Youngs is over Paris nightmare
Hartley’s side handed biggest ever home defeat as Saracens run riot
TOM YOUNGS’ Leicester scrapped it out for a losing bonus point – then the skipper insisted it had helped erase last season’s despair in Paris.
In January Tigers were thumped 34-3 here in the Champions Cup and followed up a week later with a 43-0 home shocker against Glasgow.
Youngs admitted he had flashbacks to that French fiasco when he turned up at the Stade Yves du Manoir on Saturday.
But his team’s backsagainst-the wall effort got rid of that in the 22-18 defeat at Racing 92 and Leicester are off the mark in Pool Four.
Hooker Youngs, 30, said: “Walking into that changing room, the demons were there from last season.
“Those two weeks were probably the worst in my career. They were dark, dark times but we got through them and we are definitely heading in the right direction.
“Having gone through the experience last season of getting thumped – you don’t want to be doing that again. You definitely come here with that mindset of remembering that hurt of that time.”
Leicester face Castres in round two on Saturday at Welford Road and a win will put them in business in a tough group which also features Munster.
He added: “You don’t want to come off losing but if you do then you want to come off with a point – something you can hang your hat on.
“We need to get a win next week at home. Then that puts Europe to bed for a couple of weeks.”
“The effort was great but probably a little inaccurate sometimes. We had opportunities to win.”