On Sunday afternoon the City Ground in Nottingham was filled with expectation and hope. The progression of Leicester Tigers this season has been marked and impressive so the fact they believed that they could beat Racing 92 and progress to the Champions Cup final was an entirely realistic viewpoint. Alas their handling deserted them and in the end it was a case of too little, too late.
The ultimate frustration for Leicester and their coaches was the fact that they created multiple scoring opportunities but failed to finish a large proportion of them. It was due to their own errors that more points weren’t put on the board and having watched the match sitting next to their coaching box I can tell you that Richard Cockerill wasn’t happy about it. At the scrummage Dan Cole gave Eddy Ben Arous plenty to think about and before he left the field Freddie Burns was enjoying the European stage before Owen Williams replaced him and continued in the same vain. In fairness to Leicester not all of their errors were individual 'brain farts' some were forced by the pressure that they were put under by Racing 92. Dan Carter and his side were defensive tyrants, their line speed and pressure on the gainline was crippling, and when they needed to they also scrambled well.
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Carter himself made 14 tackles, only eclipsed by the work rate of Chris Masoe with 18 and in attack the World Player of the Year was effortlessly brilliant. Everything went through the fly-half, he pulled all of the strings and did so with a coolness of character that permeated through the rest of his side. The small matter of a European semi-final did not faze him and his work, combined with the firecracker that is Maxime Machenaud, drove Racing to victory.
Of course questions will be ask as to whether or not the occasion got to the Tigers? Indeed only the players themselves will be able to say if that was the case, and if it was then they’re unlikely to admit that openly. It was their first European semi-final in a number of years and it involved a set of players that haven't been through that experience together before. As I mentioned in the review of Saracens' semi-final sometimes you have to lose a few big games in order to learn how to win them. Regardless of that point all at the club will view it as an opportunity missed and I imagine that their analysis session was a fairly blunt one.
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Now the Tigers must shift their focus immediately to facing Worcester on Saturday afternoon and securing a Premiership playoff place. The work and strides that they've made this season have not been in vain, instead they simply suffered from a bad day at the office at the worst possible European moment. The return to Welford Road will not be as jovial as it would have been with a European final place been secured and their frustration will fire them up. Dean Ryan and his Worcester Warriors should be a touch concerned because I guarantee you that we'll see a highly motivated Tigers' side running out on Saturday afternoon that's eager to prove a point, as much to themselves, as to everyone else.
Opta Match Statistics
Possesion - Leicester Tigers - 59% v Racing 92 - 41%
Territory - Leicester Tigeres - 58% v Racing 92 - 42%
Defenders Beaten - Leicester Tigers - 19 v Racing 92 - 18
Turnovers Conceded - Leicester Tigers - 22 v Racing 92 - 15
Carries
Opta Match Statistics
Possesion - Leicester Tigers - 59% v Racing 92 - 41%
Territory - Leicester Tigeres - 58% v Racing 92 - 42%
Defenders Beaten - Leicester Tigers - 19 v Racing 92 - 18
Turnovers Conceded - Leicester Tigers - 22 v Racing 92 - 15
Carries
Chris Masoe 17
Dom Barrow 13
Telusa Veainu 12
Wemcelas Lauret 8
Brice Dulin 7
Metres Made
Telusa Veainu 91
Peter Betham 90
Brice Dunlin 67
Joe Rokocoko 66
Vereniki Goneva 61
Tackles
Chris Masoe 18
Dan Carter 14
Wenceslas Lauret 14
Harry Thacker 12
Dom Barrow 9
Dom Barrow 9
