Joy to watch young players’ attacking intent

THE general feeling going into the Black Lion game (rebranded on the Tigers website as an “exhibition match”) was that Leicester may have fatally underestimated their Georgian opponents.

When Richard Cockerill’s side was announced it was pretty much as strong as they can domestically be, given that the Georgian forwards form a significant part of the top two tiers of French rugby.

In the centres, Merab Sharikadze is a 100-cap international and terrific 13, Tapladze is a strong runner who played in the Rugby World Cup, and Kveseladze on the bench is a classy player.

The fly-half Matkava is a quality 10 and starts for the national side.

In the back three, Modebadze and Tabutsadze are Georgia starters. Even in the pack, second rower Tcheisvili is a Georgia starter, as is No.8 Spandersashvili.

Blindside flanker Ivanishvili and hooker Zamtaradze were also at the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Leicester’s side was youthful in the extreme and that, plus a truly awful weather forecast that proved to be accurate, probably contributed to a very disappointing turnout at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

Those absent thousands missed a very good and competitive game which, considering the conditions, exhibited remarkably high skill levels.

Yes, mistakes were made, but nothing more than would have likely been seen in a Premiership game in torrential rain that bucketed down over Leicester.

While one shouldn’t be too critical of the first team in what has been a disappointing season, it was a joy to watch a group of young players who seemed to have attacking intent and ideas beyond “one-out rugby” or “kick the ball away and hope something happens”.

The defensive display was remarkable from a team who haven’t played together often enough, given the absence of an ‘A’ Team league and have been out on loan in tiers two and three.

A lot of good performances but it was the overall team that was impressive and it brought a welldeserved victory with a lesson in how to see out a game as the Georgians pressed, with the bench emptied to give an even more inexperienced look to the Tigers 15.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but had we known the way this season was going to turn out – dead with two games to go – some of these youngsters should have been dripped into the first team.