ABC More Thoughts from the Week's action

A: Tigers Traveling Record Must Improve

Let’s not beat around the bush Tigers record away from home in Europe is shocking.  Since that famous win away to Munster in 2007 we have won only 6 of 24 games outside of Leicester.   

Exclude the games in Italy and it is played 19 Won 1 Drawn 2 Lost 16.  All the wins and draws have come in Wales; beating Llanelli in 2011, drawing with Cardiff in the 2009 semi final (winning on penalties) and drawing with Ospreys last year. 

Before this run our record away from home in Europe was Played 36 Won 23 Drawn 1 Lost 12.

Geoff Parling talks about getting angry with our record in Europe.  This is the place to start.  Win in Montpellier and get that monkey off our backs.

B: England's Call Could Leave Tigers Short

Stuart Lancaster’s yearly bondage camp is due this week and that means that Tigers could be without 5 more key players for the trip to Wasps.

Tom Youngs, Dan Cole and Geoff Parling are sure to miss out but Toby Flood and Ben Youngs’s presence is more open to question.

With Marcos Ayerza apparently back in the country and all our locks and hookers fit we are not going to miss the forwards any more than we have to but the backs are now becoming perilously thin.  Now Goneva is out I make our fit options: Mele, Harrison, Williams, Bowden, Hepetema, Scully, Benjamin, Thompstone and Morris.   6-2 split this weekend by any chance?

C: New Boy Matera could be new Moody

Sunday should be the first chance that Tigers fans get to see Pablo Matera in a scarlet, green and white shirt.   Built like a young Lewis Moody the Argentinean flanker should well capable of playing in both flank positions and providing some relief for the injured Tom Croft and some competition for Julian Salvi.

Hopefully it can also inspire some of our academy boys what a 20 year old can do if they really put their minds to it.

Matera was an ever present for Argentina in the Rugby Championship after making his full test debut against Chile in May.