Astonishing match deserves a full page

COULD we recover from our first defeat? Across the water into Ireland we had to attempt a second victory over Connacht.

Interestingly, Steve Borthwick decided to rest George Ford and Ben Youngs. There were other changes, too.

I donned a Tigers shirt to watch the match on television.

What can you say about this absolutely strange topsy-turvy game? For 10 minutes at the start and 20 minutes at the end Tigers were the team we have become used to watching.

Alas, in between, they were quite poor, making mistakes, giving away countless penalties, losing a man to the sin bin and generally looking like taking a real hiding.

We were 10-0 up early on, with two excellent tries and sailing along happily. Then the period when Connacht came of age and played extremely well, notching up four converted tries to lead 28-10 and give us little hope.

Only then did we remember who we were and that finish, with three tries and two conversions giving us a one-point victory in the last minute - what a game that was!

The referee seemed to take an age looking at Hosea Saumaki’s feet to see if they were in touch, when he touched down for the winning try, which indeed it was. We were thrilled then.

Every time Kini Murimurivalu got the ball on the wing, he was sensational.

Hats off to every man on the field in a Tigers shirt who snatched a victory from what looked like a good hiding.

Borthwick will still have words, I’m sure.

I could have written the whole letters page to describe this astonishing match. Wow! But I will leave it to the experts - and a word of praise for Ethan Clamp, the Mercury’s new young rugby writer. I like his style!

Mike Ross, Wigston