Leicester vs Ulster - Friday evening

[Puja]

Leicester: Steward; Porter, Moroni, Scott, Nadolo; Ford, Wigglesworth; Genge, T Youngs (capt), Cole, Wells, Green, Martin, Liebenberg, Wiese.

Replacements: Clare, De Bruin, Heyes, Lavanini, Brink, B Youngs, Henry, Murimurivalu.

Ulster: Stockdale; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, McIlroy; Burns, Cooney; O'Sullivan, Herring, Moore, Henderson (capt), A O'Connor; Rea, Murphy, Timoney.

Replacements: Andrew, Warwick, O'Toole, Treadwell, Reidy, Mathewson, Lowry, Addison.

[Puja]

Pretty strong selection from Leicester - close to our best available XXIII with only Muri and Youngs on the bench. Hopefully we've learned from chucking away two victories in two weeks and can get a result here.

Puja

[Oakboy]

Pretty strong selection from Leicester - close to our best available XXIII with only Muri and Youngs on the bench. Hopefully we've learned from chucking away two victories in two weeks and can get a result here.

Puja

What is the thinking with starting Wigglesworth ahead of Youngs?

[Puja]

Pretty strong selection from Leicester - close to our best available XXIII with only Muri and Youngs on the bench. Hopefully we've learned from chucking away two victories in two weeks and can get a result here.

Puja

What is the thinking with starting Wigglesworth ahead of Youngs?

I can only imagine it's to rest Youngs as part of rotation. There's nothing 2021!Wigglesworth does better than Youngs (and there's a decent argument there's not a massive amount he does better than JVP) but he'll do a job and give Youngs a bit of a break.

Puja

[Oakboy]

Pretty strong selection from Leicester - close to our best available XXIII with only Muri and Youngs on the bench. Hopefully we've learned from chucking away two victories in two weeks and can get a result here.

Puja

What is the thinking with starting Wigglesworth ahead of Youngs?

I can only imagine it's to rest Youngs as part of rotation. There's nothing 2021!Wigglesworth does better than Youngs (and there's a decent argument there's not a massive amount he does better than JVP) but he'll do a job and give Youngs a bit of a break.

Puja

It just seems too important a game to f-ck about not playing with your best SH.

[Banquo]

What is the thinking with starting Wigglesworth ahead of Youngs?

I can only imagine it's to rest Youngs as part of rotation. There's nothing 2021!Wigglesworth does better than Youngs (and there's a decent argument there's not a massive amount he does better than JVP) but he'll do a job and give Youngs a bit of a break.

Puja

It just seems too important a game to f-ck about not playing with your best SH.

He’s not even in the squad .

(Just kidding Tigers lads)

[Puja]

What is the thinking with starting Wigglesworth ahead of Youngs?

I can only imagine it's to rest Youngs as part of rotation. There's nothing 2021!Wigglesworth does better than Youngs (and there's a decent argument there's not a massive amount he does better than JVP) but he'll do a job and give Youngs a bit of a break.

Puja

It just seems too important a game to f-ck about not playing with your best SH.

In Borthwick we trust! I've complained about his rotation policy before and been proven very wrong, so I'm willing to give him the benefit here.

Puja

[FKAS]

Tigers side looks like the biggest we could manage. I'm expecting Wigglesworth to kick the leather off the thing in the first half and then Ben Youngs to come on with Murimurivalu and look for us to mix it up.

I'm expecting an attritional first half with the set piece battle being the key areas.

Then again I didn't expect us to play like we did against Connacht so who frigging knows anymore. In Borthwick we trust.

[FKAS]

Brainless yellow from Tom Youngs, Ulster coasting.

Wigglesworth's kicking is horrific. Having no openside or fetcher in the pack is stopping us slowing them down. Someone's going to have to take on that responsibility.

[TheNomad]

Great comeback!

Go Tigers

[Puja]

What the f*ck was in our half-time drink? First half, we were passive in both attack and defence - letting Ulster smash into us and choose their own collisions and set their own pace. Frankly, we were lucky to go in only 11 points down.

Second half was like night and day - we wanted the ball, we played at pace, we ran hard, we tackled hard, we competed for everything, we looked like we wanted it. Complete transformation at half-time. Ford was immense and bringing Youngs on made a huge difference. I think Wigglesworth has gone now - he was a very useful option to have over the autumn, but he doesn't look like he can go at Premiership level anymore.

Was a bit worried when we let their 8 score that beautiful try to bring them back within 2 - had visions of a recurrence of the Bath game - but this time we finished the game off rather than trying to close it out.

Puja

[Spiffy]

Fair play to Leicester for a great comeback. Ulster went to sleep for 25 min after half time and that was that. Ford can really run a game when he's in the mood. Gatland may have noted.

[Scrumhead]

Yep. Ford was excellent in the second half. The pass for Porter’s try was absolutely sublime.

Youngs made a huge difference too.

[Timbo]

So think I may under estimated Steward. Even in the first half when the rest of the team were poor he was playing excellently. If there are tests this summer then he should get capped.

[Spiffy]

So think I may under estimated Steward. Even in the first half when the rest of the team were poor he was playing excellently. If there are tests this summer then he should get capped.

The Ulster box kicking game plan was rank stupidity and they did not have the wit to vary it. Steward was an absolute rock at the back. He dropped one ball, and a very tricky one it was, the whole game.

[FKAS]

So think I may under estimated Steward. Even in the first half when the rest of the team were poor he was playing excellently. If there are tests this summer then he should get capped.

Yeah it was particularly noticeable how in the second half when Ulster wanted to get back into the game their go to was to kick for compete. Steward just took them all and Mathewson kept kicking shorter and shorter to try and stop Steward.

Steward's always rock solid at the back but we're starting to see some slowly come more and more into the Tigers attack and act as the secondary kicker and playmaker.

It's amazing that Ford looks incredible as soon as his team show any hint of forward momentum. Now if we can only play some decent attacking rugby on a regular basis we might make the most of our mostly highly paid player.

[Timbo]

I wasn’t surprised at Steward having a great game under the high ball. Previously I’ve wondered whether he’s got the attacking game or athleticism some of his England fullback peers have. Tonight there were definitely signs that he may well have.

[Beasties]

Just started the second half. Steward was the only stand out in the first half for Leics. No one competing at the breakdown for Leics and got their just desserts. The tackle by McClosky on 43.30mins is just hilarious. Leics scored before he was penalised, what a lucky boy. It could've been the first ever red card for a relatively innocuous tackle outside the 22.

[TheNomad]

Steward vs Freeman vs Malins at 15 is an interesting one - each bringing something a little bit different

Really good talent there though. Back three options for England looking pretty interesting

[fivepointer]

Steward looked very accomplished. He has a maturity that belies his age.
Tigers inexplicably flat during the first half, woke up after h/t and put in a good second half with Ford very much at the heart of things.

[twitchy]

Brainless yellow from Tom Youngs

He is one of the stupidest players in the league.

That said, I need to watch the second half. I switched over to watch the boxing.

[FKAS]

Steward vs Freeman vs Malins at 15 is an interesting one - each bringing something a little bit different

Really good talent there though. Back three options for England looking pretty interesting

There's Hodge coming through at Chiefs who looks like he's got the boot of Steward plus running ability of Freeman. Parton at LI has been good as well. Going to be a lot of competition for that 15 jersey and it's not like we can just move them to the wing because the wing talent is looking healthy as well.

Re Tom Youngs he's been good this season. He just gambled on managing to to spring off the line as Cooney picked the up ball up and got it hideously wrong. All stemmed from Tigers not picking a fetcher initially, meant Ulster had so much quick ball.

[Scrumhead]

I like Hodge and I’d agree on your assessment of his attacking qualities, but he’d be comfortably the worst defensively and the least physically robust.

I think Malins is the most talented but a bit maverick, Steward looks like the best defensively and under the high ball and Parton has the best feet/pace. Freeman looks like the most rounded option IMO. He looks equally good in attack and defence from what I’ve seen.

[Beasties]

Yup, doesn't seem that long ago we couldn't find a half decent lock for love nor money, then all of a sudden we had lots of options. Brown's been in the form of his life as well.

[Mr Mwenda]

And just think, what if Watson had ever been played fullback!