Richard Cockerill says both sides will have taken a lot out of Friday's final pre-season fixture at Welford Road, when Leicester Tigers beat Cardiff Blues 21-17.
Tries from Robert Barbieri and team captain Ben Youngs, plus 11 points from fly-half Freddie Burns, gave Tigers the victory as they stepped up their preparations for the opening of the new Aviva Premiership season.
“It was a good work-out, though there is still a lot to work on,” said Tigers director of rugby Cockerill. “It was exactly what we needed at this stage. Cardiff pushed us the whole way and both sides got a lot out of it.
“We did some good things, especially early on, though we the try we conceded was a bit soft and we let them back into the game a bit too easily. By and large, we kept a good shape in defence, we created some opportunities and we scored two nice tries. But there are things to tighten up a bit and things to work on. We want to be better.
“It was an opportunity for some of the new guys to experience playing here at Welford Road and to get some more gametime into the squad. We’ll have some more guys back in the mix this week too, with Geoff Parling, Tom Youngs, Jamie Gibson and Tom Croft available.
“We’ve now got an eight-day turnaround for Newcastle Falcons and we have got to get it right.”
Tigers against Newcastle Falcons at Welford Road is a 3pm kick-off on Saturday. This match is not scheduled for live television coverage so the only place to see all of the action is at Welford Road.
Match tickets are available now. Visit the Tigers ticket office, phone 0844 856 1880 (open 8.30am-5pm weekdays, until 8pm Wednesdays and 9am-5pm Saturdays) or book online by clicking here. Matchday hospitality places are also still available. Phone the corporate sales team on 0116 2171 215 or click here to book.
Make it a full day with the Tigers by visiting Tigers In The Park from 10am, with attractions and entertainment for the whole family. Entry is free and there is live music, BMX exhibition, the Caterpillar mini excavator challenge, mini farm, birds of prey display and lots more, all at Nelson Mandela Park and on the plaza at Welford Road. Click here for more details.
Tries from Robert Barbieri and team captain Ben Youngs, plus 11 points from fly-half Freddie Burns, gave Tigers the victory as they stepped up their preparations for the opening of the new Aviva Premiership season.
“It was a good work-out, though there is still a lot to work on,” said Tigers director of rugby Cockerill. “It was exactly what we needed at this stage. Cardiff pushed us the whole way and both sides got a lot out of it.
“We did some good things, especially early on, though we the try we conceded was a bit soft and we let them back into the game a bit too easily. By and large, we kept a good shape in defence, we created some opportunities and we scored two nice tries. But there are things to tighten up a bit and things to work on. We want to be better.
“It was an opportunity for some of the new guys to experience playing here at Welford Road and to get some more gametime into the squad. We’ll have some more guys back in the mix this week too, with Geoff Parling, Tom Youngs, Jamie Gibson and Tom Croft available.
“We’ve now got an eight-day turnaround for Newcastle Falcons and we have got to get it right.”
Tigers against Newcastle Falcons at Welford Road is a 3pm kick-off on Saturday. This match is not scheduled for live television coverage so the only place to see all of the action is at Welford Road.
Match tickets are available now. Visit the Tigers ticket office, phone 0844 856 1880 (open 8.30am-5pm weekdays, until 8pm Wednesdays and 9am-5pm Saturdays) or book online by clicking here. Matchday hospitality places are also still available. Phone the corporate sales team on 0116 2171 215 or click here to book.
Make it a full day with the Tigers by visiting Tigers In The Park from 10am, with attractions and entertainment for the whole family. Entry is free and there is live music, BMX exhibition, the Caterpillar mini excavator challenge, mini farm, birds of prey display and lots more, all at Nelson Mandela Park and on the plaza at Welford Road. Click here for more details.
