‘Tigers are three years off a title challenge’
But Borthwick making progress
LEICESTER Tigers legend Neil Back believes it could be three years before the club is competing for top honours once more, writes Bobby Bridge.
The winner of five league titles and back-to-back Heineken Cups has been pleased with the impact head coach Steve Borthwick is making since joining the club – but said any talk of competing for the top four and a first league title since 2012/13 is a little premature.
“I honestly think, and if a Leicester fan or the board or anyone else thinks they’re going to be performing at the top table in the next three years, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” said the 2003 World Cup winner.
“I think it’s going to take at least that long to get a spot.
“I think Borthwick’s third season you will be fighting to get near that top four.
“Leicester Tigers have been obsessed with the top four. It’s not about being in the top four. There’s stats going around about us being in the top four for 13 years, so what?
“It’s about winning. I’m not bothered about finishing top four. I know that correlates to European competition, but we’re a long way off thinking about that top table in Europe.”
Borthwick joined Tigers last July and took sole command following Geordan Murphy’s departure as director of rugby in the brief off-season before the 2020/21 campaign.
Tigers are already four points ahead of their total for the entire 2019/20 season and victory over Newcastle Falcons tomorrow at the Mattioli Woods Welford Road could put them within four points of the top four with seven rounds remaining.
But Back, who scored 125 tries in 339 Tigers appearances, remains cautious with his expectations.
“It takes two or three years to get your squad to how you want it,” he said.
“That third year, the expectations on it are a lot higher.
“Steve’s not setting any bars. He shouldn’t at this stage, it’s about gradually improving and nothing up that ladder.
“But we’re on the right direction, we stopped the freefall. Geordan stopped that deceleration and now we’re working our way up.
“It’s going to take time, lots of effort, because everyone else is trying to improve every day. We’ve got to accelerate that improvement.” ■■BT Sport is the lead broadcaster of Gallagher Premiership Rugby with every match played behind closed doors live on BT Sport. For more information, visit: