“My Scarlets howler won’t happen again,” says Leicester centre Anthony Allen

Fit-again Anthony Allen is determined to make up for his blunder which contributed to Leicester‘s disastrous defeat at Scarlets in the Champions Cup.
The inside centre returned to action in the midweek visit of the Barbarians and readily accepts his clanger “probably cost us” hopes of a crucial European victory.
The dropped pass was the first of several mistakes on an evening which left spectators and TV viewers gasping at Leicester’s poor play.
Allen puts the mistake early in the first half – he dropped the ball with the try-line a stride away – down to rustiness having figured in only three matches this season due to a knee problem.
“It’s one of those things when you are coming back,” Allen explained after the Barbarians’ 59-26 victory.
“It was the first game and you are slightly off, genuinely off the pace. You are not quite there in match fitness, game awareness, everything is slightly off. Your mind is not quite with all the calls.
“Normally, after two or three games you are back to normal, but you can’t always hit the ground running. You would love to have had two or three weeks of training to get back up to speed.”
Allen, who partnered one of Leicester’s summer signings, Japan international Christian Loamanu against the Barbarians, is now aiming to put the defeat against the Scarlets behind him.
“You have to make sure it does not happen again as best as possible,” he said. “You work on the things that did not go quite as well from week to week. You have to work on the next game and forget about it.”
Allen believes Loamanu, whose debut appearance has been delayed by injury since his arrival in the summer, will eventually make a big impression.
“He’s similar to what Manu Tuilagi brings to the team. He’s a big chap and it’s good to play alongside him,” Allen added after a 40-minute cameo on Tuesday night.
Allen hopes his injury problems are behind him and cheerfully accepted a “minor” cut eye which needed ten stitches on Tuesday evening. Compared to his recent problems – including a horrendous leg injury last season – it was only a bump.
He believes Leicester have the strength to bounce back from a disappointing autumn which has brought three Premiership defeats plus that 15-3 setback at Scarlets.
“It’s hard to put your finger on it,” he said about the Tigers‘ poor form. “We have to back up the physicality of it every week. The Pro12 teams are finding it difficult to back up every week.
“That’s what it is down to. It’s tough, the best players do it every week and it’s a matter of minimising those off weeks.
“Unfortunately, they do happen.”
STEVE KENNY