Welcome to the second part of this series breaking down Leicester Tigers. Today we take a look at the formidable Leicester Tigers defence.
The defence built by the superb Kevin Sinfield were the only side to restrict their opponents to below 20 points per game. A superb achievement given some of the attacking talent in the Gallagher Premiership.
Over the following piece we examine how Sinfield used chop tackling to get the best out of his jackal threats, before moving onto their scramble defence which ranks as one of their most impressive traits. Then we will look at how teams may well look to break them down next season. Before all that though it’s time to stop off at the Chop and Jackal.
The Chop and Jackal
The main cornerstone of the Leicester defence was their chop tackle approach. While many teams in the past have looked to apply huge line speed in order to kill attacks, Tigers prioritised targeting the ball on the floor.
But what are the nuts and bolts of this strategy? Firstly the Tigers try to avoid over committing players to the tackle. This graphic shows how many players each side committed to each tackle, with Leicester ranking 3rd lowest.
This approach has two main effects: First it allows Leicester to pack their defence, by limiting the players on the floor after each contact, secondly it also allows them to jackal more effectively.
Tigers ended the season with 2 of the top 25 players for Steals Per 80 of those players who had over 100 minutes on the pitch. A great sign of their effectiveness over the ball.
This defensive set against Leinster is very indicative of their approach. We join the attack after Leinster have put the Tigers on the ropes with a few momentum building phases. Despite being on the back foot Tigers manage to cut down the Leinster carrier in the 15m channel.
The tackle on Ronan Kelleher by the Leicester left wing is a simple low tackle, and while Genge gives a helpful pat on the way down Tigers keep 14 men on their feet for the following phase. This gives them a chance to apply the heat as Leinster attack from the touchline.
The next tackle, made by Callum Green, is a perfect tackle from a Leicester perspective. Green manages to wrap up Lowe, and control how he falls without the need for an assisting tackler. Montoya is then able to threaten the ball and while he doesn’t win a turnover Leicester are now on top.
Leinster continue to the same way but the Tigers have done well with their fold. This allows them to go and meet the Leinster attack as the ball is passed from the breakdown. Leinster play through Sexton but a low chop by Guy Porter brings the hard runner to ground. Again this means Tigers have committed just one tackler.
Jasper Wiese gets involved only to guide Doris to his feet before jackalling. This slows down the ball for Leinster, while also giving Guy Porter time to regain his feet. This allows Leinster to push one player wider on the next phase, and that allows them to create more pressure with their defence.
Again Leinster play the same way trying to gain an edge before bouncing back but Tigers are up to the task. A low chop tackle by Moroni on Hugo Keenan is a great piece of defence. Reacting quickly to Keenan attacking his outside shoulder before rebounding to the edge of the line. Chris Ashton also does well here, cutting off the pass to Conan before assisting Moroni and disrupting the Leinster ruck.
On the following phase Moroni harasses Jamison Gibson-Park, preventing him from throwing a pass and forcing him into a welcoming committee of 3 Tigers defenders. Moroni is again the sole tackler, launching into the scrum half’s ankles, while the rest of the fringe defenders cushion the blow and latch onto the ball
This passage is a great example of the Tiger’s single tackler policy. Prioritising getting the attack to ground before then disrupting and hunting on the floor. However it is not the only string to their bow, in the next section we examine arguably their greatest strength.
Scramble: Tiger’s Rubber Band Defence
The graph above shows this trait perfectly. Leicester conceded slightly more line breaks than other club teams i’ve covered. But crucially they restricted their opponents conversion to significantly below average.
This comes down to a trait I’ve called the rubber band defence. Leicester being very capable of absorbing huge pressure without snapping. This is driven by Tiger’s prioritising the ball carrier’s channel, a strategy which is enhanced by their ability over the ball.
This clip from their match away at Clermont is a perfect example. Clermont sliced through thanks to a superb step from Alivereti Raka. Raka then passes to Fritz Lee, who get tackled just inside the Leicester 22 by Jack van Poortvliet who has shown an incredible work rate.
Following the tackle Leicester swarm the breakdown, Tommy Reffell especially , who locks on to the ball. This buys time for the rest of the defence, who are prepared to defend again before Parra has arrived at the base of the ruck. The Tiger’s flanker however goes one better and remains unmoved by the Clermont cleaners to win the penalty.
In their game against Leinster we see similar desire and work rate. Leinster make a break through Hugo Keenan down the left hand side. The Tigers respond by working hard to cover all of Keenan’s main passing options. Ford makes the tackle but Leinster play away quickly with Ronan Kelleher picking a great line to keep the East Midlands side moving backwards. However despite being on the back foot Tigers still manage to steal the ball.
This counter punch is enabled by Tigers swarming the tight channels with 6 players forming the defensive line. Leinster on the other hand have just two ready to secure the ball, and play it away. Gibson-Park does get over to form some sort of shield, but the actions of Tommy Reffell make his contributions futile.
The turnover from Reffell is a thing of beauty. The openside first covers nearly 80 metres to make the cover tackle on Kelleher. He then immediately gets back on his feet, and counter rucks against Gibson-Park. This is a huge defensive effort and shows the quality of the Openside.
The counter ruck itself is maybe not all that effective. But allows Reffell to close the distance on James Lowe as he picks up the ball. This positioning is perfect for Reffel who barely needs a step to lock his arms onto James Lowe and effect a turnover. A great way to cap off such sterling defensive work.
This defensive work epitomised Tigers. The defensive desire and work rate making every opportunity difficult to convert for their opponents.
Breaking Through
As we’ve clearly shown throughout this piece, the Tigers have a supreme defence. However, no defence is unbeatable. Rugby is a game played on a pitch which is 70m wide, which gives plenty of room to stretch and manipulate opposition defences.
In the clip above we see a small chink in the Tigers armour. Having played a phase into midfield Chiefs are presented with an opportunity to just skirt around the Tigers defences. The opportunity arises as Exeter have won the race to fold. Tigers, through Freddie Burns, do well to contain the threat.
This weakness is a necessary evil caused by how their wingers defend. The Leicester Tigers wingers are responsible for holding the width and neutralising any wide attacks. To do this the Leicester Tigers wingers position themselves in between the two edge attackers, leaving space inside them for catch up defenders to fill should the Opposition spread the ball.
This picture is taken from the phase after Harlequins have regathered a box kick. We can see Nadolo beginning to set the width. Harlequins are yet to fold round so he has support close on his inside, but on the second phase (shown below) we see how this system really comes into it’s own.
Tigers are evenly matched with the opposing Harlequins attack but Nemani Nadolo is still splitting the edge attackers. The idea seemingly to prioritise connection, and allow the catch up defenders (those numbered 2 and 3) to push across and assist if Harlequins attack in the 15m channel.
This system typically works well, helping to push attackers inside as they know Tigers will rarely leave multiple men unguarded on the outside. However, if teams can beat the fold then opportunities arise. This tactic works because it isolates the Leicester wingers in the 15m channels.
The clip above is from the phase before Clermont’s first try. Alivereti Raka makes a powerful burst in the outside channel. Getting beyond the gainline and kick starting, a previously lateral, Clermont attack. Now we can see how Clermont go about attacking Leicester in the far 15m channel.
Playing off the edge, Clermont strike at the Leicester midfield. Tigers try to counter this with strong line speed, but Lopez has held his depth and is able to release a forward into the heart of the Tiger’s defence. The width of Clermont’s attack is helped by the quality of Morgan Parra’s pass. The pass from the base cutting out five Leicester players, with an additional two Tigers on the floor.
Tigers do make the tackle on Fourcade but are now under stress as they try to fold and keep pace with the Clermont attack. But the French side are able to generate quick ruck ball, clearing Tommy Reffell with ease while their attack fans across the rest of the pitch.
The speed of ball creates a five on five, with 60% of the pitch for Clermont to attack. As expected above the Leicester Tigers winger (5) splits the difference on the 15m sitting as close as he dares to the inside defenders. But the speed of the ball beats Leicester’s fold and means that after just two passes, the five on five becomes a three on one with quick passing isolating the Leicester Tigers winger.
Clermont have unpicked one of Leicester’s weak points, folding faster and managing to isolate the Leicester Tigers winger. It’s a scenario teams can look to recreate next season, through use of a quick folding attack while hugging the width and executing their passes. If teams can manage this then we can expect them to create opportunities outwide.
Summary
Tigers have built a nearly immaculate defence under Kevin Sinfield’s watchful eye It is a defence fundamentally built around single man tackles shown by the Tigers committing the 3rd lowest amount of players per tackle. This system also benefited their large array of jackal threats who wreaked havoc and turned the ball over for fun this season.
The Tigers defence did give up opportunities with sides able to find joy in the 15m channels. But even though Tigers gave up these chances, they were still able to recover, and kill the attack even if they look beaten. Targeting the pressure point to turnover ball or buy time while they regained their structure. The exploits of the Leicester rubber band defence were a key factor in their title winning exploits.
The Tigers defence is sure to play a key role in any league title challenge next season. With this in mind the steps that Kevin Sinfield takes to future proof his charges will be fascinating.
The Analysis Guy 