Tigers fans deserve a response says Jonah
AS his Wales teammates battle for a piece of history and a place in the World Cup final, Jonah Holmes will be preparing to put the record straight with Leicester.
The Tigers started the Premiership season with a whimper, going down 24-16 to Worcester, but Holmes, who just missed out on a place in Wales’ squad for Japan, has every confidence they can deliver a much better performance against Saracens today.
“It wasn’t the result we wanted (against Worcester) but it is done now,” he said.
“We’ve got to accept that we weren’t good enough, learn the lessons and move on.
“If you’re not on the ball, in any game in the Premiership, you’re going to lose, and I think we were a few per cent off in every area.
“We’ve only got ourselves to blame, as players we need to shape up individually.
We’re at home and we have some points to prove in front of the fans.
“But it was only round one, we have got plans in place and we are not going to abandon them now.” With 19 tries in just 34 appearances since joining from Yorkshire Carnegie in the summer of 2017, the three-cap international has made a positive impact at Tigers.
However, the 27-year-old is looking to improve on last week’s more subdued effort against Warriors.
“I would like to get more touches of the ball. Six runs and 32 metres, is not good enough for me.” Given his ability to play on the wing, full-back and even scrum-half, Holmes must have been under consideration when Warren Gatland was debating who to bring over to Japan as cover for Josh Navidi.
Navidi’s tournamentending hamstring injury freed up a place in the Wales squad, but with his options depleted behind the scrum, Gatland opted for another back instead of a back row replacement, Cardiff Blues’ Owen Lane.
“Good on Owen, he trained well in the summer.said Holmes. “It is obviously disappointing not to be a part of any squad but the silver lining for me was coming back to Leicester so it’s not as if it’s all bad.” While steering clear of making bold predictions about the Leicester-Sarries result, Holmes believes Wales will get his day off to a good start by beating the Springboks.
“You can see the graft they have put in; they thoroughly deserve to be in that semi. Now they’ve got the best chance to get there, I think we’ll be in the final.
“I am looking forward to it, massively.” Leicester welcome back the first of their World Cup players with Tonga international Sione Kalamafoni included on the bench.
South African centre EW Viljoen makes his first appearance at Welford Road and he is joined by Kyle Eastmond who missed last week’s trip to Worcester due to illness.
The only change in the forward pack is the inclusion of Jake Kerr at hooker, with club captain Tom Youngs ruled out by a knock. Calum Green takes over as captain in a league game for the first time.
Academy fly-half Manu Vunipola will make his second Premiership start for Saracens after injury ruled out Alex Goode. No.8 Jackson Wray takes the captaincy role in Goode and Brad Barritt’s absence.
Front row duo Richard Barrington and Tom Woolstencroft are back in the pack and Scotland wing Sean Maitland returns after World Cup duty.
