Toulouse v Tigers

What Leicester will need all available ooomph up front to confront the opposition.

And therein lies the problem with Croft, Parling, Salvi, Newby etc. all doing bit-parts in Casualty, you'd have to say the Tigers' chances are slim to say the least.

All that without the knowledge that Owens is the ref.

An LBP would be an outstanding performance.

What Toulouse will need is an "in form" McAlister. Without him playing well they have been clueless. that said he's been good in the last 2 games though.

It will be interesting to see what the Toulouse team looks like - probably not a million miles away from the one that hammered Toulon just over a week ago in Toulouse:

Poux, Olufua, Johnston, Millo-chlusky, Maestri, Nyanga, Dusautoir, Galan
Doussain, Mcallister, Matanavou, fickou, Fritz, Clerc, Huget

Reps: Steenkamp, Poitrenaud, Picamoles, Montes, Lamboley, Lacombe, Burgess, Bouilhou



I expect that with Croft, Mafi, Salvi, Bowden & Murphy likely to be still unavailable, we see the following line-up for Tigers:

Mulipola, Youngs, Cole, Kitchener, Parling, Crane, Thorpe, Waldrom
Youngs, Flood, Goneva, Allen, Tuilagi, Thompstone, Murphy

Reps: Ayerza, Chuter, Castro, Slater, Deacon, Harrison, Ford, Smith.


I reckon Toulouse will destroy us at the breakdown - and it will be a pointless visit

Mind you, I shouldn't have listed Newby.
He's now doing bit parts in One Foot in the Grave.

Tigers didn't become the feared team they were by not springing a few surprises, a win in Toulouse is prob to far but a LBP is within them.

Just don't get hammered Tigers, I want Ulster to keep the record for your 2 bigest defeats in Europe, and I'd love to meet again in this season, great club and great fans.

Kingshu wrote:Just don't get hammered Tigers, I want Ulster to keep the record for your 2 bigest defeats in Europe, and I'd love to meet again in this season, great club and great fans.

That would be great - May 18th is currently free in my diary

Always good to see the Tigers being consigned to the 'has beens' skip.

The rising tide of Irish expectation is becoming Napoleonic in terms of European domination.

Time to put our Wellies on.

I must say, a cracking fixture for the first round of the Heineken Cup (a flavour of the competitive Anglo-French Cup that we are all hearing about). Always hard to bet against Toulouse when they are playing at home. They almost messed up their group games last year (relying on Connacht to save their bacon in the final round). So with that shock still in their memory, expect some solid performances from the team. Tigers need to win the arm-wrestle up front, capitalise on any mistakes that Toulouse make and take any points on offer at all times.
Toulouse without a TBP, Tigers to get a LBP (which would be a good result for Tigers).

Well Scarlets won there a few campaigns ago and Glaws managed a good LBP there last season. I see no reason why Tigers can't leave France with a win.

greytiger wrote:Always good to see the Tigers being consigned to the 'has beens' skip.

The rising tide of Irish expectation is becoming Napoleonic in terms of European domination.

Time to put our Wellies on.

Well 'Welly' was Irish too... so the metaphor is a little awkward.

If Toulouse are put under pressure and go behind early then they can look very flimsy. They're really a momentum team and if you take that away from them then I can see Tigers getting a win.

Of all the top teams they're probably the lazyest too, which is deeply upsetting when you look at the quality that they have.

EnglishReign wrote:Well Scarlets won there a few campaigns ago and Glaws managed a good LBP there last season. I see no reason why Tigers can't leave France with a win.

Didn't Quins manage something or other there as well last season....

yappysnap wrote:

EnglishReign wrote:Well Scarlets won there a few campaigns ago and Glaws managed a good LBP there last season. I see no reason why Tigers can't leave France with a win.

Didn't Quins manage something or other there as well last season....

Good point, well made! Epic performance, can't believe I forgot.

Toulouse team could look as follow :

Poux *- Tolofua* - Jonhston
Millo - Maestri
Nyanga - Picamoles - Dusautoir
Doussain **- Mac Alister
Matanavou - Fritz - Fickou- Clerc
Huget

Botha*- Steenkamp *- Montes **- Lamboley - Bouilhou - Maka - Burgess - Poitrenaud

* I'd say its a 50/50 between Poux+Tolofua and Botha+Steenkamp

** caught some minor injuries in their last game so could miss this one.

Significantly the Youngs/Flood axis is available for the first time for potentially 80 minutes in ages. And that pairing have experience have learned to adapt behind even a retreating scrum. They have the understanding from which the likes of Manu, Benjamin, Thompstone and Goneva can possibly pose a threat.

Pity that Tait, Geordan and Hamilton are unavailable at full-back.

An LBP is possible. But I wouldn't put anyone's shilling on it.

But to my mind Youngs/Flood is the best half-back pairing in the Northern Hemisphere.

greytiger wrote:Significantly the Youngs/Flood axis is available for the first time for potentially 80 minutes in ages. And that pairing have experience have learned to adapt behind even a retreating scrum. They have the understanding from which the likes of Manu, Benjamin, Thompstone and Goneva can possibly pose a threat.

Pity that Tait, Geordan and Hamilton are unavailable at full-back.

An LBP is possible. But I wouldn't put anyone's shilling on it.

But to my mind Youngs/Flood is the best half-back pairing in the Northern Hemisphere.

mmmm - thought that Care+Evans was there or thereabouts...

Kingshu wrote:Tigers didn't become the feared team they were by not springing a few surprises, a win in Toulouse is prob to far but a LBP is within them.

Just don't get hammered Tigers, I want Ulster to keep the record for your 2 bigest defeats in Europe, and I'd love to meet again in this season, great club and great fans.

I don't really like the idea of you reveling in that record, but as I don't want anyone to beat us by more I'm just going to have to lump it. On the plus side I think we have the record for your biggest defeat as well, and for similar reasons you may to lump it as well!

With regards to Toulouse, it's hard for me to see beyond the back rows. We've some solid players but I expect they will be all over us with Dusatoir taking out our limited number of players capable of driving over the gain line, and the rest swamping us at the breakdown and making it very difficult to get any quick ball. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think we'll score much and if the players' confidence goes then Toulouse almost certainly will. For Tigers to stand any chance I think we'll need some very shrewd play from Youngs, Flood and Allen to open up their defense, and possibly a string of penalties from the set piece to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

greytiger wrote:Always good to see the Tigers being consigned to the 'has beens' skip.

The rising tide of Irish expectation is becoming Napoleonic in terms of European domination.

Time to put our Wellies on.

Don't really see any Tigers insult in my earlier post to bring that about Grey Tiger, LBP would be a decent result, a win would be a be of a shock, not impossible, but with Tigers injuries? Losing a game in France doesn't consign anyone to being has beens, wins in France are the exception rather than the rule, and very hard to come by.

And if it's me wanting to keep Ulsters record of inflicting Tigers two biggest European defeats, I think every Tigers fan will want Ulster to keep that record for years and years to come rather than witness an even bigger defeat by another team. I think if we do meet, it could be a psychological scar, that may help Ulster when we meet in Dublin. (Conversly it may be just the ammunation Tigers need to want to defeat Ulster by a record score).

whocares wrote:

greytiger wrote:Significantly the Youngs/Flood axis is available for the first time for potentially 80 minutes in ages. And that pairing have experience have learned to adapt behind even a retreating scrum. They have the understanding from which the likes of Manu, Benjamin, Thompstone and Goneva can possibly pose a threat.

Pity that Tait, Geordan and Hamilton are unavailable at full-back.

An LBP is possible. But I wouldn't put anyone's shilling on it.

But to my mind Youngs/Flood is the best half-back pairing in the Northern Hemisphere.

mmmm - thought that Care+Evans was there or thereabouts...

I'd have given Care/Cipriani is on apar. Sadly Cips is stranded in Salford and any talent is almost lost to the rest of humanity.

Given good team/personal management, that would be a star English 9/10 combo.

Youngs/Flood is the best half-back pairing in the Northern Hemisphere.

read this at first though no, not in NH, but after a few seconds, i realised they are a very good pair. normaly most teams have one good the other excellent or very good/excellent.

The only pairing I think that can rival it would be
Parra/Skrela

Michilak + Wilkinson.

Definitely the best out there at the moment. behing a monstrous Toulon pack as well.

Especially as then then have Burgess and Giteau to cover as well.

am not a fan of Michalak as SH : he's ok there but think he's wasted when he doesnt play 10 (that said he was hired to play 9). toulon number one 9 is Tillous-Bordes (injured at the moment).
Burgess is at toulouse (on the bench).
Parra/James is a pretty effective pair (but not great in defense)while skrela has not much to offer going forward.

Kingshu wrote:The only pairing I think that can rival it would be
Parra/Skrela

I wonder if that pairing is even the best within the club?

I've not watched any T14 rugby this season. Whenever I saw Toulon playing last season, I always wished that Sarries would be on at the other side so that my boredom would be relieved. Toulon always seemed to be so negative.

A booting fly-half (however successful) is not a good fly half no matter how successful - as the main point of the job is to create play. Dead-booted fly halves in the style of Toulon-Wilkinson made me compare it with Wales-Jenkins. Just not worth switching the TV on at a marginal cost of zip.

I'll take a special effort to watch some Toulon games this year but without any especial expectations.

The Toulousain half-backs are a different matter. When I spoke of the Youngs/Flood I was in the mindset of club/national partnership and in that sense Parra/Michelak or Skrela does excel.

fortunately for everyone, Toulon is playing a much better brand of rugby this year and have scored some of the nicest tries so far in the T14. Wilkinson is not only a boot, his partnership with Giteau is now working really well after 1 year and Mermoz has so much more to offer than bastaraud.

Some of Toulons play has been sublime, we'd all be terrified if Saracens had managed to change their gameplan like Toulon have.

Leicester Tigers (vs Toulouse, Heineken Cup, Sunday 4pm local time, 3pm UK time)
15 Scott Hamilton
14 Niall Morris
13 Manusamoa Tuilagi
12 Anthony Allen
11 Vereniki Goneva
10 Toby Flood
9 Ben Youngs
1 Logovi'i Mulipola
2 Tom Youngs
3 Dan Cole
4 Graham Kitchener
5 Geoff Parling
6 Steve Mafi
7 Thomas Waldrom
8 Jordan Crane (c)

Replacements
16 George Chuter
17 Marcos Ayerza
18 Martin Castrogiovanni
19 Ed Slater
20 Richard Thorpe
21 Sam Harrison
22 George Ford
23 Matt Smith

Toulouse: 15 Clément Poitrenaud, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Gaël Fickou, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Luke McAlister, 9 Jean-Marc Doussain; 1 Gurthro Steenkamp, 2 Gary Botha, 3 Census Johnston, 4 Romain Millo-Chluski, 5 Yoann Maestri, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 8 Louis Picamoles ,
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 18 Antoine Guillamon, 19 Patricio Albacete, 20 Jean Bouilhou, 21 Yannick Jauzion, 22 Luke Burgess, 23 Timoci Matanavou

Is Adam Thompstone injured?

Surprised to see niall morris there. He must be playing well.

Ozzy3213 wrote:Is Adam Thompstone injured?

Not as far as I know.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Surprised to see niall morris there. He must be playing well.

So am I. He has a little more pace than Thompstone, so maybe that is why.

Dusatoir and Nyanga must be licking their lips at the prospect of facing Mafi and Waldrom at the breakdown! Waldrom at 7!!

Well, we started the season with 3 decent 7s - two retired and Salvi is injured.

So it is a necessity, rather than an option? Fair enough. Isn't Thorpe a 7?

Bathite wrote:So it is a necessity, rather than an option? Fair enough. Isn't Thorpe a 7?

Yes. But a very average one. So what you gain from him being a 7 you perhaps lose 3 fold by beeing a less able player in general.

If he's that average, why sign him?

Leicester should think about signing Michael Leitch from Japan, he's a kiwi who moved over there for education.
He was immense in the world cup and i think he would suit European rugby perfectly.

Bathite wrote:If he's that average, why sign him?

Because there was little room in the salary cap I guess. It felt like a panic move made when woods retired, then Newby retired.

Sorry, but it is not actually correct to say Thorpe is a 7. He spent most of his career at Irish at 6 or 8 and only covered 7 when we had injury crises. His best season was in 08/09 when he vied with Danaher for the 6 shirt...

Seems to support the idea that Cockers panicked. Recruiting thorpe and Brett Deacon always looked a bit odd

I think Kitchener is looking better and better. But Parling is not the right type of partner for him. Is Deacon the only bruising Second Row Leicester have?

Odd back row set up aswell...curious of Waldrom at 7??

I see a Leicester defeat here...

Slater can do that job GF - but with the carrying ability in the back row means it probably is not relevant.

As to the back row balance - as discussed earlier the ability of the selected players far outweighs any improved balance gained by selecting Thorpe.

Even if Croft, Salvi & Murphy were available, only the most one-eyed fan would be hoping for a tigers win. Stranger things have happened but I just hope we run them closer than we did ASM in Montferrand last year.

Yeah i appreciate that back row has some serious grunt with regards to making yards...so that takes part of the job away from a heavy second rower....

......but i still think someone like Deacon or formerly Johnson just adds that weight and drive to mauls, rucks and and make a presence in the tight exchanges....something i dont think Parling really does.

[quote="GeordieFalcon"]I think Kitchener is looking better and better. But Parling is not the right type of partner for him. Is Deacon the only bruising Second Row Leicester have?

Odd back row set up aswell...curious of Waldrom at 7??

I see a Leicester defeat here...[/quote]

you mean you couldn't before?!

I don't think many have predicted a win.

Well Deacon came in to cover lock, 6 and 8. Thorpe was probably the only available 7 at such short notice (and willing to chance being 4th choice). I'm hoping we'll nab a specialist 7 on a short term deal soon.

It's the best team we could name. No surprise that Morris is starting, French teams kick a lot and he offers considerably more stability at the back. Without the sheer brilliance of Murphy we have to think about the balance. Having said that Cockers normally likes a wing/fullback on one wing.

greytiger wrote:

whocares wrote:

greytiger wrote:Significantly the Youngs/Flood axis is available for the first time for potentially 80 minutes in ages. And that pairing have experience have learned to adapt behind even a retreating scrum. They have the understanding from which the likes of Manu, Benjamin, Thompstone and Goneva can possibly pose a threat.

Pity that Tait, Geordan and Hamilton are unavailable at full-back.

An LBP is possible. But I wouldn't put anyone's shilling on it.

But to my mind Youngs/Flood is the best half-back pairing in the Northern Hemisphere.

mmmm - thought that Care+Evans was there or thereabouts...

I'd have given Care/Cipriani is on apar. Sadly Cips is stranded in Salford and any talent is almost lost to the rest of humanity.

Given good team/personal management, that would be a star English 9/10 combo.

You rate Cips over Nev?!!!

I'm not sure that can even be a valid opinion

ChequeredJersey wrote:

greytiger wrote:

whocares wrote:

greytiger wrote:Significantly the Youngs/Flood axis is available for the first time for potentially 80 minutes in ages. And that pairing have experience have learned to adapt behind even a retreating scrum. They have the understanding from which the likes of Manu, Benjamin, Thompstone and Goneva can possibly pose a threat.

Pity that Tait, Geordan and Hamilton are unavailable at full-back.

An LBP is possible. But I wouldn't put anyone's shilling on it.

But to my mind Youngs/Flood is the best half-back pairing in the Northern Hemisphere.

mmmm - thought that Care+Evans was there or thereabouts...

I'd have given Care/Cipriani is on apar. Sadly Cips is stranded in Salford and any talent is almost lost to the rest of humanity.

Given good team/personal management, that would be a star English 9/10 combo.

You rate Cips over Nev?!!!

I'm not sure that can even be a valid opinion

I think he means in the context of playing for england

He does.

Unfortunately neither Cips or Care have ever shown any consistently good form on the international stage and on current form only Care would make the team. Cips would have been better moving to fullback Miller style and taking the chance to be Murphy's understudy for this season.

What a game to start with, extremely jealous for Tigers fans this afternoon, but I have to say that is not the best Tigers side ive seen this season.

weather isn't looking to good in the south of France. Don't think this will be an exciting running game!