Murphy can be more than stopgap

Leicester moved swiftly to promote from within after O’connor’s shock exit, writes Mick Cleary In truth, the board were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t

Geordan Murphy, once dubbed the George Best of rugby by the former Leicester manager, Dean Richards, will need all the magical skills of that famous footballer to live up to the role entrusted to him as boss at troubled Leicester Tigers.

Murphy was always much more than just a talented rugby player, blessed with inordinate individual skills. The former Ireland full-back was tough, too, and he will need to summon all that cleverness and foresight to handle this situation.

But Leicester have backed him to cope with both the shock of Matt O’connor’s dismissal as coach, after just one match of the season, as well as build for the future.

This is no stopgap appointment. Murphy now has the opportunity to make a fist of this position and help Leicester get back to where they feel they belong, after missing out on the play-offs last season for the first time ever.

Leicester always used to trust their own and promote from within. Even if that unstated policy was not enough to keep Richards or, more latterly, Richard Cockerill in the job, there is little doubt that they want Murphy to succeed.

The 40-year-old may be inexperienced as a director of rugby but the shrewd coaching acumen that he has shown as an assistant has been noted. Sources indicate that the senior players at Leicester hold him in high regard. It is up to those players now to repay that faith in him on the field.

There have been too many changes at the top in recent years. Cockerill’s success elsewhere suggests that maybe they hit the ejector button too soon then. And now? It may seem like a knee-jerk, panic decision. But, in truth, the board were damned if they did, damned if they didn’t respond to that 40-point humping at Exeter.