Warriors lay in wait for Toulon coach Cockerill
RICHARD Cockerill has joined three-time European champions Toulon’s coaching staff just four days after his Leicester dismissal – but could be set for a quick return to the Premiership with Worcester lining up a move for him.
The former England hooker joins Toulon on a deal to run until the end of the season, at the request of head coach Mike Ford.
Leicester sacked Cockerill, below, on Monday, bringing an end to his sixyear stint as rugby director at Welford Road – and a 20 year association as player and coach.
Relegation-threatened Worcester are keen for him to join Sixways at the end of the season. Pressure has been building on Warriors head coach Carl Hogg and the club brought in Namibia head coach Phil Davies as a short term coaching consultant.
It is likely that Hogg, who has been at the club since May 2013, will not be sacked but instead see Cockerill come in above him in a director of rugby role.
For now, Cockerill is at Toulon and a statement from the French club read: “At the request of our manager Mike Ford and with the agreement of all the staff, Richard Cockerill will reinforce the staff of the first team of the club in the coming days as a rugby consultant until the end of the season.
“Richard will work under the authority of Mike Ford and in co-operation with forwards coach Marc Dal Maso and skills coach Steve Meehan.”
Toulon currently sit sixth in the Top 14 table.
Leicester have installed head coach Aaron Mauger as interim boss until the end of the season.
Former England bosses Stuart Lancaster and Martin Johnson are in the frame to take the Leicester helm, with ex-South Africa chief Heyneke Meyer also in the running.
ENGLAND and Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi will miss the Six Nations and the rest of the Premiership season with anterior cruciate ligament damage.
The 25-year-old is out for at least six months after he was injured in Sunday’s defeat by Saracens. He has made just 23 appearances for Tigers since the start of the 2013-14 season because of a string of injuries.
Only one of his 26 England caps has been under Eddie Jones, named head coach in November 2015.
As well as missing the Six Nations, he will not be available for the Lions summer tour of New Zealand.
“It’s devastating for him,” Tigers head coach Aaron Mauger said. “He’s got himself into such a good position, I think he’s really matured as a person over the last 12 months and that’s probably helped him get back to the space that he’s been in.
“He’ll have everything he needs to come back a better player and a stronger person and I’m sure he will.”
Mauger admitted fundamental differences in coaching outlooks underpinned the sacking of director of rugby Richard Cockerill on Monday, following the 16-12 defeat by Saracens.
Former All Black centre Mauger said: “In terms of coaching relationships, we probably had a lot of fundamental differences of philosophy in how to play and how to train to the point where I’d be saying black and Cockers would be saying white.
“When you have too many differences, it is often hard to give clarity to people and that is probably where we came unstuck. Personally, we get along well but unfortunately those [stylistic] barriers we couldn’t work through.”
Mauger will be in charge of all playing affairs with Brett Deacon moving from the academy to help with defence alongside first team coaches Geordan Murphy and Richard Blaze.
“It is only natural that players are going to feel pretty emotional although I haven’t sensed any divide,” said Mauger.
“A lot of questions have been asked. The board look at performance and want to know why we are not getting there. Lots of people have been giving feedback. It is not just down to one person. We’d all like to have done a better job.”