Tigers v Gloucester - Premiership Cup Final - Friday 15th March 2024 - KO:7-45pm

[DeadlyDunc]

Harhwrall, Rogerson, Hanro, Cracknall are all very similar players but Hanro is by far the best and most effective so has to play as much as possible.

Playing 3 of them in the same team just doesn’t work IMO and we looked more balanced when Ilione came on and Cracknall also made a difference.

[Stephen18]

Glos fans around us were furious with their 9 & 10 in the first half, so much kicking. We handed that to Gloucester no question, discipline killed us and gave them a lift. Even after going so far behind we had driving lineout chances, but coughed the ball up. Agree about comments on Kelly, what’s happened to him, maybe still not fully confident following that injury ?

I’m starting to think that Kelly just doesn’t work with pollard, I think pollard works best with a ball carrying 12 like de allende. Which is why our best games have been Kata at 12 and why cokanasiga has started to look better. Think Ford bought the best out of him and he looked set to be Englands long term 12. So he might need to convert to a 13 as he started to look better there as the seasons gone on, or he may look to move to another club like sale to try and olay with Ford again, to see if that gets him back in form again which will be a real shame as he looked a great long term prospect for the club.

[RunTigerRun]

Harhwrall, Rogerson, Hanro, Cracknall are all very similar players but Hanro is by far the best and most effective so has to play as much as possible.

Playing 3 of them in the same team just doesn’t work IMO and we looked more balanced when Ilione came on and Cracknall also made a difference.

I agree. What worries me about the back row balance for next year if we aren't replacing Wiese and using Cracknell, Rogerson, Hatherell etc.

They're good at the tight carries and the work rate stuff but there no real line break ability or power carry. When we don't have Kata playing we have no real ball carrier. That severely limits our attacking options (even without a backs/attack coach...). I'll reserve judgement until we know the makeup of the squad next year and the coaching line up but we'd need to change the whole kick and bosh approach if so!

[RunTigerRun]

Glos fans around us were furious with their 9 & 10 in the first half, so much kicking. We handed that to Gloucester no question, discipline killed us and gave them a lift. Even after going so far behind we had driving lineout chances, but coughed the ball up. Agree about comments on Kelly, what’s happened to him, maybe still not fully confident following that injury ?

I’m starting to think that Kelly just doesn’t work with pollard, I think pollard works best with a ball carrying 12 like de allende. Which is why our best games have been Kata at 12 and why cokanasiga has started to look better. Think Ford bought the best out of him and he looked set to be Englands long term 12. So he might need to convert to a 13 as he started to look better there as the seasons gone on, or he may look to move to another club like sale to try and olay with Ford again, to see if that gets him back in form again which will be a real shame as he looked a great long term prospect for the club.

Actually think Kelly would make a great 13 in the Lozowski/Slade mould. Good passer, good game reading in the outside channel and actually his pace has improved. Defence in the 13 channel will improve with time and gives Pollard that le Roux style playmaker out wider.

[Stephen18]

Harhwrall, Rogerson, Hanro, Cracknall are all very similar players but Hanro is by far the best and most effective so has to play as much as possible.

Playing 3 of them in the same team just doesn’t work IMO and we looked more balanced when Ilione came on and Cracknall also made a difference.

Your so right they just can’t all play together it just doesn’t seem to work, the back row look so much better with a breakdown threat in it, obviously raffell it 1st choice, but I think it looked better when ilione came on aswell as he did attack the break down but offer a slightly wider runner. I think McKellar needs to roll the dice and let more of the academy boys have a go at it and give them a run of games, like Bothwick did when he first came I know that 1st season we took some hammerings but they all improved the next season, then in the third season we won the premiership and most of them went on to become England starters.

[trendylfj]

Watched the whole game on the box so it is not as good as being there but I really could not see the reasons for the yellows. The ref did say enough penalties very quietly but did not make it clear that the next offence would be yellow as most refs would have done. I have looked long and hard about Brown's yellow and he was just attempting a jackal, there was certainly no call to leave it and Brown ignoring the call, so again can't really understand that one either. Conversely, if he was being even handed - 2 issues - their yellow 1 meter out - why no penalty try if foul play prevented a score as he said and why no yellow when their winger prevented us scoring by coming up the side of a maul and gave away a just a penalty? Again 3 meters out from a try.

The performance of our centers is certainly worrying and I hope to see Kata and Cockanasiga given a chance next Friday. A win should have been possible and we need to do better next week.

[KiwiTig]

Dismal Game, two dismal sides, one very dismal ref.

The first 15 minutes of the second half killed us. There didn't seem to be much leadership on the field to get heads back into the right places and it all fell apart.

I don't know what happened to our scrum in the second half but speaking to Joe Heyes after the match he said he has been feeling pretty ill so i guess he started to fade - i am sure there were other factors too.

Oh well, as has been said a chance for revenge next week. I hope we go full bore with our strongest 23 to get some momentum happening.

Personally i think it's still worth giving McKellar some breathing space. I don't watch any Australian rugby so don't know what the difference in standard/intensity is; but if their national team is anything to go by.....

On the plus side the Gloucester fans sat around us were all ultra friendly and very kind to my 6 yr old boy at his first game especially when he got very upset because we were losing.

Was a late night and long drive home
Sir didn’t help us and the atmosphere was challenging too
Agree re McKellar
I saw Heyes throwing up on the side of the pitch as he went off first half so something wasn’t right
No idea what the Brown yellow was for especially without warning
We ended well and I’m not overly concerned about next Friday-bring it on and hopefully a win this time for your son

[Stephen18]

Watched the whole game on the box so it is not as good as being there but I really could not see the reasons for the yellows. The ref did say enough penalties very quietly but did not make it clear that the next offence would be yellow as most refs would have done. I have looked long and hard about Brown's yellow and he was just attempting a jackal, there was certainly no call to leave it and Brown ignoring the call, so again can't really understand that one either. Conversely, if he was being even handed - 2 issues - their yellow 1 meter out - why no penalty try if foul play prevented a score as he said and why no yellow when their winger prevented us scoring by coming up the side of a maul and gave away a just a penalty? Again 3 meters out from a try.

The performance of our centers is certainly worrying and I hope to see Kata and Cockanasiga given a chance next Friday. A win should have been possible and we need to do better next week.

I think he did give a warning about next penalty in the red zone would be a yellow as it was off the back of 3 other, although I didn’t really see what happen and tnt seemed determined not to show replays of either that or browns encase it showed they were the wrong call. Which 100% browns was he was straight on the ball and I think lifted it before being pulled over the top of it, which was a pentalty to tigers. I also didn’t understand why there weren’t 2 penalty try’s to use in the last 10, 1 2 players joined the side of the ruck moving to the line with no one in front and pulled it down. Then the 2nd then it was held up by Clark who got a yellow card for it as he came from the side and got his leg under it but the referee then said but 2 other player joined to help hold it up, but surely if it the offending play who got under it, without him there we’d have scored. Definitely to odd decision, but that said when they went against us we fell to pieces rather than step up and play the ref out of the game, and Gloucester made the most of the chance they had and deserved to win, they played the better rugby in the 2nd half and he didn’t really play any rugby until the last 10.

[Tigers86asw]

Harhwrall, Rogerson, Hanro, Cracknall are all very similar players but Hanro is by far the best and most effective so has to play as much as possible.

Playing 3 of them in the same team just doesn’t work IMO and we looked more balanced when Ilione came on and Cracknall also made a difference.

Your so right they just can’t all play together it just doesn’t seem to work, the back row look so much better with a breakdown threat in it, obviously raffell it 1st choice, but I think it looked better when ilione came on aswell as he did attack the break down but offer a slightly wider runner. I think McKellar needs to roll the dice and let more of the academy boys have a go at it and give them a run of games, like Bothwick did when he first came I know that 1st season we took some hammerings but they all improved the next season, then in the third season we won the premiership and most of them went on to become England starters.

We looked a lot better with Ilione. I don’t think his long term future is necessarily at 7 but he’s mobile and a jackal threat. The backrow last night lacked balance, as did the midfield.

[DeadlyDunc]

Harhwrall, Rogerson, Hanro, Cracknall are all very similar players but Hanro is by far the best and most effective so has to play as much as possible.

Playing 3 of them in the same team just doesn’t work IMO and we looked more balanced when Ilione came on and Cracknall also made a difference.

Your so right they just can’t all play together it just doesn’t seem to work, the back row look so much better with a breakdown threat in it, obviously raffell it 1st choice, but I think it looked better when ilione came on aswell as he did attack the break down but offer a slightly wider runner. I think McKellar needs to roll the dice and let more of the academy boys have a go at it and give them a run of games, like Bothwick did when he first came I know that 1st season we took some hammerings but they all improved the next season, then in the third season we won the premiership and most of them went on to become England starters.

We looked a lot better with Ilione. I don’t think his long term future is necessarily at 7 but he’s mobile and a jackal threat. The backrow last night lacked balance, as did the midfield.

I’ll be honest - I was being kind beforehand - but I don’t see what Hatherall and Rogerson bring aside from basic effort levels which is a minimum.

Cracknall carries harder and I think better over the ball too.

I agree with Ilione - he has to play 7 if Tommy is away and then have Cracknell coming on if we need it. I can see the logic about being the other way around - ease Ilione in to games rather than starting but he has to be given a crack given how lacklustre we are with the others across the back row

[sapajo]

We have no one capable of remotely performing the role that Wiese does and save Kata we are devoid of players that can break the gain line which is a very big worry for next season.

[Retiredseven]

We have no one capable of remotely performing the role that Wiese does and save Kata we are devoid of players that can break the gain line which is a very big worry for next season.

I'd say Martin can break the gain line and Montoya

[sapajo]

We have no one capable of remotely performing the role that Wiese does and save Kata we are devoid of players that can break the gain line which is a very big worry for next season.

I'd say Martin can break the gain line and Montoya

Fair comment

[mightymouse]

Having watched the Under 20s game today, I thought Carnduff had another really good game and was a little unlucky not to get MOM.

I agree with many people that young guys like Illione, , Carnduff, Chessum Jnr, need to be given a shot ahead of the likes of Carter and Rogerson in these types of games. If they lose so be it, then they’ve been given valuable experience.
The only possible exception is prop where it might not always be wise to give a youngster a go unless they are exceptional like the young laddie who plays for sale …. -FordJour?

[Tigers86asw]

Are there any comments from DM after last night? Be interested to know how he viewed the performance