Leicester head into the final third of the regular season just about on course for one of their regular European places but licking plenty of wounds and without a try in more than five hours of rugby.
The last Tiger to get over the line was Tom Youngs against Bath and that was 303 minutes ago. On Sunday, against a side more interested in rebuilding for next season, they did not get within a sniff.
It was not all their fault. Leicester started with an untested midfield because of injuries to Mana Tuilagi – not expected to play until the Six Nations is over – Anthony Allen and others, and finished without a recognised fly-half in full working order once Freddie Burns had failed the half-time concussion protocols.
The last 40 minutes were played with their current third-choice scrum-half, David Mélé, directing the show and kicking the penalty that just about saw Leicester home. With Owen Williams out for the season, Mélé could be on from the start next week if either Tommy Bell, normally a full back, or Seremaia Bai, more often a centre, do not fancy the job.
The only good news for Leicester – and England – is that Tom Croft had a good 80-minute workout, while Tom Youngs was a bundle of energy for 70 and Geoff Parling should be fit to travel either to Dublin or Sale, neither a place where wins come easily.
The first dire 40 minutes was made up of London Irish trying to escape the grip of Leicester’s set piece while Shane Geraghty used what little ball the Exiles had to inflict a bit of pain of his own, lofting high balls into the swirling, chilly wind and into the cold hands of Mathew Tait, Vereniki Goneva and Miles Benjamin.
He succeeded to the extent that Irish got to within three points shortly after half-time while Leicester’s pack were being confounded by their fly-half, Burns. Five times the pack won penalties in kickable positions but only twice was Burns accurate enough and even a drop goal – won by yet another scrum indiscretion – was a poor reward for the labours of the pack.
They sent Irish backwards or down so often that the yellow for Geoff Cross, released by Scotland, was only a matter of time coming once Wayne Barnes had administered his second warning to the captain, George Skivington, and his men.
If anything the second half was worse, with no one around to use what ball Leicester were winning and that was reduced by the labours of Leo Halavatau, who replaced Cross. “I was just happy to win,” said Leicester’s director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, before musing on those missed kicks. “Eighteen-three at half-time and it would have been a different mindset.”
Cockerill was unapologetic for the lack of tries. “You have to find a way to win. It’s substance over style. It’s a win and you take it.” Whether that will be good enough against Sale and then at another improving side, Newcastle, is another matter and Cockerill believes he is unlikely to have a full-strength side at his disposal for the rest of the season.
For Glenn Delaney, the caretaker coach at Irish until Tom Coventry arrives from Waikato Chiefs, the job is to keep the show on the road while recruiting goes on around him. Andy Goode is on his way from Wasps, the Scotland wing Sean Maitland is in the bag and there is the prospect of a couple of Kiwis to strengthen the pack: the All Black prop Ben Franks and possibly 25-year-old Matt Symonds, the former Esher lock who now captains the Chiefs and is on the radar of both England and New Zealand, for whom he qualifies in May.
London Irish: Fenby; Ojo (Griffin, 23), Fowlie, Sheridan, Lewington; Geraghty, Steele (Allinson, 60); Court, Paice (Stevens, 81), Cross (Halavatau, 45), Skivington, Sinclair (Rouse, 52), Treviranus, Gilsenan, Guest (Narraway, 59)
Pens: Geraghty 2. Sin bin: Cross 35
Leicester: Tait; Goneva (Morris, 75), Catchpole, Roberts (Bai, 50), Benjamin; Burns (Mele, ht), Harrison; Ayerza (Rizzo, 73), Youngs (Briggs, 70), Mulipola (Balmain, 68), De Chaves, Kitchener (Whetton, 59), Croft, Gibson (Pearce, 62), Crane
Pens: Burns 2, Mele. Drop goal: Burns.
Ref: Wayne Barnes (RFU)
