Leicester vs Northampton - Sunday

[Puja]

Leicester: Steward; Murimurivalu, Porter, Scott, Nadolo; Henry, Youngs; Gigena, Youngs (c), Cole, Lavanini, Green, Wells, Wallace, Liebenberg

Replacements: Clare, Genge, Leatigaga, Smith, Taufua, White, McPhillips, Potter

Northampton: Furbank; Tuala, Proctor, Hutchinson, Naiyaravoro; Biggar, Mitchell; van Wyk, Fish, Franks, Ribbans, Ratuniyarawa, Lawes, Ludlam, Harrison (c)

Replacements: Haywood, Iyogun, Hill, Moon, Isiekwe, Tonks, Taylor, Dingwall

[Puja]

Interesting that Murimurivalu is on the wing and Steward at 15. Vote of confidence, that.

No Ford, suggesting that he's being kept fresh for the Euro quarter final. Plus giving Henry a chance to play with the 1st team and build him up. The end of this season is basically an extended pre-season for us now - results are almost irrelevant (almost) if it gives the coaching team good knowledge that gives us a springboard into next year. I'd expect us to push Northampton though - I'll be disappointed if we get another cuffing.

Puja

[FKAS]

Sheesh when will somebody play a second team against us. Always seem to get everybody's first team.

George Ford has a lower limb issue and Tommy Reffell has a knee injury so they weren't considered.

We must be running Clare close to his max number of minutes if he has to replace Tom Youngs early doors.

That back three is the one I hope to see a lot this season. Freddie Steward has been excellent and I hope Murimurivalu has been given the licence to roam and come off his wing which he's really good at. Best backline I've seen us put out for a while. Lots of pace and power in the back three, good mix in the centres and at half back.

We could really do with a win and desperately need a positive performance.

[Tigersman]

One thing I do like about Tigers selections.
We do seem to be rewarding form more.

Steward
Martin (Before injury)
Henry
Porter
Potter
All been players who have stood out in the midweek thrashing IMO.

[Mikey Brown]

Lower limb sounds like a euphemism.

[FKAS]

Lower limb sounds like a euphemism.

What George and his other half get up to is entirely their business...

It is pretty vague which is odd as they've also said it's just a knock so presumably know what the issue is enough to suggest he might be back by next week. Normally vagueness indicates that they are waiting on scan results which is more worrying.

[Mikey Brown]

There's a need to be more vague than just saying leg? He clearly just took a boot in the dick in training.

Has Scott managed to show anything of his running game yet? All I've seen him do in highlights is slip over and throw passes at the ground.

[fivepointer]

George doesnt miss many games. He's a key player for Tigers so he'll be missed.

Difficult one to predict. Both sides are low on confidence.

Saints not short of cover at lock. 6-2 bench split which includes Iyogun the young prop.

[Adam_P]

I am looking forward to the coming together of the two behemoth wingers. We're down to our very last loose head, but will be interesting to see how Iyogun goes. I'm starting to get a bit frustrated with Hutchinson playing at 12 all the time - he is most dangerous when making breaks on the outside from 13, so it seems he is a bit wasted at 12.

[Scrumhead]

Yeah - I agree with that. He looks half the player he can be at 13 when he’s played at 12.

Boyd seems to be persevering with the mix and match approach rather than rewarding form as I’d have said Francis and Hutchison is the stronger centre pairing.

Naiyaravoro seems out of sorts. All he seems to be used for us set piece moves 10m out.

[Puja]

Naiyaravoro seems out of sorts. All he seems to be used for us set piece moves 10m out.

And not particularly well at that either. He just seems to run into the big tackler that the opposition have purposefully placed against him and then goes down.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Agreed that Hutchinson is a better 13 than 12.

[Scrumhead]

Naiyaravoro seems out of sorts. All he seems to be used for us set piece moves 10m out.

And not particularly well at that either. He just seems to run into the big tackler that the opposition have purposefully placed against him and then goes down.

Puja

Yep. Not the weapon he looked like he might be.

[Adam_P]

Agreed, he's not been bowling through people with such regularity, but that's probably as much to do with defences recognising the threat and nullifying it. See Quins putting Marcus Smith onto a defensive scrum to put a flanker in midfield to tackle him. We do need to respond to this and find more effective ways to get him involved in response.

He did do this the other week though

[Puja]

Agreed, he's not been bowling through people with such regularity, but that's probably as much to do with defences recognising the threat and nullifying it. See Quins putting Marcus Smith onto a defensive scrum to put a flanker in midfield to tackle him. We do need to respond to this and find more effective ways to get him involved in response.

He did do this the other week though

Oh, he's still a quality player, no doubt - he just looks low on confidence. Time was that defences could set for him and he'd attack with such a swagger that he'd still make metres - get his head on straight and I'm sure you can have that again.

Puja

[Epaminondas Pules]

250 games for Lenny. That’s an outstanding achievement.

[FKAS]

Agreed, he's not been bowling through people with such regularity, but that's probably as much to do with defences recognising the threat and nullifying it. See Quins putting Marcus Smith onto a defensive scrum to put a flanker in midfield to tackle him. We do need to respond to this and find more effective ways to get him involved in response.

He did do this the other week though

Good Mike Williams tackling technique as per usual. Only surprised he didn't manage to give a penalty away somehow, that's his other go to move.

[Mikey Brown]

250 games for Lenny. That’s an outstanding achievement.

Yep. As much as we take the piss out of him that’s a big achievement. That’s a lot of top level games for someone so utterly, irredeemably useless.

[Mellsblue]

Yep. As much as we take the piss out of him that’s a big achievement. That’s a lot of top level games for someone so utterly, irredeemably useless.

This made me lol.

[Epaminondas Pules]

250 games for Lenny. That’s an outstanding achievement.

Yep. As much as we take the piss out of him that’s a big achievement. That’s a lot of top level games for someone so utterly, irredeemably useless.

Indeed. So useless in fact that he’s a British Lion and has 99 international caps. As much as you dislike him that’s a fuck tonne more than any of us have.

[Which Tyler]

How stupid do you have to be?
Lavannini gets a yellow for collapsing a maul, 10 seconds later, Harry Wells decides that collapsing a maul on his own try line is a good idea. Gives away a penalty try and receives an automatic yellow card

[FKAS]

How stupid do you have to be?
Lavannini gets a yellow for collapsing a maul, 10 seconds later, Harry Wells decides that collapsing a maul on his own try line is a good idea. Gives away a penalty try and receives an automatic yellow card

I feel a bit sorry for Lavanini because Cole joining the maul causes him to slip and it's a team yellow card mainly because Harry Wells has conceded about four penalties to that point. Harry Wells then completes the really bad discipline by giving away another so Barnes can sin bin the person who deserve it.

What about that penalty from Freddie Steward. Kid has got a cannon of a right foot.

[Adam_P]

How stupid do you have to be?
Lavannini gets a yellow for collapsing a maul, 10 seconds later, Harry Wells decides that collapsing a maul on his own try line is a good idea. Gives away a penalty try and receives an automatic yellow card

Hasn't affected them though as Saints continue to be completely fucking useless. And now another LH prop down, so we are literally only left with Iyogun in the squad. Joy.

[fivepointer]

Its a low level game between 2 sides who are badly out of sorts. Saints play when Tigers down to 13 was bewilderingly bad.
Steward can kick goals. Another tick in the plus column for the lad.

[FKAS]

Tigers did well to try and throw that one away. Woefully bad discipline. Saints were outplayed for pretty much the entire game and somehow had three tries to Tigers one.