Champions Cup Pool 1: Glasgow Warriors v Leicester Tigers, 14 October

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Glasgow Warriors v Leicester Tigers
Friday 14 October 2016
KO: 19:45
Scotstoun Stadium

Live on BT Sport / beIN Sports

Referee Mathieu Raynal (France)
Touch Judge 1 Salam Attalah (France)
Touch Judge 2 Thomas Dejean (France)
TMO Philippe Bonhoure (France)
Citing Commissioner Patrice Frantschi (France)

A. Head to Head

Played 2, Leicester Won 2, No Draws

B. Recent Form

20/01/2001
Leicester Tigers 41 - 26 Glasgow Warriors
EUROPEAN CUP

15/10/2000
Glasgow Warriors 21 - 33 Leicester Tigers
EUROPEAN CUP

C. Teams

Glasgow Warriors 

Stuart Hogg, Leonardo Sarto, Alex Dunbar, Sam Johnson, Rory Hughes, Finn Russell, Henry Pyrgos,Gordon Reid, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Tim Swinson, Jonny Gray, Rob Harley, Ryan Wilson, Josh Strauss.

Replacements: Pat MacArthur, Alex Allan, Sila Puafisi, Matt Fagerson, Lewis Wynne, Ali Price, Mark Bennett, Sean Lamont.

Leicester Tigers

Telusa Veainu, Adam Thompstone, Mathew Tait, Matt Toomua, Tom Brady, Owen Williams, Ben Youngs, Ellis Genge, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Dom Barrow, Graham Kitchener, Mike Fitzgerald, Brendon O'Connor, Lachlan McCaffrey.

Replacements: Harry Thacker, Logovi'i Mulipola, Greg Bateman, Ed Slater, Will Evans, Sam Harrison, Freddie Burns, Peter Betham.

IMO Tigers need a new DOR.

Wonder if Rowntree might be swayed by the DOR role or Maybe bring back Johnson in some role.

Johnson - DOR
Rowntree - Forwards
Maugers Head Coach Back


I honestly think Pat Howard should be brought in as a independent reviewer and look to access what we should do.

bedfordwelsh wrote:Russells own action in self preservation also saved a red card being issued.

Makes you wonder why there's no vicious witch hunt for Toomua like there was for Biggar - who didn't even do anything wrong btw.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

kingelderfield wrote:Cockerill should be gone by the seasons end.

To be replaced by whom?

Serious answer has to be Pat Lamb. He's been excellent at Connacht.

Clear out Cockerill et al and give Lamb a new broom.

Pat Lamb is a shout but would he want to work with in the constraints of the Tigers job. The Tigers board will not allow the sacking of Murphy and probably won't allow Blaze to go either (long story). Allen and Deacon won't be budged from the academy so Lamb will be allowed a head coach plus a defence coach and then have to work with the Tigers structure after that. That's if the Tigers board replace both Cockers and Mauger in one go, I think it's more likely they'd let one go and then look to keep the other for continuity. 

Johnno would be great as he's such a presence but he's done no coaching and has not developed any tactical knowledge in line with modern rugby. Rowntree, I'm not sure what to make of. On the Lions tour he seemed to do well woth our forwards but with England our scrum and lineout weren't great. See how he goes at Quins I suppose.

In the short term I'd like us to try and bring back Ben Herring until the end of the season. He's been working with Japan and in between his international commitments we might be able to get him for a few months. He did very well as our breakdown coach and by all accounts has done well in Japan. A short term solution but might get us through until next summer with a defence that doesn't leak tries like a sieve leaks water.

Personally I'm glad Toomua wasn't red-carded: that would have taken some of the shine off a pretty impressive win.

If Glasgow can win at Thomond (never easy, but possible) and pick up 2LBP's against Racing then they would be looking at Munster at Scotstoun and then Leicester away, who could well be out of the running by then. Let's face it, if Racing win at Welford Road next up the Tiggers are dead and buried.
The accepted wisdom is that you need four wins, three at home and nick an away win, to qualify. I think Glasgow may well be fortunate in the way the fixtures have fallen. I can see Racing being 3-0 when they travel to Scotstoun and knowing they still have a home tie against Tiggers in the bank. French teams can be very flaky travellers and I believe Glasgow could win that one.
Believe. As Gibson would say.

jimbopip wrote:Personally I'm glad Toomua wasn't red-carded: that would have taken some of the shine off a pretty impressive win.

If Glasgow can win at Thomond (never easy, but possible) and pick up 2LBP's against Racing then they would be looking at Munster at Scotstoun and then Leicester away, who could well be out of the running by then. Let's face it, if Racing win at Welford Road next up the Tiggers are dead and buried.
The accepted wisdom is that you need four wins, three at home and nick an away win, to qualify. I think Glasgow may well be fortunate in the way the fixtures have fallen. I can see Racing being 3-0 when they travel to Scotstoun and knowing they still have a home tie against Tiggers in the bank. French teams can be very flaky travellers and I believe Glasgow could win that one.
Believe. As Gibson would say.

Worth remembering that Tigers are a very different side at home and have a horrendous record on plastic pitches. We travel almost as badly as a French sides. Having said that who knows when we are this poor. An early five pointer for Glasgow puts them in a great position. The TBPs can make a big difference in seeding if you qualify for the next round.

I have just had chance to watch the whole Glasgow game. Thats a real lesson they gave Leicester and backs up what I have been banging on about for years - there is no substitute for speed both over the ground and between the ears. Pro 12 top games are played at a higher tempo than in the AP and boy it showed. tigers simply could not live with glasgows pace in attack and the number of support players glasgow have and could not do anyting about the line speed of the Glasgow defence. Because Tigers are not used to this sort of game they did not have the tools in their armoury to counter it. No chips over the top, no runarounds - nothing. NO answers at all. Gonna be a few teams taking notice of that and I would bet tigers do some homework for the return fixture but we have more to come from Glasgow. Russell is still playing his way back and looked a touch of his normal pace

IMO and I know a lot of tigers fans will disagree but I think the ref was kind to them. should have been a penalty try and a couple more yellow cards for the maul and scrum infringements.

Correct decision on the tip tackle tho

Leicester ain't great at the moment that's for sure but not sure it's true that AP sides in general are slow (in action and mind!). Seem to remember that Glasgow gave Bath a real going over year before last as well but Bath managed to come back the followiung game.

This is certainly only just the beginning for Glasgow - as good as this win was no one will remember it if they go on to lose the rest of the group games!

Indeed to both of you.  The second Bath game you refer to Bath gave a masterclass in ball retention to Glasgow. I stand by the pace comment tho - the number of times glasgow caught Tiger behind the game line was astonishing nd the speed with which Glasgow moved the ball around left Tigers trailing

TJ wrote:I have just had chance to watch the whole Glasgow game. Thats a real lesson they gave Leicester and backs up what I have been banging on about for years - there is no substitute for speed both over the ground and between the ears. Pro 12 top games are played at a higher tempo than in the AP and boy it showed. tigers simply could not live with glasgows pace in attack and the number of support players glasgow have and could not do anyting about the line speed of the Glasgow defence. Because Tigers are not used to this sort of game they did not have the tools in their armoury to counter it. No chips over the top, no runarounds - nothing. NO answers at all. Gonna be a few teams taking notice of that and I would bet tigers do some homework for the return fixture but we have more to come from Glasgow. Russell is still playing his way back and looked a touch of his normal pace

IMO and I know a lot of tigers fans will disagree but I think the ref was kind to them. should have been a penalty try and a couple more yellow cards for the maul and scrum infringements.

Correct decision on the tip tackle tho

I can kind of see your point, but I'm unsure that I agree that the Pro 12 is played at such a higher tempo. In suggesting the Pro 12 is played at a higher tempo are you suggesting it's superior or am I off track?

I think you'll see Wasps pull plenty of teams apart with their speed in attack, you'll see plenty of teams going backwards against Saracens. The Prem teams don't all play the same way at the same level.

Sgt - no just a differnt way of playing.  As I said Glasgow's high risk high speed game gives opportunities for their opponents but because Tigers are not used to playing against teams who play like this they were unable to exploit the chances it brings.  Not all Pro 12 teams but the top few tend to be like this and Glasgow are probably the most extreme

I am watching my way thru the other games now.  Part way thru the sarries game.  Wasps game a good one to watch?

Edit - they played Zebre - not much to learn from that

Saracens is good to watch, the Wasps game is just exibition stuff so not really.

I agree, Glasgow play some great rugby. Perhaps a little similar to Wasps in the AP and Falcons

Saracens just have so much power in the pack, they'll be tough to beat this season.

I think Glasgow's equivalent in the Aviva is Wasps who are being highly successful at the moment because they are less forward dominated than most. Sarries and Exeter both can play rapidly through the backs but largely dominate through the forwards more before pulling the trigger. I think Pro 12 teams try to go wider quicker and win games through the backs more with Edinburgh and Munster both outliers in playing a more "traditional" game.

Glasgow and Wasps try to go wide quicker and it can lead to days like Friday where the opposition team is broken to pieces. When they can't keep possession (knock-ons, turnovers) and the opposition can grind (or the opposition can set a proper defensive line), they can both look average. Leicester had one of those days where Glasgow's handling was great and they could not defend. By January I expect Leicester to be much improved in the latter category and may help cause errors in the former.

formerly known as Sam wrote:
Johnno would be great as he's such a presence but he's done no coaching and has not developed any tactical knowledge in line with modern rugby.

To be honest I'd be happy to see him come in. We all know he was the wrong man for the England job, or at the very least it was the wrong time going in with absolutely no coaching experience, but... he clearly improved, and the team clearly improved over his tenure, and actually played some very good rugby over the last 18 months or so. More than that I'd love to see Sir Clive come in. Not sure he'd want to do it, but he's a great coach and is potentially available.

I like Cockerill and we've done fairly well during his tenure, but other teams are kicking on and we just aren't keeping up. It might be an initial backwards step to go with someone like Johnno, but could pay off longer term.

The Glasgow game was the first Tigers game I've watched live in a while (having finally got round to getting BT). Not a great reintroduction. I expected the defence to be lacking based on previous result, and it would have been disappointing to let in the first try with those kinds of gaps around the breakdown but not unexpected. But to leave those gaps there for about another 10 minutes letting Glasgow build momentum easily and get another 2 tries, and to do all this with a 1 man advantage when the first two were scored (if I am remembering rightly) is just shockingly bad. It's pushed me into the time to move on from Cockerill camp, he's had more than enough time to sort the defence and it just hasn't happened.

What has Martin Johnson being doing since he was booted from the England job?

I would also expect Tigers to review the game a lot and come up with ways to counter Glasgows game - for example Tigers did not put many folk into the breakdown but instead of giving them numbers in defence this simply allowed Glasgow good quick ball that they used before the defence could get set. also if tigers had slow ball ( which most of theirs was ) then Glasgow blitz and the winger steps up between the outside centre and winger for the interception. Must be some counter to that - chip over the top rather than shovelling on Poopie?

Townsend allows his players to play heads up rugby and to take risks.

RDW_Scotland wrote:What has Martin Johnson being doing since he was booted from the England job?

Turning into a MAMIL apparently...

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-08-09/martin-johnson-now-rugbys-over-its-all-about-cycling

TJ wrote:Sgt - no just a differnt way of playing.  As I said Glasgow's high risk high speed game gives opportunities for their opponents but because Tigers are not used to playing against teams who play like this they were unable to exploit the chances it brings.  Not all Pro 12 teams but the top few tend to be like this and Glasgow are probably the most extreme

I am watching my way thru the other games now.  Part way thru the sarries game.  Wasps game a good one to watch?

Edit - they played Zebre - not much to learn from that

Wasps and Bath have beaten us by similar margins in recent years. Even Stade did similar last season.

Glasgow played brilliantly but it has been a recurring thing for Tigers unfortunately in the last 3 seasons esp away.

Fagerson made Lions team of the week: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/17806570/british-irish-lions-team-week

Reid is good, but is Fagerson that good? Admittedly I don't know much about him.

mikey_dragon wrote:Fagerson made Lions team of the week: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/17806570/british-irish-lions-team-week

Reid is good, but is Fagerson that good? Admittedly I don't know much about him.

Fagerson has a old head on young shoulders and is physically impressive, but as you would expect for a prop his age, his technique is still wet behind the ears. He hasn't yet been around the block and whilst I think he's a cert to bench for Scotland in the AIs, any talk of the Lions is ridiculously premature at this stage of his career.

He's behind Nel for Scotland, which would logically put him behind Nel for the Lions, and I think it's inconceivable that Dan Cole will miss out. I'd then suggest that Samson Lee is in with a pretty good shout.

As for Reid, he's an honest player and physically strong, but I think the Scotland jersey is as far as he'll realistically go. Ali Dickinson is the Scotland first choice loosehead, and there's a young and promising loosehead at Edinburgh (Rory Sutherland) who is probably a better long term bet than Reid. Injuries happen though, and Reid rarely disgraces himself.

Fagerson is young and getting better but in no way is he near Nel, Lee or Cole at the moment (what I suspect are the 3 likely tightheads). He is fighting for the back-up jersey with Low and Welsh. The Glasgow props had a fantastic day against an England front row and have been solid most of the year. They do not dominate often even against the weaker scrums, they just set solid platforms and work hard in the loose. Fagerson carries well and is probably better in open play than the tightheads ahead of him. His scrum technique is improving but this tour is probably a couple of years too soon for him. 2021 he should be a favourite if he continues to develop the way he has.

As for Reid, he has not made the step up yet to international class and I am not sure he has really improved enough in the scrum to be more than a slightly below average international loosehead (which is still a good club player) even though he did well against Cole. Dickinson and Sutherland are ahead of him for Scotland but Dickinson has been injured so he will get a chance to show if he has developed further in the AIs.

I think if the article was just the best XV of Lions qualified players based in the weekend's results I think it would have been a fair shout, but to suggest that he might be on the plane to NZ next near really is getting carried away.

mikey_dragon wrote:Fagerson made Lions team of the week: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/17806570/british-irish-lions-team-week

Reid is good, but is Fagerson that good? Admittedly I don't know much about him.

He's our version of Samson Lee, don't you know?

That's right, he's so good he is almost Welsh. There, I said it. I said it.

I doubted that he'd be in realistic contention for the Lions at this stage but it seems he is getting some recognition which is good. To me it also says that Glasgow are improving despite losing some of their top players.

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Fagerson made Lions team of the week: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/17806570/british-irish-lions-team-week

Reid is good, but is Fagerson that good? Admittedly I don't know much about him.

He's our version of Samson Lee, don't you know?

That's right, he's so good he is almost Welsh. There, I said it. I said it.

In others words, he is almost world class?

mikey_dragon wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Fagerson made Lions team of the week: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/17806570/british-irish-lions-team-week

Reid is good, but is Fagerson that good? Admittedly I don't know much about him.

He's our version of Samson Lee, don't you know?

That's right, he's so good he is almost Welsh. There, I said it. I said it.

In others words, he is almost world class?

As Edinburgh fans will tell you, all Glasgow players are World Class.

It descends upon you the moment that you crack open that first can of Irn-Bru on the Scotstoun terraces and breathe the sweet air of Glaswegian despair.

TJ, you are massively mistaken if you are using the form of tigers as a barometer for the standard of play in the AP.

Our form is awful, we've just sacked our defence coach. The only reason we currently sit in the top 4 is because our attack has been good. Well up till about 3 weeks ago.

For form you need to look at both sarries and wasps, neither team will make so many mistakes as tigers and you know, might actually compete at the breakdown.

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Fagerson made Lions team of the week: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/17806570/british-irish-lions-team-week

Reid is good, but is Fagerson that good? Admittedly I don't know much about him.

He's our version of Samson Lee, don't you know?

That's right, he's so good he is almost Welsh. There, I said it. I said it.

In others words, he is almost world class?

As Edinburgh fans will tell you, all Glasgow players are World Class.

It descends upon you the moment that you crack open that first can of Irn-Bru on the Scotstoun terraces and breathe the sweet air of Glaswegian despair.

Tastes a little different to the air in Edinburgh then, just ask Mark Renton.

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Fagerson made Lions team of the week: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/17806570/british-irish-lions-team-week

Reid is good, but is Fagerson that good? Admittedly I don't know much about him.

He's our version of Samson Lee, don't you know?

That's right, he's so good he is almost Welsh. There, I said it. I said it.

In others words, he is almost world class?

As Edinburgh fans will tell you, all Glasgow players are World Class.

It descends upon you the moment that you crack open that first can of Irn-Bru on the Scotstoun terraces and breathe the sweet air of Glaswegian despair.

This is true. Glasgow players do, in fact, transcend the game of rugby. They exist on a higher plane. They are Gods playing mere mortal men. I've noticed that some rugby fans mistakenly believe the All Blacks to be the best rugby side on the planet. This is not so.

mikey_dragon wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Fagerson made Lions team of the week: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/17806570/british-irish-lions-team-week

Reid is good, but is Fagerson that good? Admittedly I don't know much about him.

He's our version of Samson Lee, don't you know?

That's right, he's so good he is almost Welsh. There, I said it. I said it.

In others words, he is almost world class?

As Edinburgh fans will tell you, all Glasgow players are World Class.

It descends upon you the moment that you crack open that first can of Irn-Bru on the Scotstoun terraces and breathe the sweet air of Glaswegian despair.

Tastes a little different to the air in Edinburgh then, just ask Mark Renton.

Interestingly Welsh's novel is, of course, describing drug culture in Edinburgh but, when it came to filming, they used Glasgow to capture the image of a forgotten society embedded in squalid surroundings.

Draw your own conclusions....

funnyExiledScot wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Fagerson made Lions team of the week: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/17806570/british-irish-lions-team-week

Reid is good, but is Fagerson that good? Admittedly I don't know much about him.

He's our version of Samson Lee, don't you know?

That's right, he's so good he is almost Welsh. There, I said it. I said it.

In others words, he is almost world class?

As Edinburgh fans will tell you, all Glasgow players are World Class.

It descends upon you the moment that you crack open that first can of Irn-Bru on the Scotstoun terraces and breathe the sweet air of Glaswegian despair.

Tastes a little different to the air in Edinburgh then, just ask Mark Renton.

Interestingly Welsh's novel is, of course, describing drug culture in Edinburgh but, when it came to filming, they used Glasgow to capture the image of a forgotten society embedded in squalid surroundings.

Draw your own conclusions....

But that was in a time when Edinburgh won games, so there was a sense of hope and joy

If it was to be re-filmed today, they would find ample sets that fit the brief in the corridors of Edinburgh's rugby trophy room,,,,

They're currently filming a sequel I believe, so they could set it there.. .

Just managed to watch the game after being away for a weekend. Knowing the scoreline before watching it was always going to be painful viewing but even so, I can definitely see why LT wants compensation for his weekend!!

On the positive, the end result isn't the end of the world as many fans are suggesting. Losing away from home to a well performing Glasgow side and on a plastic pitch (the club need to learn how to play on them as they become more common) isn't a huge knock. In this group away wins were always going to be tough to come by.

The performance was atrocious though.

The simple defensive errors are infuriating. Especially ones such as poor fringe defence and guarding of a ruck which with the forwards we have shouldn't be the case. Watching it I can only guess that there's some very poor communication going on and a disconnect between forwards/backs when setting the defensive line.

If communication is the problem then I'd be bring Matt Smith in at 13, especially with Toomua new to the club. That of course relies on Toomua not getting a suspension though.

mikey_dragon wrote:They're currently filming a sequel I believe, so they could set it there.. .

They've been filming the sequel in Edinburgh but, without spoiling the plot, I'm told that it's about Renton and Begbie LLP, a firm of corporate solicitors, whose founding partners are in a spot of bother trying to acquire New Town mansions and getting their children into the right private schools.

If anyone wants a laugh then check out the Tigers offy. Unlike many official forums which have a lot of fair weather supporters who disappear when things go bad, the Tigers offy seems to have drawn in a decent share of 'foul weather supporters'. They say little when the side plays well then immediately come flying out the woodwork after weekends such as this to announce that Cockers will be responsible for the apocalypse.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:They're currently filming a sequel I believe, so they could set it there.. .

They've been filming the sequel in Edinburgh but, without spoiling the plot, I'm told that it's about Renton and Begbie LLP, a firm of corporate solicitors, whose founding partners are in a spot of bother trying to acquire New Town mansions and getting their children into the right private schools.

I've heard that it's going to be called TrustFundSpotting.

king_carlos wrote:Just managed to watch the game after being away for a weekend. Knowing the scoreline before watching it was always going to be painful viewing but even so, I can definitely see why LT wants compensation for his weekend!!

On the positive, the end result isn't the end of the world as many fans are suggesting. Losing away from home to a well performing Glasgow side and on a plastic pitch (the club need to learn how to play on them as they become more common) isn't a huge knock. In this group away wins were always going to be tough to come by.

The performance was atrocious though.

The simple defensive errors are infuriating. Especially ones such as poor fringe defence and guarding of a ruck which with the forwards we have shouldn't be the case. Watching it I can only guess that there's some very poor communication going on and a disconnect between forwards/backs when setting the defensive line.

If communication is the problem then I'd be bring Matt Smith in at 13, especially with Toomua new to the club. That of course relies on Toomua not getting a suspension though.

Smith should come in irrespective of who's at 12. We need an out option for the flyhalf and someone to hold the opposition defence so our wide players can actually have a hint of space to work with. A flanker sized centre always helps the backs defence. Won't fix our bizarre inability to function around the ruck.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

king_carlos wrote:Just managed to watch the game after being away for a weekend. Knowing the scoreline before watching it was always going to be painful viewing but even so, I can definitely see why LT wants compensation for his weekend!!

On the positive, the end result isn't the end of the world as many fans are suggesting. Losing away from home to a well performing Glasgow side and on a plastic pitch (the club need to learn how to play on them as they become more common) isn't a huge knock. In this group away wins were always going to be tough to come by.

The performance was atrocious though.

The simple defensive errors are infuriating. Especially ones such as poor fringe defence and guarding of a ruck which with the forwards we have shouldn't be the case. Watching it I can only guess that there's some very poor communication going on and a disconnect between forwards/backs when setting the defensive line.

If communication is the problem then I'd be bring Matt Smith in at 13, especially with Toomua new to the club. That of course relies on Toomua not getting a suspension though.

Smith should come in irrespective of who's at 12. We need an out option for the flyhalf and someone to hold the opposition defence so our wide players can actually have a hint of space to work with. A flanker sized centre always helps the backs defence. Won't fix our bizarre inability to function around the ruck.

Nothing to do with size for me with Smith. If anything Betham is probably a slightly bigger guy. It's the running of a defensive line, experience and communication with those around him that I want him back for.

Similar reasons to why I'd have Ayerza back in starting against Racing if he's fit. He has been way off his best this season but when our fringe defence has been appalling a guy with the experience of Marcos should bind things together a bit more.

The "simple defensive errors" were (IMO) the result of Glasgows speed tho - simply not giving Tigers the chance to get aligned

I don't think anyone doubts Glasgow handed Leicesters behinds to them at the weekend but it's not reflective of the style of the Pro 12 vs Prem or quality. Would Glasgow have found it as easy against Saracens for instance? It's certainly a game I'm hoping to see in the comp this year.

TJ wrote:The "simple defensive errors" were (IMO) the result of Glasgows speed tho - simply not giving Tigers the chance to get aligned

No they are indicative of he lack of organisation and defensive system Leicester have shown this season. Go back to the first page of this thread and you'll see most of us Tigers fans call the result and blame our defence. Our defence has been shambolic all season. Glasgow's first two tries look identical to one we can conceded vs Sale a couple of weeks back.

Glasgow were good, fans near us, and the guys we met up with all stated it was their best performance of the season.

However So far this season Leicester have coughed up four tries (or more) to:

Ospreys, Gloucester, Wasps, Sale & now Glasgow.

It does get to a stage where serious question marks have to apply to the Leicester defence rather than only extolling opposition's attack. Read back on this thread and the common theme from Tiger's fans pre-game was that we would cough up tries. Sarto's first from sloppy defending and the two intercepts when chasing the game are symptomatic of our season. In fact I woudl go as far to say that Sarto's first was extremely similar to Mike Phillips for Sale against us (perhaps not the quickets thinking or running player?) and has similarities to a couple of Wasps tries in initial execution.


Right now far too many Tiger's are some way off their best, while those who are playing well (McCaffery for example) are sadly really only journeymen. Experienced internationals like Ayerza, OTY, Cole & Mulipola have been seriously below par. Kitch and Slater have had moments but no consistency. Fitz and BOC have not so far fulfilled the super rugby promise. The positives have been the performances of younger guys - Genge, Barrow & Evans.

No 7&1/2 wrote:I don't think anyone doubts Glasgow handed Leicesters behinds to them at the weekend but it's not reflective of the style of the Pro 12 vs Prem or quality. Would Glasgow have found it as easy against Saracens for instance? It's certainly a game I'm hoping to see in the comp this year.

I watched the Sarries game and they looked very good indeed and like you its a game I'd love to see ( sarries v Glasgow). I'd back Glasgow to win tho because of their speed and unpredictability ( but I wouldn't bet my house on it)

I'd have to go the other way. Saracens are a machone at present, first defeat at home toulon have ever suffered in the tournament? They'll be hard to stop.

Indeed they would be and in that hypothetical game Glasgow would have to get enough ball to do anything with.  Be great to watch tho.  conventional rugby played very well with few weaknesses V unconventional off the cuff rugby.

I'd back Glasgow to make interceptions tho - its a deliberate tactic to play for the intercepts

Good as Glasgow were, the best backline we have come up against this season was Wasps - and we saw how Sarries handled them.