‘Murphy can patch up Tigers’ old ship’
REPORTS GEORDAN MURPHY is set to be given the rest of the season to prove he is the man to bring the glory days back to Leicester following the sacking of Matt O’Connor.
The former Ireland full-back, who has been promoted from assistant coach after the Australian’s dramatic departure one game into the season, has been officially installed on an interim basis.
But with the most attractive alternatives contracted elsewhere, it is understood the Tigers are willing to give the long-serving Murphy, who was part of two European Cupwinning teams at Welford Road, an extended run as head coach in a bid to stabilise the club.
Should he make a success of it, Murphy, who applied unsuccessfully for the top job at Cardiff Blues last season, would be in pole position to take the head coach job permanently.
“I would be crazy to say no. It’s obviously a dream but it’s very early days,” said Murphy. “It is Leicester Tigers, one of the biggest clubs in the world, and I am sure there will be huge amounts of applications for the job. The board have to manage what is best for the club.
“Hopefully we can get some stability down the line but I can’t worry about that too much at the minute. It’s just about trying to get a team out to perform at the weekend.
“I want to do the best job I can for the club and see what happens. What we have seen is that most jobs are ‘interim’, they just don’t have the word in front of them.”
Murphy’s promotion, which came on the back of the 40-6 drubbing at Exeter on Saturday, was given the backing of Leicester captain Tom Youngs yesterday.
“The squad on paper is unbelievable and it’s not quite firing. It didn’t fire last year and it didn’t fire on Saturday,” said Youngs. “But he is the guy to patch up the old ship again and get it going again.”
Murphy took charge of training at the Tigers’ Oadby base still blinking at the sudden nature of O’Connor’s dismissal.
“Everyone will be surprised. I know we didn’t play to the best of our ability last weekend but it is early season,” said Murphy. “The board obviously felt there were a few issues last season and were disappointed with the league position, which was probably a contributing factor.”
It emerged yesterday that O’Connor was shown the door after failing to act ❑ JONATHAN DAVIES has suffered a second fitness blow. The Wales and Lions centre only made his return from nine months out with a horror foot injury in the Scarlets’ pre-season clash with Bath.
But now Davies, 30, has suffered a hamstring problem and will miss his team’s 2018 PRO14 final repeat with Leinster on Saturday.
Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac said: “This is unfortunate for Jon. He is such a finely-tuned athlete and he is in great shape and itching to go.
“He has a little hamstring niggle, so it is something at this stage of the season you do not risk. I don’t think it is going to be long term.”
FLANKER Zach Mercer, on the fringes of the England squad, has signed a two-year contract extension with Bath.
FORMER Leicester lock Richard Blaze has been appointed forwards coach of the England women’s team. on a comprehensive internal review of last season’s abortive campaign, which saw the Tigers finish outside the Premiership play-offs for the first time in 14 years.
The report identified a series of concerns, including a lack of direction in attack and the possible need for a new defensive coach. When the same shortcomings were ruthlessly exposed again at Sandy Park, matters were abruptly brought to a head. For Murphy, who made 322 appearances for Leicester and has been part of the backroom staff under Richard Cockerill, Aaron Mauger and O’Connor, the decline of England’s biggest club has hit hard. “Personally it hurts me. I absolutely love the club. I’ve been here for a very long time, boy and man. Every time we lose it really hurts me to the bone,” he said.
“There is a level of expectation about being a Leicester player. The fans expect us to win, the board expect us to win and bad things happen when we don’t. That’s what people have learnt.
“We’ve had a tough few years. We’ve lost five or six coaches in the past five or six years. That’s always a difficult thing for everyone to deal with and this is no different.
“Matty’s really loved in the playing squad. Guys will be really disappointed. But it’s out of our control. We just have to get on with our jobs. We are paid to try to prepare the team for the weekend and the guys are paid to perform. That’s what we have to do.”
Fate decrees that Murphy’s first game in charge on Saturday will be against a Newcastle side coached by Dean Richards, the Leicester legend who brought him from Ireland to the English Midlands as a teenager.
I would be crazy to say no