Lewis Moody’s Guide to the LV= Cup Fourth Round

Posted on Jan 29, 2013 in LV=

Rugby World Cup winner Lewis Moody is convinced that there will be a couple of surprising names in the hat for the LV= Cup semi-finals after this weekend’s final round of Pool matches.

The two sides struggling in Aviva Premiership Rugby, namely Sale Sharks and London Irish, currently sit top of their respective Pools ahead of traditional powerhouses Leicester Tigers and Saracens.

And with the Exiles travel to a Cardiff Blues side on Friday that are all but out of contention Moody has called on Brian Smith’s side to ride their recent good form into the Welsh capital.

“It’s strange how it works sometimes,” said Moody, who won the LV= Cup with Leicester back in 2007.

“I can guarantee you that Irish would prefer to be winning games in Aviva Premiership Rugby and clear of relegation, as would Sale, but a cup like the LV= can get a side going and create momentum.

“And I can see Irish going to Cardiff and getting the job done and making it into the hat for the semi-finals.

“The Blues are a young side and will be missing a lot of players on international duty and Irish are on a good run of results with Marland Yarde in red-hot form so I’m backing them to win by six points.”

Saracens’ much vaunted squad depth has them right on Irish’s heels waiting for them to slip up atop Pool 3 and despite predicting Sarries to get the better of Worcester Warriors this weekend, Moody thinks it might not be enough to see them progress.

“Sarries really are an incredible force these days with an amazing squad and while Sixways is a very tough place to go to normally, Worcester have not got much to play for while Saracens will be going for the bonus point win to put pressure on Irish,” he said.

“I’m predicting them to win by quite a few points, maybe as many as 15, but Irish will beat the Blues handily as I said and that will be the end of Sarries’ chances.”

Meanwhile in Pool 3 fellow Aviva Premiership strugglers Sale face a trip to Adams Park to take on Wasps knowing that a win might be enough to put them into the final four.

But Moody knows from personal experience what a tough proposition Wasps are at home and is predicting Wasps to spoil the party for Steve Diamond’s men.

“Sale will struggle at Wasps if I’m honest,” he added. “They are a tough side with talent all over the park and despite missing a few players on international duty will still pose a real threat.

“I think they’ll be too strong for an undoubtedly dogged Sale side and that might leave a space for my old boys Leicester.”

Sale’s rivals for the top spot in Pool 2 are Moody’s former club and defending LV= Cup champions Leicester.

Last year, despite using almost exclusively their younger players in the competition, they made serene progress all the way to the title. And Moody does not see why they cannot do it again this time around, including their trip to Scarlets this weekend.

“Leicester, like Irish, are facing a trip to Wales,” said Moody.

“The Scarlets will not pose much of a problem in my eyes and I can see the Tigers coming away with a comfortable win, by 13 points because they’re so good in these situations.”

In Pool 1 Quins’ challenge on three fronts this season looks set to continue, currently four points clear at the top of their group, a draw in Wales against the Ospreys this weekend would be enough to guarantee their progress.

But Moody sees a lot of the dominant Tigers sides of the 2000s in Conor O’Shea’s men and is predicting them to seal their semi spot in style at the Liberty Stadium.

“Ospreys have been a little inconsistent this season, they pushed my old club Leicester close in the Heineken Cup but the LV= Cup has not gone as well for them,” he said.

“Quins meanwhile are really starting to remind me of the Tigers team of old, no matter who comes into the side everyone understands their roles and they are so consistent.

“I cut my teeth in the LV= Cup as a youngster and it’s the same for some of these Quins youngsters who continue to impress despite almost the whole team being changed.

“The Liberty Stadium is sometimes a tough place to go but I’m still picking Quins by ten points.”

That predicted Quins victory will sound the death knell for Exeter Chiefs’ hopes of progressing with Gloucester Rugby and the Dragons already out of contention in the group.

But Moody is still convinced that the Chiefs will have enough about them to spoil Northampton Saints’ own hopes of progressing when the two sides meet at Sandy Park on Saturday.

“Not many teams have been able to go to Exeter in the past two years and get a win and I can’t see that being any different this time around,” he added.

“Sides like to do well in the LV as a route to Europe and Saints could still make the semi-finals with a win but to be honest they have disappointed me a bit this year.

“Squad depth is something they have struggled with for a while and the LV= Cup means some players have to have a rest.

“With that in mind I think the Chiefs, who themselves can go through with a win, will have too much for the Saints down south and will win by five points.”

If the Saints do indeed slip up at Exeter that will leave the door open in Pool 2 for another of Moody’s former clubs, Bath Rugby.

And the former England flanker is confident his old boys will be able to take full advantage in their West Country derby with Gloucester.

“Gloucester may be out of the competition but every game between these two sides is huge and this will be a grudge match,” he said.

“But despite that Bath will have enough about them to edge through and make the semi-finals, this competition means more to them while Gloucester have top-four ambitions in the league to focus on, I can see Bath edging a tight one by three points or less.”

That leaves the only dead-rubber of the weekend pitting London Welsh against the Dragons, a clash that Moody thinks will finally give the Welsh regions some bragging rights.

“The Welsh regions have been a bit disappointing this season, I don’t know if it’s a hangover from Wales form on the international stage in the last 12 months,” he added.

“But this weekend I think the Dragons, fresh from a good win last weekend, will have too much for London Welsh and will win by 15 points.”

Lewis’ predictions:

Pool 1 vs Pool 4

Ospreys v Harlequins – Quins by 10 points

Exeter Chiefs v Northampton Saints – Chiefs by 5

Gloucester Rugby v Bath Rugby – Bath by 3

London Welsh v Dragons – Dragons by 15

Pool 2 vs Pool 3

Cardiff Blues v London Irish – Irish by 6

London Wasps v Sale Sharks – Wasps by 17

Scarlets v Leicester Tigers – Tigers by 13

Worcester Warriors v Saracens – Sarries by 15

Lewis Moody’s Semi-finalists: Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, London Irish, Bath Rugby

Parling agrees new contract with Leicester Tigers

Posted on Jan 14, 2013 in Leicester Tigers

International second-rower Geoff Parling has agreed terms on a new contract to stay with Leicester Tigers beyond the end of this season.

Parling joined Leicester from Newcastle Falcons in the summer of 2009 and has now made more than 50 starts for the club.

Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: “We told Geoff that he has always been part of our plans going forward and it is very good news that he has decided to stay with us.

“He has been an important guy for us over the last four seasons and is now an established international player too.

“His decision shows the quality of the environment we have at Leicester Tigers and that plays a big part in players wanting to stay here. Geoff wants to continue to develop as a player and he agrees with us that he can do that best by playing for Leicester Tigers.”

The 29-year-old Parling has made 60 appearances for Leicester Tigers, including the Premiership Final victory in 2010 and last year’s final at Twickenham.

He joins fellow England internationals Tom and Ben Youngs, and Tigers forwards Graham Kitchener, Steve Mafi and Julian Salvi, in agreeing terms to contracts beyond this season.

Leicester Tigers disappointed by omission from Rugby World Cup 2015 list

Posted on Oct 9, 2012 in Leicester Tigers

Leicester Tigers chairman Peter Tom CBE says the club is surprised and disappointed by the decision not to include Welford Road among potential venues for the Rugby World Cup in England in 2015.

Mr Tom said: “We are hugely disappointed to learn that Welford Road will not play a part in England’s hosting of the Rugby World Cup in 2015.

“When the International Rugby Board awarded the Rugby World Cup to the country that gave this sport to the world we saw this as an opportunity to celebrate the international game and also the professional club game here. Leicester Tigers wanted to be part of that.

“Welford Road has hosted many, many major occasions over the years, including visits from South Africa, Australia and Argentina national teams in recent seasons. It is home to the best-supported and most successful club in the history of the professional game in this country and, as such, we believe is worthy of Rugby World Cup status.

“Leicester Tigers has always been a forward-thinking and progressive club, and has played an important role in the development and promotion of the game in this country. Who can forget that both head coach and captain of England’s World Cup-winning team in 2003, and several other members of the squad and backroom staff, spent major parts of their own careers in Leicester colours? The current England squad also contains a sizeable number of Leicester players, many of whom have been introduced to the sport as fans at Welford Road and have come through the club’s Academy structure to first-team and then international honours.

“It is that kind of heritage and dedication to the development of the game that makes the name of Leicester Tigers and Welford Road stadium known throughout the rugby-playing world.
“Welford Road is the largest designated club rugby stadium in England, an iconic home of the sport in this country and home to the most successful club in the history of a thriving, competitive and successful league structure yet it will not be at the table when it comes to hosting a global rugby event in this country.

“That the organisers of RWC2015 do not think this an appropriate venue for its fixtures is disappointing and confusing both for the professional club game in this country and for its supporters.

“Leicester Tigers has the largest community of rugby supporters of any club in the country and the club invested £15million in building the new Caterpillar Stand in 2009 to take Welford Road’s capacity up to 24,000. A programme of development will continue to improve facilities and the matchday experience for players, supporters and corporate guests. It is disappointing that this investment is not rewarded with World Cup status while many other venues on the proposed list do not show that level of commitment to our sport.

“We wish all of the Leicester Tigers players who will be representing their national teams at RWC2015 every success in it.”

Chiefs relish challenge of facing the Tigers

Posted on Sep 28, 2012 in Exeter Chiefs

Exeter coaches Rob Baxter and Ali Hepher insist their Chiefs side are relishing the challenges that lie ahead over this next month – and will head to Leicester Tigers tomorrow looking to build on what has been an encouraging start for the Devon club in the Aviva Premiership so far.

Sat fifth in the league standings going into this weekend’s fixture, the Chiefs returned to winning ways last Sunday as they overcame Saracens 14-12 in a hard fought battle at Sandy Park.

Certainly it was a much-needed boost for Baxter’s side, which had gone into their latest contest having suffered back-to-back losses on the road to both Northampton Saints and newly-promoted London Welsh.

However, the hard work begins in earnest again tomorrow as the Chiefs – who did the double over the Tigers last season – travel to Welford Road to face a side still licking their wounds after suffering a loss at home to defending champions Harlequins a week ago.

“We have had some success there in the past, but Leicester lost their last weekend, so it’s always nice to go and play Leicester just after they have lost!” said Baxter, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. “It is going to be a fantastic test of our attitude and our commitment to play, but that’s what the Premiership is all about.

“We do enjoy going to Leicester because it is a fantastic place to play rugby, with a fantastic crowd in a fantastic sporting arena, and playing against a team who have been one of the best sides in Europe for a long time.

“If you don’t want to play in a game that could bring the best out of you, you shouldn’t really be involved in this."

It’s a view endorsed by Baxter’s assistant Hepher, who added: "We’re excited by these upcoming fixtures because as players you want to be playing the top clubs, so it’s a great test for our guys. We know thrive on new challenges and these next few weeks are certainly a good challenge."

Having kicked off this five-game block against Sarries, the Chiefs will now come face to face with the Tigers and Harlequins in the Premiership, before coming up against defending champions Leinster and French giants Clermont Auvergne in the Heineken Cup.

"I said to the players ‘you might never get the opportunity in your rugby career again to play in a set of fixtures like this, so what are you going to do? Are you going to look at it and think what a fantastic challenge it is and get yourself right in the thick of it, and make sure you enjoy every part of it you can?’” said Baxter. "Or will we look at in a negative kind of way?

“We know we could have some great nights coming up and I have told the players to think of it that way. We don’t be weighed down by games three or four weeks away. We have got to get ready for Leicester, and I hope we can have a good bus on the way home from Welford Road because we have put in a good performance, whether it wins us the game or not."

The Chiefs will travel to the East Midlands having been forced to make one change to their winning line-up. Back-row forward James Phillips injured his knee in the Saracens encounter and is set for a prolonged spell on the side-lines, but Exeter have a more than able replacement in the shape of England international Tom Johnson, who himself was forced to sit out last week’s action.

The only other change in personnel comes in the back division where Kiwi centre Jason Shoemark returns to the fold at the expense of Phil Dollman. Shoemark’s inclusion in the midfield alongside Sireli Naqelevuki means summer signing Ian Whitten is switched to the right wing. Dollman, meanwhile, starts on the bench in place of Mark Foster.

So with a familiar feel to the Exeter line-up, coaches Baxter and Hepher are hoping their troops will perform in the heat of battle. Hepher added: "Last week was good, but equally we’ve kept level headed about it all. Like always we didn’t get carried away when we lost at London Welsh – and equally we haven’t got carried away having beaten Saracens.

"We’re well aware going to Leicester is always a tough ask. Yes, we may have won there last season, but at the same time you have to remember they were numbers down on that day because of the World Cup. It will be a different story this weekend, we know that, but equally we’re in good form ourselves and we’ve played some good rugby apart from one game.

"As always we will look to play our game and challenge Leicester in different ways."

(more…)

Goldington road gets the thumbs up for LV=Cup clash

Posted on Sep 14, 2012 in Leicester Tigers, Saracens

The agreement means that this will be a ‘home’ game for Saracens and the Blues expect a bumper crowd due the location between London and Leicester as well as Bedford fans who are unable to travel to Doncaster for the Championship match at Castle Park on the same night.

Clashes between Saracens and Leicester are never dull and the two clubs played out an enthralling Premiership Final match in 2011 with Saracens lifting the Premiership title for the very first time. The two teams also face off in the Premiership this weekend with the game being played at Wembley Stadium.

Looking ahead to the LV=Cup fixture, Geoff Irvine, Chairman of Bedford Blues, said: “We are very excited to be invited to host this

contest between two of the leading clubs in the country. It will provide a unique opportunity for local rugby enthusiasts to enjoy top class competitive rugby on their doorstep.”

Mark McCall, Director of Rugby at Saracens, added: “Goldington Road is a traditional rugby ground that we know well from recent pre-season friendlies, and we look forward to taking on the Tigers in a venue that will provide a fantastic atmosphere.”

Richard Cockerill, Leicester Tigers Director of Rugby, said: "It will certainly be nice to play a competitive fixture at Goldington Road, a good old traditional rugby ground, for the cup game with Saracens.

"A number of our players have had experience of playing at Bedford in recent years. Fingers crossed it’ll be a cracking game for everyone to enjoy."