The army spokesman, Athula Jayawardene, said it wanted the Tigers to attack.

ECONOMIST: Sri Lanka at war

The Tigers lacked ideas in attack, came off second-best at the breakdown and found their defence noticeably porous at key times.

BBC: Tigers losing their bite?

When the talks came to nothing, she reluctantly allowed the army to launch an all-out attack on the Tigers.

ECONOMIST: Sri Lanka

When a cheeky pass from replacement Tigers scum-half Ben Youngs failed to go to hand the French side countered with a superb flowing attack.

BBC: Leicester 14-9 Toulouse

Bates' thoughts closely follow on from an attack on refereeing standards by Saracens boss Brendan Venter, after his side's weekend defeat by Leicester Tigers.

BBC: Newcastle Falcons boss Steve Bates seeks rules rethink