A* for fitness and A for management, but it’s only a C for discipline: Tigers’ end-of-term report
OF LEAGUE GAMES PLAYED, OUR RUGBY WRITER RATES
LEICESTER Tigers couldn’t have wished for a better start to their Gallagher Premiership season, winning all eight of their games so far.
Sitting pretty at the top of the table, Steve Borthwick’s side can now focus on the Premiership Cup while some of their stars are also away on international duty.
Here, Tigers writer Bobby Bridge delivers his “end-of-term” report card for the season so far with a third of the domestic games complete.
DEFENCE
Across their opening eight rounds of Gallagher Premiership action, Tigers on average have conceded just 17 points per game - the lowest of any team.
Delve a little deeper and you’ll find that they have only conceded six tries in four home games, while on the road, four tries were shipped at both Gloucester and Northampton Saints but Worcester Warriors and London Irish could only muster one home try between them when Borthwick’s side came to town.
The defensive grit, organisation and desire - even when down to 14 or even 13 men - has been one of the most improved areas this season and has enabled them to ride out of periods when they’re under pressure.
There’s a huge buy-in from players, including those paid predominately to score tries; Nemani Nadolo and Harry Potter - who week after week weigh in with key defensive interventions.
The only blips have really been the Gloucester and Northampton Saints games when bonus points have been secured. But if free-scoring Saracens can’t register a try against you, defence coach Kevin Sinfield and his team must be doing something right. A
DISCIPLINE
Along with Wasps and Bath, Tigers have the joint-most yellow cards this season with Cyle Brink, Ollie Chessum, Hanro Liebenberg, Harry Wells, Jasper Wiese and Richard Wigglesworth all being sinbinned, so there’s definitely room for improvement there. However, there’s yet to be a red card flashed their way.
Across the eight rounds, Tigers have conceded an average of 13.6 penalties per game, peaking with 16 against Sale Sharks - who themselves conceded 20, which is important for context. Often the penalties conceded have come in gluts when under pressure, helping reduce potential seven-point concessions to three - a hallmark of most successful sides in the modern day game. And the majority of the yellow cards have been for team offences, rather than reckless and avoidable acts.
It would be interesting to learn what Tigers’ key performance indicator is for penalties conceded, their “preferred figure”. One assumes it’s lower than 13.6 so there’s improvements to be made, yet again though, they’ve made big strides in this area. C
ATTACK
Five of the eight wins have come complete with a tryscoring bonus point with only Saracens ahead on points scored - albeit by one successful conversion! Tigers have registered scores through every position in its backline and the forwards have been prolific from close range.
Last term’s painful pragmatism of kicking away possession is all but gone
The combination of the two, the ability to play with width and purpose, but also to keep things tight and drive at the heart of opponents, is one that appears unstoppable and is reflected in the league table.
Ben Youngs and George Ford are playing with far more adventure and intent than in previous seasons, and every match, there’s moments where you think Nadolo, Matt Scott, Harry Potter or Kini Murimurivalu will score. Leicester Tigers have been exciting to watch.
The only slight reservation in terms of attack has come in those narrow wins over Saracens and Sale Sharks, when Tigers tightened up in accordance with the threat possessed by their opponents. Yet they still did enough to get over the line on both occasions. B
FITNESS
Where is the weak link here? I’m not sure Tigers have one any more. Even heavyweight props Dan Cole and Nephi Leatigaga appear in the shape of their professional lives.
He may have missed a fair chunk of last season but Nadolo has been almost ever-present this term and is in fantastic form - and also appears to be in peak condition.
Borthwick has stressed time and time again that Leicester used to be a team that “went away”. By that he means collapse, crumble, ship points and ultimately, on occasions, get thumped. That’s not happening as his squad is fit and firing. In every position on a matchday, there’s an explosive option from the bench.
While the club isn’t open about discussing injuries, factor out the knocks they carried into the season (Charlie Clare, Cyle Brink, Jaco Taute), there’s been very little forced disturbance in the matchday squads - with the most notable exception being Hanro Liebenberg, who hurt his shoulder in the act of scoring against Sale Sharks.
From the evidence I’ve seen, they’re the fittest team in the league with Aled Walters having a tangible impact on this group of players. A*
ENTERTAINMENT
Here’s another area where Leicester have come a long, long way. Last term’s painful pragmatism of kicking away possession, sometimes in advanced positions, is all but gone. Even in the tight games, it’s been entertaining.
While it was fabulous fun blowing away Worcester Warriors and Northampton Saints, those titanic tussles with Saracens and Sale Sharks were drenched in the Tigers DNA. Winning hard, winning tough.
It’s intriguing watching this team find different ways to win. However, a prolific rolling maul might be great for pursuits, it’s arguably not the most appealing way to register points.
Yet nearly every week, there’s a Tigers inclusion in the contenders for try of the week. And that’s without Jasper Wiese crossing the line yet - his time will come. B
MANAGEMENT
Wind the clock back to the Saracens game and the shock of so many key players left out of a winning team. It seemed illogical at the time, placing Freddie Steward and Ellis Genge on the bench and leaving Potter and Nadolo out altogether. Yet it delivered the required result as Tigers became the only team so far to beat the newlypromoted, title-chasing outfit.
There has been rotation since, but it has been comparatively mild as Cole and Ford have been ever-presents while others, such as Harry Wells, Hanro Liebenberg (when fit), Nadolo and Potter have been mainstays, with tinkering going on around them. The only question you might ask of the management so far is the number of players who haven’t got as much game as they would’ve hoped - but many have been out on loan and will get their chance in the Premiership Cup.
In game as well, Borthwick and his team have frequently identified the right time to make substitutions, most recently, bringing Richard Wigglesworth on in a tense period against Bath. Then there was the bomb squad at Franklin’s Gardens.
They seem to be getting an awful lot of these calls right in the first eight rounds of the season. A
SET-PIECE
Entertainment earns a B
The Leicester Tigers maul has been a key feature this season, but it counts for little if lineout ball isn’t secured. That’s where it all starts. Before looking at the statistics, it’s imperative we reference that the lineout the club operates is an extremely challenging one - pushing hookers to throw to the back frequently, where there’s very little margin for error. No wonder the man who hires and fires the hookers spends so much of his time at the top of a step ladder.
According to ESPN statistics, of the 134 lineouts attempted, 125 have been successfully claimed - which is quite simply remarkable. Even Saracens, the masters of this area, were only able to upset Tigers’ ball once in 26 attempts.
And remember, this is largely with two new hookers in the form of Nic Dolly and on-loan operator, Tom Cowan-Dickie.
Comparatively, the scrum hasn’t been as consistent and dependable. Yet it has still delivered big moments, including the monumental drive that led to the only try against Sale Sharks.