Youngs' flash of temper may land him in hot water | The Independent Youngs' flash of temper may land him in hot water London Irish 32 Leicester Tigers 41 Sunday 25 March 2012 23:00 BST Click to follow Youngs' flash of temper may land him in hot water 1/2 BEN YOUNGS: The scrum-half appeared to drop his right knee on the prone body of Jamie Gibson Getty Images Horacio Agulla, of Leicester, is tackled by London Irish’s Matt Garvey Getty Images BEN YOUNGS: The scrum-half appeared to drop his right knee on the prone body of Jamie Gibson Generally speaking, it takes something very special – or, perhaps, deeply controversial – to leave a man called Homer playing second fiddle in an epic. A Madejski Stadium crowd of 20,000-plus witnessed both during the course of yesterday's captivating Premiership encounter: the first in the form of a brilliant scrummaging display from a pack of Leicester forwards with the scent of blood in their nostrils; the second in the shape of Ben Youngs, the England scrum-half. Or more precisely, Ben Youngs' right knee.

At the start of a week in which two members of the red-rose squad, the Northampton players Dylan Hartley and Calum Clark, are being hauled before the beak to answer charges of violent excess, it will be surprising indeed if their international colleague does not join them in the dock. Youngs clearly dropped his knee on to the prone body of the London Irish back-rower Jamie Gibson in the closing seconds of the first half – an act that prompted his opposite number, Darren Allinson, to seek immediate retribution, thereby instigating a mass dust-up – and while Gibson might not have been entirely blameless, he was unquestionably more sinned against than sinner. Asked for his take on this latest flash of temper from Youngs, the London Irish coach Toby Booth went for the euphemistic approach. "What did I think? I thought it was unnecessary," he said. "Was Jamie wrong to hold him back? Probably. But when that happens to someone who can't defend himself, it's a bit different. Still, the right people will have a look at it. What will be, will be." As for the Leicester director of rugby Richard Cockerill, there was more than a whiff of resignation about his reaction.

"Ben is trying to play, he gets held down, he leverages himself off," he said by way of an attempted explanation before giving it up as a bad job. "It's not ideal," he admitted, eventually. "Whether it's citable is not for me to say, but if we were to lose him at this stage of the season, it wouldn't be good." This was a fiercely contested match, teetering on the fractious, which explains why the two goalkickers, Tom Homer and Toby Flood, had plenty of opportunities to hone their marksmanship skills. Yet while Flood, operating behind a dominant set-piece, kicked with impressive accuracy, he was overshadowed – in this department at least – by his opponent. Three times between the 70th and 75th minutes, with the outcome very much in the balance, Homer was asked to land 50m shots from left field. Three times, he bisected the sticks with such precision that the phrase "middle of the middle", coined by the long-time England kicking coach Dave Alred, sprang to mind.

"He's a special kid and that was a special performance," acknowledged Brian Smith, newly reinstalled at the top end of the Exiles' rugby operation after a three-year tour of duty with England. Smith played alongside some half-decent points-gatherers during his time in international rugby with Australia and Ireland – the great Wallaby midfield strategist Michael Lynagh, for one – and has worked with a few more top-of-the-bill acts during his coaching career, including some bloke by the name of Wilkinson. Yet there was a moment yesterday when it was difficult to believe he had ever seen anything better. Homer also contributed a second-half try after wrong-footing the aforementioned Youngs, among others, in open field a dozen or so minutes after the interval, but for all the full-back's heroics, he would finish on the losing side.

Leicester, slow to react to the pace and tempo of the contest in the opening quarter but ahead through close-range scores from Flood and Julian Salvi well before the half-hour mark, had more than their share of dodgy moments, but with the likes of Marcos Ayerza, Dan Cole and, latterly, Martin Castrogiovanni squeezing the Exiles' pips in the darkened recesses, they established complete command in the area that really mattered. Cole, especially, appears to have added considerable amounts to his game over the course of the Six Nations – a fact probably attributable to his regular appearances in the England starting XV, having spent too much time on the Leicester bench. Certainly, he asked some difficult questions of his international front-row colleague, the London Irish loose-head prop Alex Corbisiero, as yesterday's game unfolded. There was also much to be said of Ayerza's performance on the opposite side of the scrum. Quite why the current Argentine coaches think less of him than the Tigers' back-room team is a mystery that passeth all understanding. The marginalised Puma was magnificent here.

Not that the beaten Smith was unduly disappointed at seeing the visitors rise to third in the Premiership table at the expense of his own side, who cannot find a way out of the bottom four. Having suffered the worst trauma of his sporting career in the aftermath of the failed World Cup campaign – once again, he referred to the "grubby" leaking of three post-tournament reviews to the media – he seemed happy enough to be back in the game he considered quitting for good. He even dressed for the occasion, in a smart two-piece. "The RFU spends a lot of money on a lot of things, including clothes," he remarked, "and while they didn't spend that much saying goodbye to me, unfortunately, they left me this suit. And I intend to wear it until the bloody thing's threadbare." Scorers: London Irish - Tries: Evans, Homer. Conversions: Homer 2. Penalties: Homer 5. Drop goal: Bowden. Leicester - Tries: Flood, Salvi, Tuilagi, Croft. Conversions: Flood 3. Penalties: Flood 5.

London Irish: T Homer; M Yarde (D Armitage, 67), J Ansbro, S Shingler, S Tagicakibau; D Bowden, D Allinson (P Hodgson, 67); A Corbisiero (M Lahiff 47), D Paice (J Buckland, 50), F Rautenbach (P Ion, 31), N Kennedy (capt), B Evans (R Casey, 67), D Danaher, M Garvey (O Treviranus, 59) J Gibson (A Gray, 67). Leicester: G Murphy (capt); H Agulla, M Tuilagi, W Twelvetrees, S Hamilton; T Flood, B Youngs (J Grindal, 60); M Ayerza (L Mulipola, 66), G Chuter, D Cole (M Castrogiovanni, 56), G Skivington, G Parling, S Mafi (T Croft,53), J Salvi, T Waldrom. Referee: D Richards (Berkshire).

Leicester Tigers | Rugby Union | Fandom powered by Wikia File:E.Redman 1895.jpg Leicester Football Club was formed in a meeting held in the city's George Hotel on August 1880 by the merger of three smaller teams: Leicester Societies AFC, Leicester Amateur FC and Leicester Alert. That October, the new club wore black for their first game against Moseley at the Belgrave Cricket and Cycle Ground. It was not until five years or so later that the nickname "Tigers" was first used, the Leicester Daily Post reporting that "the Tiger stripes were keeping well together". The origin of the nickname is uncertain, but it may have come from the Leicestershire Regiment (which became in 1946 The Royal Leicestershire Regiment ). The Regiment had received the nickname 'Tigers' after serving in India , and from 1825 had worn a cap-badge with a 'royal' tiger to mark the connection. An alternative theory is that the team wore a brown and yellow striped shirt. In their early years, they were also known as "The Death or Glory Boys".

The now-famous scarlet, green and white jerseys were not introduced until 1891, although these were in a vertical stripe formation until the distinctive hoops were first worn in September 1895. They moved in 1892 to their present ground at Welford Road , Leicester . Having won the Midlands Cup every year from 1898 to 1905, they dropped out "to give other teams a chance". [1] In the 1926/27 season, Leicester started using letters to identify their forwards, expanding the practice by 1931/32 to the whole team. Post war Edit In 1947 local winger Harry Sibson joined from Aylestonians and went on to play 183 games. Harry is credited for the introduction of the new offside law. Harry went onto fulfil many roles at Leicester Tigers including club secretary and club president. [2] [3] [4] With the arrival of Chalkie White in 1968, things began to improve significantly. He was a very progressive coach who demanded high standards of fitness and tactics.

His unique style of coaching brought success on the pitch, and with that success came increased attendances. Leicester started to grow as a club towards the end of the 1970s. At the start of the decade, the club had just 600–700 members and gates were less than 1,000. By 1980, the Tigers had reached their first cup final, and the club was on its way towards a substantial period of growth. During 1970s the team played in front of a packed stadium during the annual Boxing Day Barbarians event (in contrast with the usual 750–2,000 spectators). With the advent of professionalism in the mid-1990s, with league fixtures being played over the Christmas period, regular games against the Barbarians have stopped. A first Twickenham final appearance ended in defeat by Gloucester in the John Player Cup in 1978, but the Tigers won the next three against Moseley (15–12), London Irish (21–9) and Gosforth (22–15). This meant they were allowed to keep the trophy.

The fifth final was a loss to Bristol in 1983. In August 1980, Leicester became the first English club to go on a tour in the southern hemisphere, where they played six games in Australia and Fiji to mark the club's centenary. In the 1980s, the club still enjoyed the benefits of amateur rugby, with nights away and Easter tours, although off the pitch the Tigers were taking their first steps towards corporate sponsorship. When they beat Waterloo on the last day of the 1987/88 season, the Tigers became England’s first official champions. Nineties and onwards Edit The early 1990s saw the emergence of Leicester's renowned ABC Club, so called because of the letters the front row players wore on their backs, with Graham Rowntree , hooker Richard Cockerill and Darren Garforth . Leicester began one of the greatest winning streaks of any team. This streak started when a young pack helped Leicester to defeat Harlequins 23–16 in the 1993 cup final.

They were English champions again in 1995, won the Pilkington Cup in 1997 (9–3 against Sale) and were the first English team to get to the Heineken Cup final before losing to Brive in the same year. In the 1996 cup final, Tigers lost to Bath (which was just finishing its own great domination of English rugby) after Steve Lander gave a contentious penalty try to in the last minute which sealed their victory. After the match Neil Back pushed over Lander landing himself a six-month ban. From 1999 to 2002, under the captaincy of Martin Johnson and the management of Dean Richards , who became Director of Rugby for the club in February 1998, they won four consecutive Premiership titles and the first Zürich Championship play-offs, [5] bringing their total of league championships to six — tied with Bath for most wins. They also won the Heineken Cup in 2001 and 2002 — Leicester defeated Stade Français (34–30) in 2001, and Munster (15–9) in 2002.

Leicester during this time had a very good home record; they went 57 games unbeaten at home in a period that stretched from 30 December 1997 to 30 November 2002 and included 52 successive wins. During these four seasons Leicester lost only 14 games out of the 92 they played. In the 2003 Rugby World Cup , the club had seven representatives in the winning England squad: Martin Johnson (captain), Neil Back , Martin Corry , Ben Kay , Lewis Moody , Dorian West and Julian White . However while these players were away, Leicester's form suffered and they were 11th in the league and dumped out of the Heineken cup in the group stages when they decided to sack Dean Richards who was succeeded by the forwards' coach John Wells. Post Richards era File:Martin Johnson and Graham Rowntree.jpg In John Wells ' first full season in charge of the team Leicester finished the regular season top of the league, also progressing to the semi-final of the Heineken cup before defeat to Toulouse at the Walkers Stadium . In Martin Johnson and Neil Back's last game for Leicester they lost the Premiership Final to Wasps .

After this game John Wells left Leicester to take up a position in the RFU's coaching academy, eventually rising to England forwards coach. He was succeeded by Pat Howard In 2005–06, the Tigers finished second to the Sale Sharks in the league before losing to the same team in the Premiership final. They again proceeded to the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup, again they lost at the Walkers Stadium to Bath. In the new Anglo-Welsh Cup Leicester won their group but lost in the semi-finals to Wasps at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , Wales. Over the summer of 2006, they added a number of promising forwards especially Jordan Crane , the Number 8, who arrived from Leeds Tykes with a good reputation following the U21 World Cup in France. Leicester won their first piece of silverware for five years on 15 April 2007, beating the Ospreys 41–35 with tries from Tom Varndell , Tom Croft , Ben Kay and Alesana Tuilagi to win the EDF Energy Cup at Twickenham Stadium .

This was quickly repeated with Guinness Premiership success on 12 May at Twickenham with a 44–16 win over Gloucester . However Leicester failed to win an unprecedented treble, by losing the Heineken Cup Final at Twickenham on 20 May to London Wasps . It was announced on 28 December 2006 that the head coach Pat Howard would leave the club at the end of the season, to return to his native Australia. [6] He was succeeded by the then-head coach of Argentina , Marcelo Loffreda after the 2007 Rugby World Cup . [7] Loffreda guided Leicester through the group stages of the EDF cup to the semi final where they defeated Wasps in a knock-out game for the first time since the 1980s. This set up a rematch of the previous years final against the Ospreys, which Leicester lost. After losing all away games in the Heineken Cup that season Leicester failed to progress to the quarter finals. In the league Leicester struggled until a last minute last day try by Tom Varndell beat Harlequins to set up a rematch of the previous seasons Premiership Final against Gloucester.

Once again Leicester were successful late on, this time utilising Andy Goode 's kicking to secure a last minute victory. In the final they had no such luck losing to perennial rivals London Wasps. After this final; despite guiding Leicester to two Twickenham finals and only being in the job 7 months Loffreda was sacked. Heyneke Meyer was the board's choice to replace Loffreda, however unfortunate family circumstances led to his resignation. Richard Cockerill took over until the end of the season, having guided Leicester to a home Heineken Cup quarter final against Bath. He was appointed head coach on 17 April 2009. [8] On Sunday 3 May 2009 Leicester Tigers made history in their Heineken cup semi-final against Cardiff Blues when a place kicking competition was required to decide the outcome for the first time. The teams were drawing 26–26 after normal time and there was no score during extra time. As both teams had scored two tries the place kicking competition was the decider. Leicester won this 7–6 after backrow forwards Craig Newby and Jordan Crane both succeeded with their place kicks.

In the 2009 Premiership final Leicester beat London Irish (10–9), with a try from Crane and 5 points from the boot of Dupuy . The following week Leicester lost the Heineken Cup final in Edinburgh to Irish province Leinster, containing former Leicester favourites captain Leo Cullen and openside Shane Jennings . On Friday 6 November Leicester hosted the world champion Springboks to mark the opening of the new CAT stand. In a tight and compelling match a young Leicester side triumphed 22–17, with a try from Lucas González Amorosino and 17 points from scrum half Ben Youngs. Leicester hold the record for most Premiership titles (10) and the most consecutive Premiership Final appearances (9). They were the first team to achieve an away semi-final victory in the Premiership play-offs (against Gloucester at Kingsholm on 18 May 2008).

Premiership play-offs File:Leicester Tigers v Leinster - January 2008 (63) H Cup.jpg In the last nine seasons Leicester have reached the final of the Premiership , finishing first in the regular season league table in 2004/05, second in 2005/06 and 2006/07, fourth in 2007/08 and first in 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11. They lost their first two finals to London Wasps and Sale Sharks respectively. On 5 May 2007, Leicester defeated Bristol 26–14 to reach the Premiership play-off final for the third consecutive year, where they defeated Gloucester 44–16 at Twickenham to win their first ever title via the playoffs. [9] On 18 May 2008, Leicester defeated Gloucester at Kingsholm to become the first team to win a Guinness Premiership semi-final playoff away from home. However this season also ended in defeat as London Wasps won their sixth title, fourth via the play-offs.

They won the 2008/09 final against London Irish , and the 2009/10 final against Saracens . The Tigers reached the 2010/11 final for a rematch with Saracens having again topped the table above them despite winning fewer games, however after a nailbiting finish which saw a record breaking 7 minutes overtime played during which the Tigers went through 32 phases camped on the Saracens try line before conceding a penalty which awarded Saracens their revenge for the previous years defeat. Leicester finished 2nd in 2012/13 season playing Harlequins who defeated Leicester in the final of the 2011/12 campaign in 33–16 win for the Tigers, to secure a place in the final and their ninth successive Premiership final, as well as this being their 13th Successive Semi-Final win in all competitions. Defeating Northampton 37–17 at the 2012/2013 final means that Tigers have also achieved a record tenth Premiership title.

[10] These nine consecutive finals is a record for consecutive appearances in a play-off final under the current format. Current standings Edit The club plays its home games at Welford Road Stadium , the address of which is actually Aylestone Road. The ground was opened in 1892 and the first stands accommodated 1100 spectators. The Members' and Crumbie Stands were built after the First World War. The Alliance and Leicester Stand was opened at the Welford Road end in 1995. The total ground capacity is currently 24,000 (2009/10 season). On 23 November 2004, the club announced that it had entered into a 50–50 joint venture with the city's main football club, Leicester City , to purchase City's current ground, Walkers Stadium . If the purchase had gone through, the Tigers would have surrendered their lease on Welford Road and moved into Walkers Stadium. [11] However, after several months of talks, the two clubs could not agree as to which side would have priority at Walkers Stadium, and they ended any ground share plans in July 2005.

[12] On 11 June 2007 the club announced plans that it was working with AFL, who were involved in redeveloping Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium for a redevelopment plan which will raise the capacity of their Welford Road stadium from 17,498 to 25,000 by 2011. A new temporary stand at the clubhouse end increased the ground capacity to 17,498 from the 2007/08 season. On 20 February 2008 Leicester Tigers received planning consent for the £60million redevelopment of their Welford Road home.The first phase of the development would include space for 10,000 supporters in a new North Stand (Granby Halls side), taking capacity up from 17,498 to 24,000. After full renovation it will have a capacity of above 30,000. [13] In the summer of 2008 work began on the construction of the new North Stand – called the "Caterpillar Stand" after the club's main sponsor, Caterpillar Inc.

The work was completed for the first home game of the 2009/10 season against Newcastle Falcons . The Caterpillar Stand has room for 10,000 spectators along with a 1,000 seat hospitality suite. On the ground floor of the Caterpillar Stand is the Final Whistle bar where no ticket is required for entry. [14] At the end of the 2008/09 season three home games were played at the Walkers Stadium due to demolition of the old north stand. Players Battered Bath may lose Abendanon for brawl | The Independent Battered Bath may lose Abendanon for brawl Bath 6 Leicester 37 Sunday 27 March 2011 23:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online As a hangover cure for Leicester's England half-backs Toby Flood and Ben Youngs after their dire defeat in Ireland a week earlier, this was sweeter than any hair of the dog. It was not just Bath's heaviest home defeat in any of the main league and cup competitions – it smashed the record.

Bath began well but could not cope with the visitors' muscle and the 31-point margin exceeded the former English and European champions' previous worst at home: 18 in the 28-10 Heineken Cup loss to Ulster last year, and 18 too in the league to Leicester (27-9) and Northampton (29-11), both in March 2002. Youngs made two coruscating runs to set up tries for Flood and Tom Croft, who each scored two of the Premiership leaders' five tries. "When we play like this," said Youngs, "with the power that we have with the big Samoans, and Floody directing us and the forwards we have, it can be quite daunting, how powerful we can be." Nick Abendanon would say "aye" or possibly "ouch" to that. Battered about by the Tuilagi brothers, the Bath full-back bravely kept launching attacks but was out of position for a couple of Leicester scores. Abendanon may also face disciplinary action: he apologised to the referee for running back on to the field to join in a mass brawl a few seconds after he had been substituted.

Leicester's Kiwi No 8 Thomas Waldrom may be available to England now rather than him waiting until 2013 for residency. Waldrom says his 80-year-old maternal grandmother Margaret was born in England, which would qualify him if his "Test" appearances for the New Zealand Maori do not count. The next step is for a Justice of the Peace in Wellington to witness the original birth certificates of Waldrom, his mum and his "Nana" before the Rugby Football Union complete the international paperwork. "I've had no contact from England," said Waldrom. "I've just put it out there and we'll see what happens." Scorers: Bath: Penalties James 2. Leicester: Tries Allen, Croft 2, Flood 2; Conversions Flood 3; Penalties Flood 2.

Bath N Abendanon (J Cuthbert, 66); M Banahan, B Williams, S Vesty (S Hape, 60), T Biggs; B James, M Claassens (M McMillan, 60); D Flatman (N Catt, 55), L Mears (P Dixon, 60), D Bell (D Wilson, 52; Bell, 76), S Hooper, D Grewcock (I Fernandez Lobbe, 60), B Skirving, L Watson (capt; G Mercer, 72), S Taylor.

Leicester Tigers S Hamilton; H Agulla, M Tuilagi (M Smith, 66), A Allen, A Tuilagi; T Flood (J Staunton, 73), B Youngs (J Grindal, 58); M Ayerza (B Stankovich, 63), G Chuter (R Hawkins, 63), D Cole (J White, 63), S Mafi, E Slater, T Croft, C Newby (capt; B Woods, 60), T Waldrom (J Crane, 52). Referee D Pearson (Northumberland). Exeter Chiefs - Official Website Exeter Chiefs Mark Stevens at Sandy Park What a difference a week can make. Seven days previous, Toby Flood left Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium licking his wounds as he and his fellow England colleagues saw their Six Nations dream end in tatters to a rampant Welsh side. However, present day and the Leicester Tigers No.10 was back smiling again as his 12-point haul – courtesy of four penalties – helped the East Midlanders claim victory in a hard fought Aviva Premiership encounter at Exeter Chiefs.

Having exchanged three penalties with opposite number Gareth Steenson in the first period at Sandy Park, the 27-year-old landed a telling blow just ten minutes from time to keep Richard Cockerill’s side firmly fixed in the top two of English rugby’s premier competition. Even then, Steenson – the star attraction in Exeter’s previous outing at Harlequins – could have snatched a share of the spoils for the Devon club. However, his last-minute shot at the target fell agonisingly short of the sticks, much to the relief of the East Midlanders, who became only the second team this season to triumph at Sandy Park in the Premiership. Buoyed by back-to-backs win over London Welsh and defending champions Harlequins in their previous two games, the Chiefs were dealt an untimely double blow ahead of kick-off as two of their key performers were ruled out for varying reasons. Fijian star Sireli Naqelevuki was chalked off after he failed a fitness test on his knee, while all-action James Scaysbrook was another absentee after his wife Louise went into labour hours earlier with the birth of their second daughter.

Naqelevuki’s void in the midfield meant Kiwi centre Jason Shoemark was drafted in to partner another new dad, Phil Dollman, whilst Dave Ewers (pictured) was elevated from the bench as he was handed his first-ever top flight start in the back-row. Leicester, meanwhile, were boosted by the return of all their star names from the Six Nations, including skipper Flood; the Youngs brothers, Tom and Ben; Geoff Parling, Tom Croft, Dan Cole, Manu Tuilagi, as well as experienced Italian prop Martin Castrogiovanni on the bench. As expected, the game proved a tight, arm-wrestle from the outset. Testing conditions, both underfoot and overhead, meant it was always going to be attritional and it was the Chiefs – with the wind at their backs in the first period – who made the initial breakthrough when Steenson punted his side front with a lengthy penalty after the Tigers had strayed offside deep inside their own half. That lead would proved shortlived, however, as within minutes the visitors drew level with a kick of their own as Flood dissected the posts with a kick after Ewers was pulled up for offside.

Playmakers Flood and Steenson exchanged successful kicks at either end, before the former nudged his side back in front on the half-hour mark after Chiefs winger Matt Jess was the latest to fall foul of referee Tim Wigglesworth. It was attritional warfare from both camps, but having survived a close-range raid from Tigers flanker Tom Croft, the Chiefs drew level on the stroke of half time when Steenson landed a third penalty with aplomb. HALF TIME EXETER CHIEFS 9 LEICESTER TIGERS 9 Having lost Dollman just before the break to injury, the Chiefs – with Ian Whitten now added to the mix – started the second half brightly. Early endeavour saw them launch a series of raids in behind enemy lines, but on each occasion some smart defending from the visitors thwarted their advances. With the battle for territory key to both sides hopes, Exeter continued their adventurous outlook in attack. Chances continued to be created, one of which brought about a penalty opening for the home side. However, they declined the chance to kick at goal, opting instead for a quick tap penalty that saw Haydn Thomas scamper clear before releasing Richard Baxter.

As the long-serving Chiefs No.8 tore down field, hopes were high that the move would prove fruitful. Sadly, it was not to be as Baxter was engulfed by a plethora of Leicester defenders. The Tigers made the most of the left-off as they slowly started to implement their own strategical game plan on their rivals. Ben Youngs, Flood and Mathew Tait regularly looked for territory with hefty boots out of defence, whilst up front Croft and the hard-working Ed Slater continued to make good yardage with some hard running through the middle. Both sides looked to the sidelines for fresh ideas, as well as fresh muscle, but still there was to be no give from either team. As the second half minutes ticked by, the cancelling out of rival threats remained as strong as ever. But all that changed with ten minutes remaining as Leicester – nine-time champions of the Premiership – made their experience tell at just the right time. Long-haired replacement Logovil’i Mulipola was the catalyst for their crucial strike, the Samoan prop making the initial charge that created a ruck just outside the home 22.

With seemingly little danger, Exeter replacement scrum-half Will Chudley tried to force his way through the middle to nab the ball. However, referee Wigglesworth was clearly unimpressed, singling out the replacement nine as the guilty culprit. Chudley’s indiscretion was telling as it allowed Flood not only his first shot at goal in the second period, but a straight-forward effort in front of the posts that he wasn’t going to miss. Up by three points, the Tigers held a slender lead entering into the final throws of a gripping contest. However, the Chiefs were far from finished and with just over a minute remaining, a great scrum from the home pack saw Castrogiovanni drop to his knee and Wigglesworth award the Chiefs a penalty just inside their opponents half. As a hush fell upon Sandy Park, the clock ticked to zero for the final time and Steenson weighed up the target before dispatching his kick at goal. As it propelled towards the posts, fans in the North Terrace began to celebrate – that was until the ball dipped alarmingly at the death and fell gracefully into the arms of a waiting Leicester player.

That, sadly, was as close as it could have been for the Chiefs, who must now ready themselves for next week’s away-day at old rivals Worcester. Exeter Chiefs: L Arscott; J Nowell, P Dollman (I Whitten 38), J Shoemark, M Jess; G Steenson, H Thomas (W Chudley 55); C Rimmer (B Sturgess 65), J Yeandle (C Whitehead 65), H Tui (C Mitchell 72); D Mumm (J Hanks 65), D Welch; D Ewers, B White (K Horstmann 55), R Baxter (capt). Replacement (not used): H Slade. Penalties – Steenson (4) Leicester Tigers: M Tait; N Morris, M Tuilagi, A Allen, A Thompstone; T Flood (capt), B Youngs; M Ayerza (L Mulipola 65), T Youngs, D Cole (M Castrogiovanni 55); E Slater, G Parling; T Croft, J Salvi, J Crane.

Replacements (not used): R Hawkins, T Waldrom, G Kitchener, S Harrison, G Ford, M Smith. Penalties – Flood (3) Touch Judges: G Copsey & P Burton 4th Official: A Small UP NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS: v Worcester Warriors (A), Aviva Premiership, Saturday, March 30 (3pm) Buy Tickets Aviva Premiership: The Three Most Exciting Backlines In The League Home Rugby English Rugby Aviva Premiership: The Three Most Exciting Backlines In The League Aviva Premiership: The Three Most Exciting Backlines In The League Charles Devas August 4, 2016 3,834 Views Shares 112 During the course of the 2015/16 Aviva Premiership, a total of 634 league tries were scored. With further attacking talent having since joined the English top-flight, including the likes Matt Toomua and Kurtley Beale , the hope is that we will have the pleasure of witnessing yet more exhilarating scores from each of the league’s 12 teams throughout the upcoming campaign.

Having previously had a looked at what I consider to be the most fearsome forward packs lining up for the new Premiership year, below I’ll be casting an eye over the league’s most dangerous-looking back divisions. Wasps After falling at the semi-stage last time around, this year Dai Young will be aiming to take his side to the next level and secure a first Premiership title since 2008. Looking at the club’s recent transfer business, achieving such a feat very much appears to be within Wasps’ grasp. Fly-half Danny Cipriani has made a return to the club, while Kyle Eastmond and Nick de Luca provide additional centre options. In Kurtley Beale and Springbok Willie Le Roux, Wasps have arguably made two of the biggest signings in Premiership history. In the other direction, the Piutau brothers and Ben Jacobs are among several names to have left the Ricoh Arena. At scrum-half, Robson seems to have overtaken Simpson and is now firmly on Eddie Jones’ radar – the 24-year-old is electrically quick and reads the game beautifully. Cipriani will almost certainly start at 10, with Jimmy Gopperth providing cover.

It’s outside of the half-backs where team-selection becomes more complex. Halai and Wade will undoubtedly occupy the wings, but it’s the centre combination which remains unclear. With Beale, a potential option at 12, injured for the start of the season, Eastmond and Daly strike me as the obvious partnership to go for, with Le Roux an automatic selection at full-back. Upon Beale’s return to full fitness, it would then be down to Young to slot the Australian in where he thinks best. So Wasps have an enviable set of backs to choose from, although there are valid concerns about their solidity in defence. Probable starting backline: 15. Willie Le Roux/Kurtley Beale Leicester Tigers Leicester are not the force of years gone by, but last season Richard Cockerill led his men back into the league’s top-four and a Champions Cup semi-final. Their latest transfer activity might well go a long way to bringing the glory days back to Welford Road. Wallaby Toomua is likely to turn out to be one of the signings of the season – the silky 26-year-old back can operate at both 10 and 12.

Out wide, JP Pietersen brings a wealth of experience having scored 24 tries for South Africa, and fellow new winger Tom Brady is another talented finisher. Jean De Villiers and Vereniki Geneva, meanwhile, are just two of those to have departed the midlands. When available, Youngs will start at scrum-half, with Freddie Burns the leading candidate to be his half-back partner. Owen Williams will be breathing down Burns’ neck, however. Toomua will offer a second distributing option from inside-centre and could form what might turn out to be a lethal centre partnership with England man Tuilagi. Toomua’s arrival may see Betham, one of Leicester’s star men last season, move to the wing. Springbok JP Pietersen will surely occupy the other flank, leaving Tongan flyer Veainu to fight it out with Tait for the spot at 15. The experienced duo Matt Smith and Adam Thompstone are most likely to feature from the bench, although Cockerill could well see things differently. On paper, Leicester have an explosive-looking backline. Whether their forwards will be able to provide them will sufficient high-quality ball is another question.

Probable starting backline: 15. Telusa Veainu/Matthew Tait Exeter Chiefs In the space on just seven years, Rob Baxter has guided Exeter Chiefs from the Championship to Premiership heavyweights. This remarkable transformation has consequently allowed Exeter to attract the brightest talent to Sandy Park. Exeter appear to have favoured quality over quantity in terms of their recent recruitment policy. Baxter has brought in England youngster Ollie Devoto, who without doubt has a very bright future ahead of him for both club and country. No players of note has walked out the door since the 2015/16 Premiership final. Chudley will remain at scrum-half, and will perhaps be looking to push for England honours this year. At 10, Baxter may well pick the highly-rated Henry Slade, and use Steenson as a squad player. But given Steenson’s importance to the Chiefs last season, I’d be surprised to see such a change. Slade is an exciting alternative, nevertheless. Steenson at fly-half means that Baxter can choose from Slade, Hill, Whitten, Devoto and Michele Campagnaro for the centre berths – a high-quality set of backs.

Slade is almost guaranteed one of these shirts, and would probably be best complemented by either Hill or Whitten alongside. Nowell and Woodburn are favourites to start on the wings, with Dollman and Turner likely to go head-to-head at full-back. No major names have left Sandy Park since May, but I’m not 100% convinced that their backline is an Aviva Premiership-winning one. Probable starting backline:

Question: Brothers Tom and Ben Youngs joined which English rugby union club in 2006?
Answer: Leicester Tigers