Guinness Premiership Final

[stormmaster1]

<div class='quotemain'>
I think this play-off was better than the top of the league being champions simply because there was little over a season to choose between the two sides and so many important matches e.g. Glous v tigers were when international players were unavailible, and Leicester would have lost the ***le due to an administrative error docking them a point. I don't think Gloucester were cheated out of a ***le this time.
[/b]

Undiluted crap, being spewed out from a very biased source.
Things happen in a season, it's the way the cookie crumbles. It shouldn't come down to a "grand final".
A season is won on consistency, Gloucester proved to be more consistent.
It is preposterous in my opinion that a "one-off" game is set up to dictate who should be crowned the league champions.
You would have said it an injustice if Bristol or Saracens ended up winning the ***le - just as it is now, wiht Leciester being champions.
An injustice to good rugby, consistency, and more than anything an injustice to Gloucester...the rightful champions.
They were cheated out of a ***le this time, just like when i saw Wasps walk over Leicester (last season or season before?) to take the ***le when the Tigers were rightfully champions.
[/b][/quote]

I see your point, and it's a commonly held view, much more common than the play offs being a good idea. But the problem i see is that the GP as a league isn't fair, with all the international commitments. Added to that Leicester didn't aim full pelt for the top (weakened side at Bristol) as it didn't matter, both sides were equal on league points, despite Glos winning one more match and Leicester being docked points from an admin error. The league isn't won fairly so a final play-off is no less fair in my eyes. My view is the same with Wasps win 2 years ago. They deservedly finished as champions when both top teams were near equal over a season. Tigers weren't cheated out of the ***le then, Gloucester aren't this season. In addition if the top of the table side was crowned champions, i think we would have seen many teams playing differently towards the end of the season and a different end table.

 

[shazbooger]

I was mainly referring to domestic teams, but I think even the ABs defence would have struggled to contain them at times today.
[/b]

Ahhhhh its easy to look impressive when you get quality ball and the opposition cant or wont tackle. Lambs attempted tackle on Tualagi was a shining example of this. He didnt want to know. Allen, S Daniel and Balshaw werent much better.

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

<div class='quotemain'>
I was mainly referring to domestic teams, but I think even the ABs defence would have struggled to contain them at times today.
[/b]

Ahhhhh its easy to look impressive when you get quality ball and the opposition cant or wont tackle. Lambs attempted tackle on Tualagi was a shining example of this. He didnt want to know. Allen, S Daniel and Balshaw werent much better.
[/b][/quote]

I'm not saying the defense couldn't have been better. However, the speed and ferocity of some of Leicester's pick and drives was out of this world.

They could sometimes have been brought down earlier, but with the speed they were recycling the ball no team would have stopped them gaining forward momentum.

It pains me to say it because they are my club's biggest rivals, but Leicester are by far and away the best club side in the NH at the moment, and arguably the form domestic team on the planet.

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

I was mainly referring to domestic teams, but I think even the ABs defence would have struggled to contain them at times today.

And when this comes from a Northampton fan, you know it's serious.
[/b]

High praise indeed.

I agree with the points raised here, I know a lot of Leicester fans who were fairly philosphical when league winners Sale rolled them over last season.

In the past Tigers have suffered more than most through the play-offs....teams like Wasps always seemed to be more focused on the post-season sudden death.

I fully expect a Wasps smash & grab in the Heineken Cup Final.

 

[stormmaster1]

I fully expect a Wasps smash & grab in the Heineken Cup Final.
[/b]

As a Leicester fan i wouldn't bet against it. Wasps will cope better with the physicality of the Tigers better than Gloucester did and should compete better at the breakdown. But i don't think Tigers are than one dimensional and we could vary our game a bit more v wasps. Against Gloucester we didn't vary our strategy too much because there was an area we had a massive advantage and Glucester couldn't counter it so we didn't have to do much more than run big guys at small guys. I wouldn't be surprised to see Varndell get the nod over Rabeni to add more pace at the expence of some brawn.

 

[Bullitt]

Christ, that's be worse then dropping Cueto for Balshaw.

 

[shazbooger]

arguably the form domestic team on the planet.
[/b]

I'd agree with that alright.

 

[shtove]

<div class='quotemain'>


I fully expect a Wasps smash & grab in the Heineken Cup Final.
[/b]

As a Leicester fan i wouldn't bet against it. Wasps will cope better with the physicality of the Tigers better than Gloucester did and should compete better at the breakdown. But i don't think Tigers are than one dimensional and we could vary our game a bit more v wasps ... I wouldn't be surprised to see Varndell get the nod over Rabeni to add more pace at the expence of some brawn.
[/b][/quote]
Yeah, forward battle is gonna be great, especially if Lawrence goes around ******* every one off. And two Irish scrumhalves battling for the world cup!

Keep Rabeni, hope Murphy doesn't give an airhead try away, and Leicester should do it.

 

[teague1203]

i went to this game and we got hammered u are right it was boys against men , i thought we would lose when bortalami was injured and wen bucko came off, but fairplay tuliagi is a tank