Almost from the first whistle, Tigers got on the front foot against Exeter Chiefs and were well worth their six tries in a 45-15 victory.
Vereniki Goneva looked almost untouchable, not just in scoring his try, but in his contribution to the other scores, while Manu Tuilagi and Anthony Allen returned in tandem in the midfield, and there were bright sparks all over the pitch.
No one at Oval Park will be getting carried away with a run of massive fixtures to come. But the supporters can certainly enjoy basking in the warm glow of a big team performance.
There will be a lot who, like The Tig, paused and rewound footage of Goneva’s sidestep in the immediate aftermath of the game. There will be many others who are still watching Logo Mulipola’s run, finish and celebration for one of the most popular tries of the season too.
He looked like a kid at Christmas when he realised there was a run to the line waiting to be finished and the grin was wider than his shoulders after he’d dotted down.
Logo’s finish was in the exact spot where Castro picked off that London Irish inside ball a few years ago and brought the roof down as he sprinted clear to score. Now Logo has made his own legend at the Clubhouse End.
For all the singing and dancing that accompanied the scores by Logo, Manu and Niki, it is easy to overlook how sharp Adam Thompstone looked in finishing a chance with so little space on the left touchline. And David Mele will enjoy his two late scores, especially with the freeze-frame photography catching him in mid-flight over the line for the opener.
But players and supporters alike will not forget how much a part the rest of the team played in the day’s performance. The forwards kept Tigers going forward from the word go, with Slater, Deacon and Youngs getting through their carries, Ayerza and Mulipola putting in a shift all over the pitch, and the back row complimenting each other’s work in the tight and the loose.
A true team performance and, while Chiefs were not at their best and tougher tests await, it took the winning run to five in the league and sets us a fantastic few weeks with Saints and Clermont to come.
