Leicester v Ospreys

[shazbooger]

There are problems from 1 right through to 8.

R Jones at 8 needs to take some responsibility for it but it looks as if they are short of real courage. Players that will die for the Jersey (or eachother). Munster have them all over the place, Leinster have Jennings and Cullen. You guys seem to be lacking those players at the moment.

Its funny the parallels between the Ospreys and Leinster. For years we were (maybe still are) too soft. When teams really took us on we tended to fold, even though we had an amazing backline we rarely did the business cause they never got the ball.

It took a complete re-vamp of the pack to turn it around (Only one player (Heaslip) still survives from the Toulouse match at the end of 2006). It started in the off season of the 2007 season, and were still 2 or three players (or one Rocky Elsom) away from finishing it.

 

[bristol-iain]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Logorrhea @ Oct 12 2009, 03:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

There are problems from 1 right through to 8.

R Jones at 8 needs to take some responsibility for it but it looks as if they are short of real courage. Players that will die for the Jersey (or eachother). Munster have them all over the place, Leinster have Jennings and Cullen. You guys seem to be lacking those players at the moment.

Its funny the parallels between the Ospreys and Leinster. For years we were (maybe still are) too soft. When teams really took us on we tended to fold, even though we had an amazing backline we rarely did the business cause they never got the ball.

It took a complete re-vamp of the pack to turn it around (Only one player (Heaslip) still survives from the Toulouse match at the end of 2006). It started in the off season of the 2007 season, and were still 2 or three players (or one Rocky Elsom) away from finishing it.[/b]

Compare the Ospreys pack to the Blues pack and you see what the Ospreys need. Rush, Molitika, Powell and Williams will leave their blood sweat and tears on the feild at the end of the game which the Ospreys 6, 7, 8 don't do. When we were in the Premiership we had Matt Salter who gave 110% every week for us and played for the badge on the shirt. That's what the Ospreys back row need as far as I can see

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

I was sat in front of a particually violent Swansea family (When the 8/9 year old kids are swearing at Mike Phillips due to a missed tackle, you know you're in trouble. Their dad had a go at Biggar for not taking a shot half way inside his own half.) on my little trip to Welford Road, and next to an agitated Tigers fan, who'd make up excuses for anything and everything. ("Oh, if he was holding on there, then why wasn't he penalised whilst he was standing up?")


Good game though, even if we're still the worst team in the entire world when it comes to closing a game off. Jerry Collins looked unfit, not making it around the park as much as he should be doing.

Biggar played well after a nightmare five minutes. Didn't see much of Hook, though I hear he was exceptional. Who was it that sent Shaney through? Fantastic lines they picked, there.

 

[bristol-iain]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DuncTheDoodle @ Oct 12 2009, 04:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I was sat in front of a particually violent Swansea family (When the 8/9 year old kids are swearing at Mike Phillips due to a missed tackle, you know you're in trouble. Their dad had a go at Biggar for not taking a shot half way inside his own half.) on my little trip to Welford Road, and next to an agitated Tigers fan, who'd make up excuses for anything and everything. ("Oh, if he was holding on there, then why wasn't he penalised whilst he was standing up?")


Good game though, even if we're still the worst team in the entire world when it comes to closing a game off. Jerry Collins looked unfit, not making it around the park as much as he should be doing.

Biggar played well after a nightmare five minutes. Didn't see much of Hook, though I hear he was exceptional. Who was it that sent Shaney through? Fantastic lines they picked, there.[/b]

Hook's pass, Biggars angle and offload.

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DuncTheDoodle @ Oct 12 2009, 04:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I was sat in front of a particually violent Swansea family (When the 8/9 year old kids are swearing at Mike Phillips due to a missed tackle, you know you're in trouble. Their dad had a go at Biggar for not taking a shot half way inside his own half.) on my little trip to Welford Road, and next to an agitated Tigers fan, who'd make up excuses for anything and everything. ("Oh, if he was holding on there, then why wasn't he penalised whilst he was standing up?")


Good game though, even if we're still the worst team in the entire world when it comes to closing a game off. Jerry Collins looked unfit, not making it around the park as much as he should be doing.

Biggar played well after a nightmare five minutes. Didn't see much of Hook, though I hear he was exceptional. Who was it that sent Shaney through? Fantastic lines they picked, there.[/b]

Hook gave the inside pass to Biggar who put Shane away.

 

[stormmaster1]

didn't see the match, so my opinion's mainly based on a few snippet's of the radio, the paper's, the thread on here and a couple biased tiger supporter friends. so apologies if i get it hideously wrong.

As a result, good result for osprey's although will be disappointed to have lost a commanding lead. good comeback from tigers though, certainly showed spirit and the benefits on their ongoing academy. Sounds like Osprey's pack underperformed and was probably not picked right. Not having a competitive front 5 (a traditional area of strength for tigers) was always going to be costly, and it seems it generated the pressure and possession from which mistakes and scores came from. The Osprey's back row has been fairly criticised, but it's always easy to dominate as a back rower when the front 5 are going forward. so don't worry about Jones and Collins just yet.

Sounds like Ospreys let Tigers back into the game a fair bit, but it also sounds like a few key mistakes led to the lead in the first place (e.g. Staunton's pass, Crane's dropped high ball prior to Williams' try). How much did the O's really outplay us in the first half? Which mistakees were as the result of pressure and which were unforced i wonder.

I think both side's will fancy their chances on the return leg. Ospreys could well have won at welford road so know they can beat us. but we know we can score 4 tries with an injury-decimated squad, so if we have a full squad at the Liberty it could be pretty tight.

 

[dullonien]

The Ospreys haven't lost at home in the HC for 11 games I think, impresive stat. I think the Ospreys should take it at home. Maybe the Tigers were better off without their first choice players? They certainly haven't been scoring tries like that before yesterday (probably not, just thinking out loud.)

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

Billy Twelvetrees (BRILLIANT name, by the way) was only announced as a change as the players walked onto the field, and yet turned out to be man-of-the-match, casuing problems for us everywhere and anywhere. Frankly, I'd pick him voer Hipkiss anyday.

And I'd pick almost anyone over Harry Ellis.

 

[Olyy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DuncTheDoodle @ Oct 13 2009, 06:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Billy Twelvetrees (BRILLIANT name, by the way) was only announced as a change as the players walked onto the field, and yet turned out to be man-of-the-match, casuing problems for us everywhere and anywhere. Frankly, I'd pick him voer Hipkiss anyday.[/b]

He did play fantastically, i'd never heard of him before that match, but he was very impressive
If he keeps it up then he should find his way onto the Saxons before long