After a far from ideal start to the season by their standards, Leicester Tigers are looking to build on their last two Aviva Premiership fixtures, a draw with Saracens, and a win against Harlequins, with a victory over whipping-boys, London Welsh. Confidence is gradually returning to the Tigers as a whole, who boast a huge injury list and currently sit 9th in the Premiership, but a bonus point win this Sunday will certainly lift them up the table, and simultaneously lift their confidence. This boost will be much needed, as they play an in-form Wasps the next weekend, then back-to-back fixtures against the European Champions, Toulon, followed by a trip to the home of the English champions to face table-toppers, Northampton Saints.
On the face of it, it seems like a fairly straightforward task. London Welsh are in tough times, having conceded a whopping 343 points in only seven matches on their return to the top-flight. For those who are mathematically challenged, that works out at a concession of 49 points per game. In truth, their defence could be likened to a gardener’s sieve at times! Similarly, apart from their visit to Bath when they scored four tries, their attack isn’t too threatening either. However, after the battering they received from Wasps last week, they can and will improve, and who knows, they could run the Tigers close if they gain parity in the set-piece and pressurise the Tigers into a territorial bore-fest, a situation that will keep the scoreboard close.
Therefore, Leicester no doubt, should not take them lightly, and nor will they, as they have been struggling themselves this season. It is an opportunity to experiment in the backline, and to be ruthless, a trait which has been lacking in the Tigers ranks for a couple of years now, let alone this season. In the league, Leicester have only scored nine tries so far, six of those coming in the opening two games of the season. This demonstrates a backline lacking in confidence to try things with the ball, almost fearful of running with ball in hand, and satisfied merely to chase kicks. In their upcoming fixtures, they will, needless to say, have to score tries to beat the likes of Northampton and Toulon, and this is why this game versus London Welsh is crucial. A backline devoid of confidence may be allowed to flourish, thanks to the porous Welsh defence, and rack up some much needed tries. Miles Benjamin will have a chance to regain his confidence after his blunder in the Champions Cup against the Scarlets, while Anthony Allen will return to Premiership action to bolster the Tigers’ ever-rotating centres. These players could offer the spark which the Tigers have missed since the injury to Manu Tuilagi. The hope for Tigers fans is that the pitch will stay relatively dry and the game will be open and exciting, which will see them come away with tries aplenty.
The worry is that the rain may tumble down. The forecast predicts rain all day, a less-than-ideal situation for Leicester, and not great preparation for the games against Wasps, Toulon and Northampton. In true Leicester fashion, they may ‘stuff it up the jumper’ and try to bully their way to four tries, leaving the backline under-prepared and incohesive, and retaining their lack of confidence ahead of tougher challenges.
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