Reports of Tom O’Flaherty’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
I’ve seen lots of commentary about this game, much of it along the lines of “tedious”, “dull”, “forgettable first half”, and so on.
I suppose it depends on what you want out of a game. If you’re only interested in lots of tries, then, yes, I suppose this game – especially the first half – was somewhat turgid. On the other hand, if, like me, you want to watch a game where the team not in possession actually tries to stop the other lot from scoring, where teams employ tactics to exploit perceived weaknesses – tactics that may take more than half the game to pay off – then this was quite an engrossing match.
Some people can only watch T20, others prefer test matches. I’m not judging anyone’s preferences; I’m simply saying that, just because it wasn’t exciting in the way you wanted it to be, that doesn’t mean it deserves the pejoratives that tend to get scattered around.
If you can think back to that first half and not immediately recall the arse-clenching tension of that five-minute brutal try-line defensive set and the sense of overwhelming relief when the ball finally squirted out, and Flats hoofed it upfield…
If you can think back to that first half and the deliberate ploy to make their big buggers run themselves into the ground – a ploy which paid off in the second half and allowed us to run through them for the bonus-point win – and see it as ‘aimless kicking’…
Then all I can say is that you’re missing out on half the pleasure that this fabulous sport offers the paying punter.
Now, before you start ‘yeah, butting’ me, yes, there were plenty of errors out there: dropped balls, misdirected kicks, yadda, yadda. I’m not disputing that, but there’s a difference between criticising the intent and criticising the execution. Granted, the execution was not always top-notch, but it was proper brass monkeys out there, so you’ve got to give some leeway. And it paid off: we got the bonus point win, we guaranteed a place in the next round and even gave ourselves the possibility of a home tie in the round of 16 (finishing the match within six points in Toulouse – or getting two bonus points – and Saracens not getting more league points than us in Glasgow would leave us second in the group1).
Could we have scored more in the first half? Certainly. Should we have gone in at halftime with a bigger lead? Probably. Did we bust a gut trying? Definitely.
It’s tricky trying to record details of the game when you don’t have access to a replay of the match, so excuse me if I skim over it and go for a big picture, overall impressions-style report.
I think I had Flats down as my man of the match somewhere in the first half, and he went on to confirm that impression in the second. Scoring two tries didn’t hurt, but I thought it was his play off the ball that was the real asset to the team. Getting in people’s faces, providing a distraction, hitting rucks— if there was one incident with which he earned his match fee, it was that chase and tackle in the first half that stopped an otherwise nailed-on try for them. Fielding that long penalty to touch was just the cherry on the icing. [🤔 -Ed]
What a pity that ‘highlights’ packages don’t usually show all the highlights…
On the other wing, Obi (must resist!) Ene had a decent European debut. He was unlucky to have his ‘try’ pulled back for a forward pass, but his interplay with Fordy for Flats’s first try was sublime.
I was afraid for the first couple of scrums that Koch had got Bev’s number, but the scrum stabilised and, by the end, was pushing dominance.
Incidentally, I must give credit to Vincent Koch. As he went off after being substituted, he stopped by Bev and gave him a pat on the arm as if to say, ‘well played’. It’s not something you see very often, and I imagine it meant a great deal to Bev. It certainly raised my respect for the man.
Also, well done to Ben Bamber for actually knowing the laws of the game – at least, better than their scrum half did. I was wondering what he was doing, shaping up for a box kick a metre from his own try line. Did he not know that, as soon as the ball enters the in-goal, everything changes? Offside lines disappear, mauls can be collapsed, and the ball is no longer in the ruck… It was just a pity that Ben knocked it on in the act of trying to ground it.
So, on to Toulouse. Again. Three times in just over three years. It’s a nice place, but I’d like to go somewhere else, please. (Actually, I’m going to and from Bordeaux – travelling down for the match on Saturday, then back to Bordeaux on Sunday. It makes a change.)
There is all to play for in the final round. We could theoretically finish anywhere from first to fourth. We had Toulouse worried the last time we were out there; we just have to believe that they are beatable. Last time we played them in Salford, I remember Gus getting right up Dupont’s nose. If he can do that again, we might be able to blunt one of their most potent threats.
Third time lucky.
Believe…
- Five points in Toulouse and a Saracens win could see us as group winners… ↩︎
an old grey dog 