Young guns shone after Po ll a r d b l o w
Leicester Tigers’ defence of their Premiership title ended at the semi-final stage as Sale Sharks progressed to Twickenham to face Saracens in the final. The 21-13 defeat at the AJ Bell Stadium also signals the end of an era as Richard Wigglesworth, Aled Walters and Tom Harrison join fellow ex-Tigers Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield in the England coaching set up. Tigers writer Bobby Bridge shares his
thoughts...
POLL-HARD TO TAKE
Key to Tigers’ surge into the play-offs was the form and fitness of Handre Pollard.
Quietly, the South African has gone about his business kicking goals from all angles and having a big influence on both sides of the ball.
Given the time he is likely to spend away from Welford Road during his time with the club due to international commitments, it’s games like Sunday which he was signed for. The big occasions.
A World Cup and Lions series winner, he has the temperament and skills to deliver when it mattered most.
So when news spread of Pollard’s withdrawal from the matchday squad, there was a collective gulp among Tigers fans.
They knew he was among the trio of stars, along with Julian Montoya and Jasper Wiese, that Leicester simply cannot be without for must-win games.
Jimmy Gopperth stepped in and did a good job, given it was only his second start in the 10 shirt since joining last summer.
But it wasn’t on the same level of George Ford who ruled supreme again his former club.
Starting the veteran Kiwi was the right call. Charlie Atkinson is the future for Tigers at 10 but experience was needed and Gopperth stood up to the test.
It was just a shame that a player Tigers had invested so heavily in wasn’t out there on the pitch when it mattered most.
WIESE MISSES OUT
Early into the second half, Tigers had a strong spell in the Sale 22 and a kick to the corner delivered them to a position where they are so prolific from a rolling maul.
In what appeared to be a preplanned move, perhaps identifying a weakness in Sale’s defensive line-up, Wiese peeled around the blindside but was met by three players to be bundled into touch.
It’s one of those instances where if it comes off, it’s a moment of genius.
But it didn’t and Tigers blew a golden chance to score at a crucial time.
Hindsight is an exact science, but it was surprising not to see them rumble forward and present Julian Montoya with his usual close-range opportunity to score.
KEEPING A PERSPECTIVE
It was a well-quoted figure in the build-up to the game – I even used it in my match report – that at one stage earlier in the season when Tigers were in freefall, their chances of reaching the play-offs dropped to just eight per cent.
Those odds were well and truly defied as Richard Wigglesworth helped turned around the form and deliver Tigers to the top four with a few games to spare.
While quite rightly the departing interim boss didn’t see a losing semi-final as a success, this one will sting less than perhaps some losses in the past given the context of the season.
Two coaches leaving mid-season, three more to follow. Two big names in Nemani Nadolo and Freddie Burns also started, but didn’t finish the campaign in Tigers colours.
And remember, Tigers also entered the season without two of their key men from the title-winning campaign; Ellis Genge and George Ford. There was always going to be an element of transition in 2022/23 so to go so close to Twickenham is a significant achievement for all involved.
NEXT GENERATION STARS
On the big occasion, some of Tigers’ young guns really stepped up.
Last season, Dan Kelly suffered the heartbreak of suffering a recurrence of an injury just a few minutes into the Northampton Saints semifinal, but he made up for lost time with a sublime assist for Harry Potter’s try against Sale.
If England head coach Steve Borthwick can be bold enough to select one of Ford, Owen Farrell or Marcus Smith for the 10 shirt, Kelly is the inside centre who can provide a long-term solution for the problematic inside centre role.
Similarly with George Martin in the second row.
The towering forward is relentless in the carry and in defence. It’ll be surprising not to see at least one, if not both, in the next England squad ahead of this year’s World Cup.
SALE AWAY, SALE AWAY, SALE AWAY
There was so much colour and noise booming out of the away end populated by Leicester Tigers fans.
It sparked the usual end-of-season debate regarding away end ticket allocations for supporters in Premiership games.
The reality is in regular season games, there just isn’t enough travelling support from away teams to warrant doing this on a consistent basis.
Would it make much business sense for Tigers bosses to not allow home fans to fill a section of seats at Welford Road in the hope that fans of Newcastle Falcons will travel south or Exeter supporters will journey north?
There’s just not enough clubs in the Gallagher Premiership with the following Tigers proudly boast. Home and away, they are seen and heard.
However, would it be bad business for at least a couple of their rivals to give Tigers sections of their stands to get bums on seats and boost the matchday atmosphere?
Some celebrate rugby’s ability to have fans of both teams sitting side by side, but ask anybody who travelled to the AJ Bell Stadium what they prefer, I am sure more will vote for being among their own when on the road.
NO BIG BREAK-UP
When Tigers lifted the 2021/22 title, we knew by then that Genge and Ford were on their way.
Matias Moroni, who started in that final, also exited. That’s three starters from Tigers’ Best XV.
While Leicester are losing some players, how many can overwhelmingly claim to be in the best available starting line-up?
Tom West (Saracens) has been fantastic, but Tigers have options at loosehead.
Chris Ashton (retiring) is probably the closest, but he was overlooked for the semi (although his late reprieve from suspension was a factor).
The key on-field components that made this Tigers team tick are being kept together and that bodes well for the future. Some rebuilding will need to be done, but not to the extent of last summer.
Tigers can look forward with optimism with key stars remaining, young stars are on the rise and there’s firepower coming in the form of Josh Bassett and Ollie HassellCollins, while Kyle Hatherall and Jamie Shillcock are intriguing signings too.