With best fly-half in England pulling the strings, Tigers will be difficult to stop...
BUT DON’T TAKE
TO be frank, not many Leicester fans are particularly fond of their now near neighbours at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
A history where the London-based club were the “other big thing” in English rugby fuelled the rivalry and the decision to decamp from their traditional London home to the West Midlands and scupper the chances, at least for the time being, of Coventry regaining their once pre-eminent position, didn’t sit well with most, albeit it has to be accepted that the move did save the club from oblivion.
At some point, however, one has to ask whether it is actually the same thing any more.
Crowds at the CBS Arena have been sparse before and after Covid closures, and once the free tickets dried up (as they must) the ground has become something of a soulless bowl for the home team.
Whilst the Premiership Cup competition was something of a special case (the Wasps management decided, somewhat inexplicably, not to include those fixtures in the season ticket) the attendance was truly awful and the home fans were comfortably outnumbered by the travelling Leicester contingent.
Meanwhile, this season Wasps have endured an injury crisis that has left them struggling below where the overall playing strength would suggest that they should be.
However, even given Leicester’s fine form and luck (or perhaps Aled Walters’ wizardry) in avoiding injuries, the Tigers are beginning to suffer a little, as was evidenced by the unique back row replacements (a winger and a hooker) last week.
Tigers continue to pick strength, repeating last week’s team selection but with a welcome opportunity for Jack van Poortvliet at scrum-half, and subject to the same issues in the back row as last week, with two hookers and Kini Murimurivalu continuing his new career as a blind side flanker replacement.
The forwards before the replacements are utilised are a strong unit, and the fact that is the case even though none of the South African back row are available is a testament to the way that Steve Borthwick has developed his squad.
The backs are perfectly well drilled and with the best fly-half in England pulling the strings they will be hard to stop.
Given the issues that Wasps have, Leicester will enter the match as favourites.
But no one will be taking Wasps lightly and the team, whilst not thinking of records, would certainly love to equal the feat of the 1983/84 season and win their first 16 games.