Axed Mauger given emotional send-off as Tigers stage a fine comeback to punish Northampton
IT is not often you see former All Blacks crying. But after a stunning derby victory, stolen under the noses of Northampton Saints away from home yesterday afternoon, Aaron Mauger had a tear in his eye.
At the full-time whistle he was mobbed by his players — those who fought for him to stay in charge — and after the celebrations subsided the Leicester head coach welled up as he headed down the tunnel. How frustrating it will be that his best win as boss came in his final game — one he demanded to take charge of after being brutally sacked by his board hours after securing the club’s first trophy in four years with the Anglo-Welsh Cup a week ago.
He was too emotional to speak afterwards, so it was left to his deputy, Geordan Murphy, to say what this win meant to the departing Mauger. ‘It is an emotional day for Mage,’ said Murphy.
‘He was disappointed that he did not get the job but I thought he handled that really well. He did not want that to affect the team in the week and did a great job setting the team up to come to Franklin’s Gardens.
‘The guys came here and wanted to give him a good send-off. The players really like him, he is a great coach and some have said they are disappointed (that he is leaving).’
Owen Williams, who won the game for Leicester at the death with three ice-cool kicks, echoed Murphy’s sentiments. ‘The players wanted to give Aaron a good send-off,’ he said. ‘He is a great coach who we will miss dearly.’
Murphy said Leicester’s performances this season had let the club down — but wins like this will make the Tigers a nuisance in the run-in.
‘I don’t think anything about this season has been overly planned!’ he added. ‘We have been rolling at times, had some particularly poor performances and at times have not played to the standard we’d expect.
‘The players have taken
that on the chin. We have come under a lot of criticism, when that happens sides fracture or become a tight unit — this side will be a tight unit come finals time.’
Were it not for a big right toe on the foot of Saints second-row Christian Day, Northampton would have had a bonus point by half-time. Stephen Myler’s wide pass found Day on the right wing but the lock finished like a lock and the score was denied by the TMO.
It did not seem to matter so much at the time, as the Saints led 22-16 at the break thanks to tries from Nafi Tuitavake, Ahsee Tuala and Louis Picamoles, but in the end it proved vital.
The Tigers had kept in touch with Adam Thompstone scoring after latching on to a deft Ben Youngs pass, and 11 points from Freddie Burns, but only led for the first time six minutes into the second half.
Youngs scored in the left corner and Williams — on for Burns who failed an HIA at the interval — kicked them ahead.
Two penalties from Myler calmed things down and when Mike Williams was sin-binned after 68 minutes for a shoulder charge at a ruck on Paul Hill, Leicester’s hopes looked dashed. But Lachlan McCaffrey went over in the far corner and Owen Williams hit a wonderful conversion in windy conditions. Myler hit back with time running out, a penalty sneaking Saints ahead by one point.
Williams had the last laugh, though, kicking two late goals to seal it.
Two sackings now this season for Leicester. A third different man, in Matt O’Connor, will take charge in April. Hardly the blueprint for a title challenge, but Leicester are still there.