Harlequins 33 Leicester Tigers 43: Why we love the game

Last week, football fans across the globe felt an injustice when Barcelona, possibly the greatest club team the game has ever seen, lost 0-1 to a conservative and pragmatic Chelsea after having 30 shots at goal to their opponent's 5. Fans questioned the very purpose of the game and whether a victory gained in such a way as Chelsea's was of true value. Viewers of the Aviva Premiership will be empathetic to that cause after a weekend of action that saw the champions Saracens secure a desperately uninspiring 9-3 win against Newcastle, whilst the top two teams - Quins and Leicester - scored 76 points between them in one of the league's best ever fixtures...

(Source: Newsday)

Saracens were desperately, desperately unadventurous on Friday night. Their opponents, fighting for survival, had reason to be, but even a slither of ambition from the champions would have seen off Newcastle. As it was, they stuck rigidly to their application of the organisational theory Fordism. Deskill the game. Standardise. Execute. Repeat. 20% of ball was kicked away. Austin Healey, commentating for ESPN, found it humorous to keep count of the number of box-kicks in the first half but when the number got that high it stopped being funny.


In that context, we can understand what a rare thing of beauty it is when, in a results-orientated business, the result is immaterial. Leicester won and Quins lost. Leicester got the maximum points from the game and Quins got nothing, but it didn't matter. What did matter was that both teams bought into the very ethos of professional sport as it exists in the minds of all fans: we want to see our team win; we want to be entertained; we want to see drama along the way; we want a captivating plot; we want a hero, and; we want a zero. This game provided all but one of those things, for every player on the pitch must have been happy with his performance and none will have left the ground feeling that his opposite number got the better of him. There were no zeroes.


Leicester, with 6 bonus-point wins on the trot now, should quite rightly believe that they can complete the most remarkable of turnarounds and go from 11th in the table to becoming champions. After going toe-to-toe with an opponent on an unprecedented hot streak and knowing that on another day they could have won, Quins fans feel that their position as league leaders can be justified. Come All Within's match report on the Quins forum paid the ultimate complement to Leicester,

"Since becoming a Quins fan, I have measured the team’s progress by the yardstick of their performances against the Tigers. But I’d never seen Quins beat a full-strength Leicester side. And I still haven’t, but I saw enough on Saturday to make me think that it won’t be that long before it happens."

That quote was reflective of the contest, which was played with respect and without major incident, quite remarkable considering the tension and the fact that Castro and Joe Marler were on the pitch at the same time. And the battle of the front-rows typified the rest of the game; Leicester expected a knock-out and got, at best, a point victory. Whilst James Johnston struggled at times to cope with Marcos Ayerza, the scrummaging reputation of Marler can only be enhanced by managing to keep afloat against first Dan Cole and then Castro. Contrary to the popular opinion that front-rowers are at their best past 30-years-old, only one of the six who started - George Chuter - has reached that landmark.


Rugby's other popular mantra is that forwards win games and backs decide by how much. That too was challenged by what we saw on Saturday. Every back inside and out of Toby Flood made more than 30 metres with the ball. For Quins, their devastating back 3 of Smith, Monye and Brown made 239 metres on their own - nearly as many as Saracens' or Newcastle's whole team managed. If a glimmer of hope was created by the forwards then the backs consistently took full advantage. Even the kickers could not be separated, Toby Flood and Nick Evans each landing 100% of their shots at goal.


With such great performances all over the pitch it seemed pointless to award a man-of-the-match, but the extra incision and threat of Flood's running game may just have edged it. If Stuart Lancaster needed reminding that a fly-half that gets you 7 points can be of more value than one who consistently gets you 3, he had it here. But looking beyond Flood there were exceptional performances all over the pitch: if Anthony Allen had his best ever game for Leicester last week then he bettered it this week with his 52 metres made with the ball, 2 clean breaks, 4 defenders beaten and 6 tackles made; Thomas Waldrom achieved the stats of an inside-centre with 16 carries for 55 metres, 2 tries and 3 defenders beaten; Julian Salvi put in 14 tackles from flanker, and; the irrepressible Steve Mafi did a little bit of absolutely everything.



The Quins view - from forum member woe quin - was that they, "Would have beaten any other Premiership team today - by a margin," and such was the quality of this game. But such is the nature of sport, we may not see a rematch at Twickenham. Just as the conservatism and the pragmatism of Chelsea prevailed last week, so too may Saracens defend their crown. There is not only one way to win a game of rugby and so if a strategy brings success then it has passed the ultimate test, but for all fans of drama, of entertainment and of a captivating plot, let's hope for Messrs Robshaw and Murphy to be leading their teams out at the Premiership Final on 26th May.