All goes to show that Worcester have ambition and are going places. So what of our ambition ?

It seems to be a habit so far this season that we play the team that has just beaten Wasps the week before, as a result there have been plenty of upbeat messages coming out of the Worcester camp this week about the Tigers getting another does of the same.

Much as with LI last week.  Back in March it was Thinus Delport making his 100^th Premiership appearance for the Warriors, to day Dale Rasmussen is the Warriors centurion and not forgetting our very own Tom Varndell who also joined the 100 club. Silhouetted  against the magnificent new stand Toby Flood kicks off with Tigers ‘attacking’ the ‘Koppites’ and corporate types in the north stand Leicester see most of the ball in the early exchanges and territory as well.

However in the 4^th minute referee Small penalises us for not rolling away in the tackle and Crichton has his first chance at goal. He pushes the ball wide. 2 minutes later and almost a repeat this time for Tigers and Flood does the same.

The backs are getting plenty of ball and look sharp. Quick hands across the line first left then right take us deep into the Warriors 22, Mauger kicks through and Matt Smith is just beaten to the touch down my Chris Latham. Latham has a prodigious left boot and much of Worcester’s defence centres around getting the ball to Latham to clear upfield. However in one such exchange he over hits the ball out on the full and Tigers have a line almost on the 22. Kay takes cleanly and from the drive into midfield, Worcester go off their feet, penalty Leicester. Toby bangs this one over and first points to Tigers. Worcester get the ball back from the restart but Rasmussen knocks on and Warriors are penalised in the scrum. Some back chat to the ref costs them 10 meters and brings the kick just into the Worcester half. Toby hits it long but it just drifts left and the score stays at 3 – 0 Tigers.

Their back row drives the ball up into the midfield, Benjamin comes off his wing and takes the ball almost on the centre spot he glides round Geordan and is eventually hauled down about 10 out by a combination of croft, Herring and Johnnie M. From the ensuing breakdown Ben Kay slips off the tackle and prop Matt Mullen lumbers to the line to score. Crichton converts and its 3 – 7 to Worcester. Leicester are finding it increasingly difficult to get hands on the ball and almost from the restart the ball is brought back the length of the field by a combination of Worcester forwards and back. Latham gets the ball on the 22 and makes an outside break but he is just hauled down by the Smith, Mauger and the drifting defence. Worcester sense more and drive on with a sweeping backs move they kick to the corner and the 2 Tom’s Croft and Varndell combine to clear upfield.  The Warriors lose Chris Horsman who has been struggling for a few minutes now but still press forward and another mazy rule from miles Benjamin takes them close. This time Jordan Crane kills the ball at the break down and is yellow carded. Crichton pulls the penalty wide again and it stays at 3 – 7. As if inspired by going down to 14 Leicester regroup and drive into the Worcester half again some slick handling by the back line is halted by some big midfield Worcester tackling. In the final act of the half Warriors concede a penalty 22 out and to the left of the posts. Flood kicks and the immediate cheer from the Worcester fans suggests he has pushed it wide but the flags go up and with some Worcester fans screaming at the officials that the kick missed we go into half time 6 –7 down.

Some may have been entertained by the half time cheer leaders but my attention was turned to the sight of Steve Johnson hanging precariously from a ladder 10 feet in air whilst trying to pass to ginster’s pasties to Bleddyn Jones in the BBC commentary position high in the roof of the main stand.

Anyway with Pies safely deliver the second half got under way. Crane had 6 left on the Sin Bin. Tigers started well and were soon on the attack with herring and Croft getting some success in the loose. They turned over Worcester ball on half way and Geordan Murphy seeing the opportunity broke through the line. He chipped ahead and TV was inches from getting to the touch down. Tom had another run following a Julian Dupuy chip and this time Worcester were penalised at the ruck. Flood slotted this one and we went back into the lead. Jordan returned to the field and we actually scored 6 to 0 while he was off. It wasn’t exactly against the run of play but almost the first ball Warriors got in the second half produced a penalty. From a ruck in midfield Kay went off his feet. Again the kick went wide.

With 10 minutes gone and in shades of last seasons defensive frailties Natani Talei pick up the lose ball at the base of the ruck and braking the tackles round the fringe galloped 30 metres unopposed to score by the post. The conversion followed and Worcester went back into the lead 9 -14

But this is not the Leicester side of last year, there is much more flare and invention and Tigers came storming back at Worcester. Again quick hands a little combinations between forwards and backs drove us deep into Warriors territory. Everything but the decisive finishing break was there. Worcester defended fantastically, their midfield of Rasmussen and Tuitupou smothering everything and with Latham as back up it was difficult to see how we could break things down. We build the pressure with a series of drives closer to the line but then with a scrum 5 out we lost the ball on our own put in and to huge cheers latham’s left boot put us back to half way. Still in typical Cozza fashion we got the ball and drove back at them. Marco Wentzle was now on for Kay and Chutes for kayser. The pressure told with another drive into the heart of midfield and Penalty by Flood made is 12 –14.

High drama now and for the next 10 minutes in a period of great skill from both sides. From the restart Croft leapt high to catch the kick off and was taken out in the air by James Collins. – Yellow Card and Warriors were now down to 14.

Flood cleared the penalty to the 10 metre and we were soon on the attack again. Mauger went left on a loop with Murphy and with Matt Smith and Johnnie M outside they just got pushed into touch. Croft won the line out and the ball went fast out left with Varndell waiting on the wing Ben herring’s offload was read by Latham and the Australian raced down the right touchline. A length of the field run he ran out of steam on the Leicester 22 was just caught by Dupuy but not held and if he had any strength left could have got up to score but he hadn’t and went to ground, the Leicester cover magnially quicker than the warriors support came in from the wrong side, went of their feet, killed the ball did what ever they had to and the chance was lost. Flood took the inevitable yellow card and Crichton slotted the penalty to make it 12 –17.

Now the chance so many of you have been waiting for, Mauger plays fly half for the next 10 while flood is off. Its pressure stuff and Leicester wont lie down, they come back again and again but with a man down its looking increasingly hard to break the fantastic warriors defence. Wentzle breaks through the line and with support from croft and crane they charge to the line, held up again the ball spins out to left to the backs, Matt smith tries to spin out of a tackle to get the ball to Varndell but is held up. Dupuy picks up at the base feigns the pass left jinks right and finds a gap just big enough to slide over.  T R Y ! 17 all and Julian needs to convert his own try. He does 19 –17 with 9 mins left.

More changes as Worcester bring on Gillies and Ben Youngs gets on for Dupuy. Flood returns and Leicester press again.

The ball appears to get knocked on in midfield but the referee lets play go and Flood hacks on only for the ball to go dead. Leicester are defending now but in the best possible place in the warriors 22. we turn over the ball and Worcester run it from their own line. An outrageous pass to Benjamin and he is swallowed by  the 2 Tom’s again !!

Worcester get a penalty and clear to half way but Marco steals the line out. Still Worcester press and Leicester go offside on our 22 just left of the posts. Matthew Jones is on now for Crichton but cant repeat the heroics of the warriors last gasp penalty at Wasps and pulls the ball wide. Tigers clear deep into Warriors territory but back they come and in phase after phase move into the Tigers half, now well in penalty and drop goal range our defence is fantastic and holds good to the last. Warriors get pinged for not releasing and Geordan kicks the ball high over my head and somewhere over the west stand. 19 –17 Final Score

A wonderful game full of skill and high drama right to the end. Tigers have played 3 won 3 each one being very similar and close. We have not played to our potential but we have won again, against a very good Worcester side.

This is such a different team to the one of 6 months ago, gone are the ponderous forward drives, replaced by dynamic and incisive play. It was to the credit of Worcester and their strong defence that we did not score more than the 1 try.

Just like the Worcester stand and indeed our own new stand this is a team that is building, yes there is much to be done but today was more evidence that the foundations look solid and like any building work so much of the early stages are not always that visible but make no mistake building we are and this correspondent for one believes that when complete we will see something spectacular and very special…….

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