Tigers v Bath

Just started and it's already looking very physical.

Banahans's targetting Ford well who's looking a little shaken and missed an absolute sitter infront of the posts.

ESPN's commentators and build up is so much better then Sky's!!

0-0 @ 10 mins

13 mins in and Donald ghosts through a whole in the Tigers defence before skinning Tait and scoring (and no i'm not making that up!!)

Reality catches up though and he then misses the fairly simple conversion.

Order is restored

Tigers 0-5 Bath

Straight away Tigers win a pen and Ford misses it from 45m's out.

Tigers nearly score but final pass is forward.

26 mins in and still 0-5

Looks like Mears will be cited for that punch to the head.

Red for louw, elbow to the face.

Two more red cards, banahan knocked out Allen with swinging arm. Not seen Allen wake up yet, really worrying.

B. Deacon has also seen red for punching banahan in the aftermath.

Bath down to 12 players, don't agree with this one!

Bloody hell it's all gone a little mad!

Red's for Louw, Banahan and Bret Deacon.

Hope Allan is alright

Bath just seem to have gone a bit mad in the last 10 mins, silly pens and cheap hits all around.

Very poor play from them.

yappysnap wrote:Bloody hell it's all gone a little mad!

Red's for Louw, Banahan and Bret Deacon.

Hope Allan is alright

Mears could be cited too for a punch.

Murphy could be in trouble for a knee drop too.

Hooper is annoying, I wish he'd just shut up and moaning about every decision.

yappysnap wrote:Just started and it's already looking very physical.

Banahans's targetting Ford well who's looking a little shaken and missed an absolute sitter infront of the posts.

ESPN's commentators and build up is so much better then Sky's!!

0-0 @ 10 mins

He was virtually on the 5m line!

Edit watching it back now - it was the 15m line - so we both exagerated I guess

Well that was an "interesting" match. Tigers could and should have won by a boatlaod but were horrinly imprecise. In the end it was Bath ill discipline that saved us.

Twice Tigers grounded the ball over the line but tries ruled out due to a forward pass by Kitchener to Morris and a knock on from Salvi after Tigers drove Bath off their own scrum.

Then a good tackle and poor finish from Bowden in the second half and some really sloppy play when Tigers had a 2 man advantage kept the game close.

The atmosphere in the ground was almost non-existant and any spark to light up the crowd came from Tait. I hope he was OK when he went off as he took a battering from Banahan - not always legal.

However the main concern has to be Anthony Allen. He did not move at all after Banahan hit him - but from near 90m away I have no idea what happened.

What happened to Tait Tiger? I missed that bit.

yappysnap wrote:What happened to Tait Tiger? I missed that bit.

I think it was just a standard substitution - just with his past record you worry. Most half breaks he mad were ended by thumping tackles from Banahan - so at times he got up a bit gingerly. Early in the second half he made a good counter-attck that looked to be ended by a Banahan trip - but will need to watch it on Premiership web site first - he may have just stumbled and fallen.


How bad was the Banahan challenge on Allen?

Anthony Allen ‏@anthonyallen3

Thanks for all the messages.... All ok, just a headache!!
Retweeted by Leicester Tigers

Good news.

Actually felt Banahan was a tad unlucky to see red.

Bath were hateful dirty last year as well when butcher James completely lost it. At least saints have the decency to allow their players to get repeatedly punched in the face. Following the fury over more where's the headlines about banana....hardly a player with a clean record. I know they are sick of getting beaten but thuggery isn't the way to end that. Following the more example he should get 8 weeks before considerations. Low should've been cited for punching in the England game. Maybe they felt they needed to get revenge for the tiilagis legal roughing up of abendanon or maybe they just employ nasty mindless thugs

If you think bananaman knocking Allen out was thuggery rather than accidental, one-eyed doesn't even begin to describe your stance.

I thought you were a better poster than that. Sadly, clearly not.

splenetic wrote:If you think bananaman knocking Allen out was thuggery rather than accidental, one-eyed doesn't even begin to describe your stance.

I thought you were a better poster than that. Sadly, clearly not.

Quite. So many errors in that post, I don't even know where to start! Haven't seen the game yet, but everyone i've spoken to, both Cockers and Gold and most posters on here have all said or at least implied that all three reds were very questionable

http://www.espn.co.uk/rugbyunion/sport/video_audio/182060.html?genre=21;sport=2

There is a clip of it. From my username I'm sure I will be excused of being biased, but Allen slips and then is hit, its not like it was a clothes-line with Allen running at full pelt.

That said, Banahan knocked someone out with a high tackle and Deacon punched someone in the face. So I can see how the ref would think the best way to calm down the game would just be to get rid of both of them. Not that it helped of course, both sides seemed to be full of cheap digs.

Letter of the law I guess that Banahan is done for a stiff arm tackle:

Law 10.4 (e):

Dangerous tackling. A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously.
Sanction: Penalty kick

A player must not tackle (or try to tackle) an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders. A tackle around the opponent’s neck or head is dangerous play.
Sanction: Penalty kick

A ‘stiff-arm tackle’ is dangerous play. A player makes a stiff-arm tackle when using a stiffarm to strike an opponent.
Sanction: Penalty kick

Playing a player without the ball is dangerous play.
Sanction: Penalty kick

A player must not tackle an opponent whose feet are off the ground.
Sanction: Penalty kick

Having had a wtch f the clips Bananaman deserved his red - the punch one maybe a tad harsh but understandable.

Deacon 1 week ban
Banahan 3 week ban
Mears 2 weeks (cited after by citing officer)
Louw still pending.

What did Louw do again?

Red card for an off the ball incident with Murphy. Did not see it but papers said use of the elbow. Cockers reckoned it was much ado about nothing - and not worthy of a red card.

Citing for Louw overturned.

The highlights dont show him dropping an elbow, just being a bit of a dick to Murphy who looks like hes just been ran over by a bus.
It may be that the lack of video evidence got him off, or that the TJ just made a mistake...there is what appears to be a slip whne hes getting up, maybe thats what was seen.

I'm glad we've got Louw back, but what was the touch judge doing to say it deserved a straight red then?