

So very true I have completely lost interest this season, and that is not good.

[sapajo]

Clearly this is a task beyond Wigglesworth alone and we should get someone to advise in the short term.

Erm….we have. Danny Wilson.

Well he has made didly squat difference

[Tigerbeat]

How many losses is that now recently,4 in 5 games or 5 in 6?

Whilst there have been losses, there have a few by a single point which in the years gone by would have been heavy defeats with players out of the game after 60 minutes and heads down. There is fight in the squad but confidence is low....

[CrumblingTerrace]

That game plan... oh my.

Saints were much better than last time we played them. Their back three was their best weapon, so what did we decide to do? Give them as much ball as possible!

[Scott1]

How many losses is that now recently,4 in 5 games or 5 in 6?

Whilst there have been losses, there have a few by a single point which in the years gone by would have been heavy defeats with players out of the game after 60 minutes and heads down. There is fight in the squad but confidence is low....

A loss is a loss,it becomes a habit. And the performances at times have been very poor. I'd expect fight at the very least that goes without saying! You can count on the fingers of one hand our good performances this season. Very poor all round so far this season!

[Old Hob]

Edwards was poor, ponderous and unable to get the ball quickly from ruck or scrum. Our driving maul is a busted flush. Watson did not get ball in hand enough in promising positions, particularly when we had front foot ball in the first 20. Poor all round despite some excellent individual efforts

[Ian Cant]

Sadly Tigers had already lost their way throughout the time Borthwick was in charge this season! He might or might not have got us back in the groove but it’s immaterial!
Moaning at Richard Wigglesworth is the fans’ “right” but it’s not going to help.
I’ve said it before: I won’t judge any coach until I’ve seen Tigers field their best team.
I’m not sure even Saracens would cope without 3 of your best props and with so many injuries as we’ve had in the last few months.
Trouble is the International period probably means we probably only have 2 games left to play the first team in the league! The Bristol game might make 3 if the England lads are fit!
I agree that we need to get our attack sorted but then again there were signs of that v Clermont and Ospreys last week.
Top 4 is possible but highly improbable.
Let’s just make sure we get down to Welford Road v Saracens and make some noise. On that matter, I think in all the home and away fixtures I’ve been to in the last few seasons that’s one of the quietest derbies I’ve been too!
On that point I think nerves got to us more than the overall more experienced Saints’ squad.

[Scott1]

It’s all rather depressing! Beat Edinburgh and we will get annihilated by Ireland. By some miracle get into the playoffs and Sarries or Sale will smash us because I’ve seen nothing this season bar Quins away that gives me any confidence we would win any of those games. And that Quins result is liking like an anomaly each and every game that passes. The season,and our title defence wi5 it is becoming a damp squib and fizzling out badly!

[Scott1]

Edwards was poor, ponderous and unable to get the ball quickly from ruck or scrum. Our driving maul is a busted flush. Watson did not get ball in hand enough in promising positions, particularly when we had front foot ball in the first 20. Poor all round despite some excellent individual efforts

Yes,what game were some watching regarding Edwards,poor like the majority. And his box kicking especially was awful!

[Scott1]

Sadly Tigers had already lost their way throughout the time Borthwick was in charge this season! He might or might not have got us back in the groove but it’s immaterial!
Moaning at Richard Wigglesworth is the fans’ “right” but it’s not going to help.
I’ve said it before: I won’t judge any coach until I’ve seen Tigers field their best team.
I’m not sure even Saracens would cope without 3 of your best props and with so many injuries as we’ve had in the last few months.
Trouble is the International period probably means we probably only have 2 games left to play the first team in the league! The Bristol game might make 3 if the England lads are fit!
I agree that we need to get our attack sorted but then again there were signs of that v Clermont and Ospreys last week.
Top 4 is possible but highly improbable.
Let’s just make sure we get down to Welford Road v Saracens and make some noise. On that matter, I think in all the home and away fixtures I’ve been to in the last few seasons that’s one of the quietest derbies I’ve been too!
On that point I think nerves got to us more than the overall more experienced Saints’ squad.

The teams we play also pick up injuries and lose players throughout the season too Ian

[Postiger2]

The thing that disappointed me most is that we started by playing heads up and getting it wide and looked good for the first 10 minutes but then we reverted to a wholly predictable kicking game. Too deep, too central, time after time. There was a young family in front of me so I had to watch my language but I found that match infuriating to watch.

To me the key was that Watson / Potter combination on the right and we just didn't exploit it.

[Scott1]

Strange how some judge a coach only when he’s got his first choice out. Surely if a coach can’t cope with missing players then he’s not much of a coach

[Dr H Flashman MBE]

Watched the game at work. First 20 mins I thought “here we go, a lovely win and no nervous last few minutes”..how wrong I was!
The box kicking was so oblivious that an unskilled possible partially sighted Colts coach would have worked it out. Where is the ambition to do something different..?
We need to start kicking the penalties we earn and get the score board ticking over. Our rolling maul has all power of a knitting circle of octogenarians and the same cohesion too.
Edwards, I think has potential but he took longer than I have been in my skin to box kick the ball. I thought a fair few of his kicks were on the money but it took so long to get to that point.
Our 2nd row badly misfired and a 2 young props were never going to have an easy ride.
I am generally a “happy clapper” on the board but the lack of game management is shocking.
As I said to my boss who is a Bristol fans as Sarries ran in their 80th minute try “it’s the hope that kills you Sir”…really not a great day!

[mol2]

Saints had conceded 30 points a game this season and we failed to threaten them.

You can’t score without the ball and we kicked it away repeatedly.
Yes it worked last season against Saints, where the earthquake of a chasing Nadolo, no doubt scared the poop out of some defenders anxious not to be flattened by a 20 stone wing, but no more.

[sam16111986]

Edwards was poor, ponderous and unable to get the ball quickly from ruck or scrum. Our driving maul is a busted flush. Watson did not get ball in hand enough in promising positions, particularly when we had front foot ball in the first 20. Poor all round despite some excellent individual efforts

Yes,what game were some watching regarding Edwards,poor like the majority. And his box kicking especially was awful!

His box kicking was on the money and caused Saints issues. The issue was that we had a tendency to slap the ball back to Saints players and had no plan B. Neither of those were the fault of Edwards, he was told to box kick under the circumstances he did and he put up contestable kicks or kicks that allowed to us to tackle the catcher.

It's not down to him we were a damp squib in attack.