Leicester Tigers 29 London Wasps 11: A game to forget but a result to remember

This game between the two domestic giants of the last decade, which used to represent the pinnacle of the English game, can be encapsulated in a small series of phases that occurred in the second half. Within the space of a few minutes Wasps threw an interception pass to their opponents, Leicester kick it out on the full, Wasps throw into the lineout was not straight, Leicester lost the resulting ball off the base of the scrum, Wasps knocked it on and then conceded a penalty at the scrum. Fluidity was to this game as hopes of keeping New Year's resolutions are to the rest of us: something to be aspired to but, realistically, never achieved...

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With Wasps coming off their worst run in years most Leicester fans would have been expecting a try-bonus-point victory and though Dai Young's side are indeed a shadow of their former self, they kept themselves in a game against superior opposition by defending in a way that would have made Messrs Edwards, Worsley and Dallaglio proud.


With 5 potential back rowers on the pitch (Parling, Mafi, Croft, Salvi, Waldrom) and a tough-tackling centre partnership of Anthony Allen and Matt Smith Leicester were all set up to try and dominate the breakdown area, as they have done for most of the season. As it turned out, this was the fewest number of tackles (58) they have had to make as a team all season.


In contrast, Marco Wentzel, Tinus du Plessis, Jonathan Poff and Sam Jones made more tackles than the whole Leicester team combined. And with Leicester's 67% of possession they needed to. It was Wasps' commitment, their determination to get to the breakdown first, rapid line speed and some lax refereeing that meant Leicester struggle for most of the game to put their opponents away. That Tim Payne's innocuous infringement yielded a yellow card when Rob Webber's deliberate knock-on to stop a try or Rob Hawkins' dangerous shoulder charge didn't felt peculiar.


With no Toby Flood or Manu Tuilagi and Ben Youngs putting in a patchy performance, Leicester lacked that little bit of creativity needed to break down a strong defensive line; the rush defence tends to stun Leicester's backs and a response is not always forthcoming. Geordan Murphy's targeted run at Tom Varndell's inside shoulder to set up Billy Twelvetrees' first try was one of the few moments of genuinely intelligent play. The seemingly endless series of phases in the build-up to Twelvetrees' second try, albeit littered with 3 Wasps penalties, was akin to the one-dimensional peppering that Saracens' line took in the Premiership Final last year to no avail. Though they found the breakthrough, Richard Cockerill will realise that against Ulster next week they will not be able to get so many cracks at the whip.


What will have delighted Cockerill is that the man he will be relying upon next week to achieve one of the Tigers' greatest European results in winning at Ravenhill - Billy Twelvetrees - put in an assured performance in the number 10 shirt. The interim fly-half ran almost twice as much ball as Toby Flood usually does and kicked less, but controlled the game in his own measured way. His kicking success was 100% but, aside from the statistic itself, each kick had a sound connection and comfortably sailed through the uprights. The Belfast winds may test that composure next week but this was a useful rehearsal for his big moment in the Heineken Cup.


It seems that Cockerill can place any two qualified names on the team sheet at 4 and 5 and expect a strong performance. This week it was the turn of Steve Mafi and Geoff Parling, which was the 8th different lock combination in 17 Premiership and Heineken Cup games this season. With Tom Croft achieving near-Victor Matfield levels of dominance in the lineout (11 wins) and 50% of Wasps' ball being disrupted it left the visitors with a serious handicap. That would have been a serious handicap if Leicester had achieved the supremacy in the scrum that they would have been expecting but Boris Stankovich, who performed with such aplomb against Worcester's Tevita Taumoepeau, struggled to gain the ascendency over Ben Broster. On the other side of the scrum, Dan Cole seemed to only occasionally remember that he could plough through Tim Payne.


This was a turgid display that both sides will be glad to see the back of. For Wasps, an away game at Welford Road was never likely to be the place for their season to get a kick-start. For Leicester, this was about getting through unscathed before the massive Heineken Cup tie next week. The Tigers have rarely been this sluggish since their World Cup players returned but to still in by an 18-point margin showcases that oft-mentioned and much coveted quality of being able to win ugly.




With the Premiership now on an extended break until next month, Leicester face a pivotal Heineken Cup match against Ulster. With Pool 4 so finely balanced it is essential that Richard Cockerill's side do what Cardiff Blues, Munster and Clermont Auvergne have failed to do this season and win at Ravenhill.

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This will be another step up in intensity for Billy Twelvetrees to cope with and the fly-half can expect to be under intense pressure from the powerhouse and in-form Ulster back-row. He will need his half-back partner Ben Youngs to show some of the moments of magic he has done recently but also deliver quick ball to give him as much time as possible to make his decisions.


In the Welford Road leg of this tie it was Leicester's drift defence that helped them to victory by containing the running threats of Andrew Trimble, Craig Gilroy and Simon Danielli. With Anthony Allen now fit and Matt Smith continuing his consistent form Leicester will have their two best defensive centres available.


The presence of tighthead prop John Afoa will be a huge boost for Ulster; Boris Stankovich will need to put in an almighty performance to halt the All-Black.


Ulster fans on the 'Ulternative Alster Fan Club' website have been confident of a home victory this week and highlighting absence of some of Leicester's big name players: Louis Deacon, Toby Flood and Manu Tuilagi. For Leicester fans, the memory of defeating Munster at their spiritual home of Thomond Park back in 2007, with the now Ulster fly-half Ian Humphreys leading the way, should provide the belief that another memorable Heineken Cup away win is possible.