Scarlets vs Leicester: Once roaring Tigers bow out of Europe with a whimper
Leicester were humiliated for the umpteenth time as this disappointing season continued to plumb new depths on Saturday evening
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Your support makes all the difference.There were two stand-out moments from the latest round of European Champions Cup action. One made the soul sing, the other made it sink. If you’re a Leicester Tigers fan, at least.
First, let’s start with the uplifting brilliance that was Viliame Mata’s off-load. Edinburgh’s Fijian No8, all 6ft 5in and 18 stone of him, produced a moment of skill so outrageous in its delivery, it defied belief.
There have been some sublime off-loads made in recent times - Justin Tipuric to Chris Ashton in the uncapped Barbarians match against England last season springs to mind - but in terms of timing, pressure and the importance to his side, Mata’s extraordinary one-handed slipped pass to set up James Johnstone’s match-defining try against Toulon, stands alone.
The man they call “Big Bill”, an Olympic Sevens gold medallist with Fiji in 2016, will surely now be on the hit list for some of European rugby’s big spenders for that moment of magic alone. Whisper it, but he’s actually been brilliant for the past two seasons.
If you haven’t seen his off-load, watch it. With the game delicately balanced at 21-12 in Edinburgh’s favour, Mata receives a pass from full back Blair Kinghorn deep in Edinburgh territory following a Toulon knock on before embarking on a rangy run full of power, poise and purpose, stepping two defenders in the process before drawing in four more.
As the Toulon defence is wrong-footed, Mata somehow lifts the ball over his left shoulder out of the back of his left hand to find the supporting Johnstone with as perfect a pass as it is possible to deliver.
Kids will try to copy it in school for years to come. One in every 10,000 times they try, through luck one will come close to pulling it off.
Mata’s moment of magic was a reminder of what rugby should all be about. Pace, skill, power and physical dexterity working in perfectly harmony to set up a try and lift the crowd to their feet. It was a truly memorable moment in every sense.
“Bill Mata is a very good player,” said Edinburgh’s head coach Richard Cockerill after the game with a degree of understatement no doubt designed to warn off rivals from his prized possession “He’s very important along with everybody else and he’ll be with us for a long time to come.”
Good luck with that one Cockers. You may need to reach for the cheque book again soon if you want to hold on to him.
Cockerill, it should be said, deserves enormous credit for taking Edinburgh to the brink of the knockout stages only his second year in charge, and barely two years after being sacked by Leicester Tigers following eight seasons in charge
How that decision must now be chewing away at Leicester’s under-pressure Board. While Mata’s moment of magic stood out for all the right reasons, Leicester’s latest sorry capitulation on Saturday stood out for all the wrong ones.
The once mighty East Midlanders, who Cockerill served for 25 years as player and then coach, are a pale shadow of their former selves and provided yet another stark reminder of that at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday evening.
In a game which meant nothing to either side following Ulster’s win over Racing Metro, Leicester were humiliated for the umpteenth time this season by a Scarlets team who have hardly set the world on fire themselves in recent months.
Tigers director of rugby Geordan Murphy, who has struggled to make any discernible impact on Tigers performances since taking over from Matt O’Connor one match into this season, picked a second-string side to face the west Walians. They produced a third-rate performance.
Shipping five tries in the process, Tigers lacked direction, energy and fight as they bowed out of a competition they once dominated with barely a whimper.
It was painful to watch and those loyal fans who made the 372-mile round trip from Leicester to Llanelli should demand a refund from a club which has completely lost its way.
“We were five per cent off and I can’t put my finger on why,” Murphy said. “We didn’t get it right. We knew we weren’t going to get out of the group and we put some guys on the field who didn’t have much rugby, but it was a disappointing result.”
Another disappointing result in what has already become another disappointing season for Tigers fans.
What they would do to have Big Bill in their ranks.
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