Heineken Champions Cup: Leicester Tigers vs Leinster, Welford Road, Saturday 5.30pm, (live on BT Sport 2)
So Leinster have arrived at that familiar, almost defining, point in their season. Rolling over inferior opposition in the URC or the Champions Cup pool stages is all well and good, but then along comes the acid test, the kind of heavyweight opposition that targets their set-piece and beats them up a little physically, with Will Skelton a common denominator, and preventing them from achieving their inventive attacking rhythm.
Cue the post-match inquisition. Oh, if only they had a Will Skelton etc.
For Saracens (twice) La Rochelle in the last three seasons, read Leicester. Steve Borthwick has remoulded and revived the Tigers in both his and their image. Akin to Saracens in their pomp, they play little or no rugby in their own half and test their opponent’s patience and kick/chase games.
Leicester kick the most out of hand in the Premiership and the Champions Cup (204 times in six games), and by a distance. In their opening win away to Bordeaux they kicked the ball in open play 58 times.
Ben Youngs will go to the air and George F …
- May 7, 2022
Heineken Champions Cup: Leicester Tigers vs Leinster, Welford Road, Saturday 5.30pm, (live on BT Sport 2)
So Leinster have arrived at that familiar, almost defining, point in their season. Rolling over inferior opposition in the URC or the Champions Cup pool stages is all well and good, but then along comes the acid test, the kind of heavyweight opposition that targets their set-piece and beats them up a little physically, with Will Skelton a common denominator, and preventing them from achieving their inventive attacking rhythm.
Cue the post-match inquisition. Oh, if only they had a Will Skelton etc.
For Saracens (twice) La Rochelle in the last three seasons, read Leicester. Steve Borthwick has remoulded and revived the Tigers in both his and their image. Akin to Saracens in their pomp, they play little or no rugby in their own half and test their opponent’s patience and kick/chase games.
Leicester kick the most out of hand in the Premiership and the Champions Cup (204 times in six games), and by a distance. In their opening win away to Bordeaux they kicked the ball in open play 58 times.
Ben Youngs will go to the air and George F …