Low Value Cup - Tigers must take it seriousley?

Over the last few years, Tigers have used this competition to blood youngsters and rest the international players.

However this time it has to be different as there are just 3 LV cup matches and one AP match before the Heineken Cup starts.Thankfully the first game is Aironi - though they have beaten Edinburgh this season. Any way Cockers has to start integrating the returning players prior to the match v London Irish on 5th Nov.

I would suggest something like:

Saturday, 15 October 2011
Scarlets v Leicester
Castro and Alessana to start. Ayerza, Waldrom, Flood, Murphy on the bench.

Friday, 21 October 2011
Leicester v Gloucester
Ayerza, Castro, Waldrom, Flood, Alessana, Agulla, Murphy to start. Croft, Youngs on the bench.

Saturday, 28 January 2012
Harlequins v Leicester
Ayerza, Cole, Croft, Waldrom, Youngs, Flood, Manu, Alessana, Agulla, Murphy to start. Castro, Deacon on the bench.


Leading to the team I would love to see play against LI for the Poppy Appeal match -- blatant plug http://britishlegion-derbyshire.org.uk/Event_Leicester_Tigers_Poppy_Appeal_Match.htm

Ayerza/Youngs/Colastro (probably Castro as he tends to be rubbish off the bench)
Deacon/Parling
Croft/Waldrom/Salvi
Youngs/Flood
tuilagi/Allen/Tuilagi/Agulla
Murphy

Bench:
Stanko/Chuter/Colastro (probably Cole - see above)/Slater/Mafi/Young/36/Hamilton

I agree that does seem the way to go though I would ditch Hamilton as his form has been poor especially his defence. If Tait is fit I'd have him in there if not I'd have Morris who covers the same positions as Hamilton but to a better degree on current form. I'd also like to see Twelvetrees given a run out with Manu. I agree completely that Tom Youngs should be the first choice hooker but sadly I don't think Cockerill agrees.

Need to keep giving the youngsters game time as Ford and Harrison have shown their potential already and the likes of Armes and Forsyth have hinted at what they can do. Be good to get Harris and Bower a half each or similar as you can never have to many props available to the first team.

Your headline is completely correct, yet your argument is wrong. Leicester must take the LV cup seriously as it's the only way they'll qualify for the HC next season...

Londontiger why not give your players a rest before the tougher matches ahead?

The England guys won't have had a proper break for a while plus their morale must be at an all time low.

Your players at the world cup weren't new signings. Surely they will just slot back in.

The best thing would be to allow your players to recharge their batteries and rebuild their battered egos.

They will get a rest but sitting around for three weeks won't prepare them for a must win AP game against Sale and then two important HEC games. They need to be slowly re-introduced over the course of the LVC so that they aren't over stretched but so that they are still at peak match fitness.

The best way to forget the RWC would be to get back playing and winning with Tigers.

For me the LV cup is like pre-season training - the aim being to have one full team run-out before the match v LI. Tigers often start seasons slowly. As our season starts properly on 5th Novemeber we cannot afford any rustiness at all.

My plan gives the players who had the most matches the most rest. Those who barely played (or didnt play at all) are introduced from the bench earlier.

Deacon has the biggest rest (being ancient and all), while Manu and Cole are not far behind.

TBH I reckon most of the players will want to be out there actually playing and losing some frustrations.

I think the Lv Cup can be used to bed in returning world cup players while not risking any league points.

They will only be able to squeeze so many matches out of their England Internationals. I dont see them fielding them in this comptition partly because they will focus on the league instead especially if they dont fair well in the HC this year.

I would imagine the strongest challenge in terms of the selection will come from the sides in England that dont believe they will make the top 4 come end of season and try to secure semi final spot for that possible HC entry.

They will only be able to squeeze so many matches out of their England Internationals. I dont see them fielding them in this comptition

They will probabley have to as otherwise the first AP game back will be the first time the first team will have played together since last season and in some cases (Deacon) that won't mean the tail end of the season either. Tigers can't afford to lose any more AP games and so can't afford to field a team that hasn't played together for 5 months. Re-indtroduction of players slowly over the three games is a sensible plan with the academy filling out the squad for the Scarlets game so the players who have taking a beating over the first six weeks can have a break.

I didnt think his WC players would be involved.

Quote from Leicester Paper.

None of Leicester Tigers' World Cup stars will be back in their club colours for this weekend's LV= Cup trip to Llanelli.

Director of rugby Richard Cockerill has ruled out a swift return to action for the 12 internationals who have returned from New Zealand in the last 10 days.

Despite his side having lost their last three games, Cockerill says he will resist the temptation to throw his big names back into the fold and, instead, has given them time away from the club to spend with their families.

Leicester will also make the trip to Wales without winger Mathew Tait, who has been ruled out for between four and six weeks after leaving the pitch against Harlequins with a groin injury.

"None of the lads that have been involved in the World Cup will be involved this weekend," said Cockerill, who hinted on Monday that he might play some of his World Cup stars.

"Some are having treatment, some are having conditioning and some are just away with their families. That is important because they have been away for several weeks.

"I know what it is like because I have experienced it.

"I was in the 1999 World Cup squad and we were knocked out at this stage too.

"You have been away for a long time and you need to reacquaint yourself with your wife and kids.

"You want to get back into your routine and get over jet-lag, as well as the disappointment of being knocked out.

"Most of our lads will come back in next Monday, we will integrate them back into the squad and we will see where we are for Gloucester the following week."

Cockerill said one player likely to make the trip to Wales is forward George Skivington after recovering from a bang to the head three weeks ago.

He said the club would send a "mixed" side to the Scarlets and one that would not include former Sale and Newcastle back Tait, who has endured an injury-plagued start to his Tigers career.

The 25-year-old was substituted just seven minutes into last Saturday's defeat by Harlequins and was sent for a scan on the groin that has been troubling him all season.

"Tait will probably be out for four to six weeks," said Cockerill. "We had been managing it and it had been fine to play but it just went during the game. It is frustrating for us and him but he will be back."

Centre Manu Tuilagi will be having a short appointment with Cockerill upon his return to the club after he jumped into Auckland harbour off the back of a ferry before the England squad returned home.

Cockerill said of Tuilagi's actions: "He shouldn't do it and it is disappointing because it has taken the focus off what has been a successful World Cup from a personal point of view.

"Manu has to learn that, in just 12 months' time, he has gone from a nobody to a world-famous rugby player and he can't do what he did at the weekend.

"There was no malice in it and he didn't mean to offend anyone. England have dealt with it and, as far as I am concerned, that is the end of the matter."

"Most of our lads will come back in next Monday, we will integrate them back into the squad and we will see where we are for Gloucester the following week."

So rest this week and bring them in for next week depending on fitness. Thought we might see one or two this weekend but apparently it's the academy that are going to be given this one. I'm hoping for a backrow of Pienaar, Armes, de Carpienter then.

formerly known as Sam wrote:"Most of our lads will come back in next Monday, we will integrate them back into the squad and we will see where we are for Gloucester the following week.

Oh great, thanks!!

Sorry HKC but we need to get the squad bedded in before the AP and the HEC resume, can't afford any more gimme wins in the AP we've given to many teams an easy ride so far.

HongKongCherry wrote:

formerly known as Sam wrote:"Most of our lads will come back in next Monday, we will integrate them back into the squad and we will see where we are for Gloucester the following week.

Oh great, thanks!!

Dont worry you can go on and join in the whinging about how unfair the set up of this domestic season is now

I think you should play your under 12's versus the Scarlets

If we put a chunk of the academy plus a sprinkling of squad players you should still win, I'd hoping for something like;

Stanko, Youngs, Bucknall
Kitchener, Skivington
Pienaar, de Carpienter, Armes
Harrison, Ford
Allen, Twelvetrees
Smith, Morris, Forsyth

Bench; Harris, Hawkins, White, Slater, Woods, Young (if fit), Staunton, Lewington.

Rest some players who need it but at the same time keep the ones coming back from injury ticking over. Replace Twelvetrees, Harrison and Ford on the hour mark with Forsyth moving to centre. Give Hawkins 30 mins and Harris 15 or 20 mins as he is a promising loosehead who is getting good game time for Nottingham in the Championship.