RugbyRebels

Leicester Tigers (v Exeter Chiefs, Welford Road, Saturday 4.30pm)

15 Matt Toomua
14 Jonny May
13 Manu Tuilagi
12 Kyle Eastmond
11 Jordan Olowofela
10 George Ford
9 Sam Harrison

1 Ellis Genge
2 Tom Youngs (c)
3 Dan Cole
4 Will Spencer
5 Graham Kitchener
6 Mike Fitzgerald
7 Mike Williams
8 Brendon O’Connor

Replacements

16 Jake Kerr
17 Facundo Gigena
18 Joe Heyes
19 Valentino Mapapalangi
20 Guy Thompson
21 Ben White
22 Gareth Owen
23 Sam Aspland-Robinson

CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE LEICESTER TIGERS

15 Santiago Cordero
14 Jack Nowell
13 Henry Slade
12 Ollie Devoto
11 Olly Woodburn
10 Joe Simmonds
9 Nic White
1 Alec Hepburn
2 Jack Yeandle (capt)
3 Harry Williams
4 Dave Dennis
5 Ollie Atkins
6 Dave Ewers
7 Don Armand
8 Matt Kvesic

16 Luke Cowan-Dickie
17 Ben Moon
18 Tomas Francis
19 Sean Lonsdale
20 Richard Capstick
21 Jack Maunder
22 Sam Hill
23 Ian Whitten

Exe a bit short at lock with no Hill and Lees. Enough quality elsewhere to probably be good enough to get a win.

fivepointer wrote:Exe a bit short at lock with no Hill and Lees. Enough quality elsewhere to probably be good enough to get a win.

The back row comparison is risible - they shouldn't even be on the same pitch.

My only hope is we get the Dead Cat bounce of a new manager/Ford has actually instilled some semblence of a game plan. Toomua at 15 suggests there is some sort of a plan - whether it's a good one or not remains to be seen.

Puja

It looks like Tigers are trying to copy Exeter by playing a 6 at 7 and a 7 at 8. Seems strange to lose your best back row (Thompson) on the bench too.

I do think Mike Ford’s arrival will give them a bit of a lift thought.

Who's covering 10 for Exeter, Devoto?

Digby wrote:Who's covering 10 for Exeter, Devoto?

Slade.

Oakboy wrote:

Digby wrote:Who's covering 10 for Exeter, Devoto?

Slade.

I wondered given centre cover is Hill how they'd lineup if Simmonds had to come off

Whitten too. But they've played Devoto outside Hill before.

Tasty backs battle, but that kinda depends on whether Tigers back 5 forwards can surprise anyone by being any use.

Mikey Brown wrote:Whitten too. But they've played Devoto outside Hill before.

If Whitten was the centre cover sure. Devoto at 13 against that Tigers front three could prove interesting, and there wouldn't be a lot of pace to help him out

Banquo wrote:Tasty backs battle, but that kinda depends on whether Tigers back 5 forwards can surprise anyone by being any use.

Agreed, plus there is hell of a difference in standard between the bench front row replacements. That could be crucial for the last quarter.

Digby wrote:

Mikey Brown wrote:Whitten too. But they've played Devoto outside Hill before.

If Whitten was the centre cover sure. Devoto at 13 against that Tigers front three could prove interesting, and there wouldn't be a lot of pace to help him out

Slade to 10, then either Whitten or Hill to 13 would be my guess. Devoto 12, Whitten 13 was their Prem winning midfield.

What is a front three???

Mikey Brown wrote:What is a front three???

10.12,13. What's the back three?

I refuse to accept that as a thing.

It has been around as a thing for a long time if that helps, it's hardly one of the terms spat out by the professional game

Mikey Brown wrote:I refuse to accept that as a thing.

Mikey Brown you need to open your hear to grow your spirit.

Good try.

I’ve never seen Jonny May react like that. Whatever Kvesic said really got to him.

I think white was just holding him.

Yeah - he was. TBH it looked like he deliberately put his forearm across White’s throat.

After that Kvesic comes in and May goes from aggro to serious aggro in reaction to something Kvesic says ...

Scrumhead wrote:I’ve never seen Jonny May react like that. Whatever Kvesic said really got to him.

ex team mates, probably fell out at glaws.

Tigers basics are very poor- see re-starts.

Not watching, but struggling to picture May getting that angry.

What a try.

Love watching Ford when he’s playing like this.