WIGGY KEPT TIGERS TAILS UP IN CRISIS

RICHARD WIGGLESWORTH’S pivotal role in rescuing Leicester after England took Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield mid-season can be fully revealed.

Two days before the Rugby Football Union announced in December that the pair would be taking charge, Borthwick broke the news to his Tigers squad.

But none of the players knew Sinfield would be going, too. Leicester had hoped he would take over from Borthwick.

That afternoon, Tigers beat Clermont in the Champions Cup, Wigglesworth (above) coming off the bench for what would turn out to be his last game as a player.

Chief executive Andrea Pinchen caught wind of Borthwick’s announcement to his squad. Worried that the club would suffer “death by 1,000 cuts” if bad news was dragged out, she told Sinfield he needed to tell the players, too.

“I don’t think he was prepared for that,” she admitted. “It was a very intense moment for all. Steve spoke and said what I’m pretty sure everyone was expecting to hear. Then Kev took his turn. I think most players thought he was going to stay.

“What he said came as a shock, a lot were upset. Understandably so. Kev is not just a brilliant coach but a brilliant person.”

Pinchen knew Borthwick wanted Wigglesworth, but says he “put his own feelings to one side”, agreeing to stay and take charge for the rest of the season, retiring from playing immediately.

“Wiggy didn’t want anybody to know, at that point, that this had been his last game,” she added. “He wanted to tell the lads in his own time. I can’t speak more highly of him and the way he stepped up, literally stopping his playing career one day and taking charge the next.”

Under the ex-England scrumhalf’s steadying influence, the Premiership champions rallied to win six of their last seven and snatch a top-four finish.

“To think of the emotional turmoil he must have been in, yet he led us to third,” Pinchen added.

Wigglesworth now joins England’s World Cup build-up, to coach attack and kicking strategy. Dan McKellar takes over at Tigers.