Defence guru Blake gets new chance with Tigers
PHIL BLAKE has emerged as a shock frontrunner to return to Leicester Tigers as defence coach under Geordan Murphy.
The 55-year-old left the Tigers after one season in 2014/15, just before he was banned from all rugby activity for six months for two breaches of anti-corruption and betting rules.
An RFU panel found him guilty of charges relating to eight separate bets placed on two Tigers game while he was their defence coach.
London-born but Australian-raised, Blake has coached in both rugby codes and had a spell as defence and skills coach with the Australia Union side when Robbie Deans was in charge.
Wasps offered him a route back into top-level rugby, but he departed once his two-year contract expired in May 2018.
The Coventry-based side had one of the leakiest defences in the Premiership despite finishing third that year, and his appointment, if it goes through, will no doubt raise a few
eyebrows among the Tigers faithful.
Tigers interviewed three other high-profile candidates with a RL background in Dave Ellis, Brad Davis and Denis Betts, as reported last week, but The Rugby
Paper understands they are prepared to give Blake a second chance instead.
Meanwhile, Gloucester lock Ed Slater believes Geordan Murphy possesses the hard edge, experience and leadership skills to guide Leicester out of their slump.
Slater believes the Leicester board have made the right choice despite the club sitting three points off the bottom of the Premiership after just three wins in nine league games.
Slater told TRP: “Geordan definitely has the personality to do well in that job – he’s hard as nails and has a massive amount of experience
“It’s not just about being liked by everyone, he’s got that steely edge about him. He played with some tough old boys in some really successful Leicester teams, in a hard-edged era where you needed a tough streak just to simply survive.
“He’s not just Mr Nice Guy, he is a leader and it comes naturally to him. I’m certain he’s capable of doing that job – and doing it outstandingly well.”
While Murphy is still regarded as a coaching novice in some quarters, the former full-back has been coaching at Tigers since he retired in 2013.
At 40, Murphy is two years older than former colleague Richard Cockerill was when he took charge of Tigers in 2009 – an appointment that heralded a run of five successive Premiership final appearances and three titles, in which Slater played a part.
Slater added: “Like Cockers back then, Geordan knows the place inside out and although it may take time to sow his seeds, get the players in that he wants and sort things out, he’s got everything he and the club need to be very successful.
“They just need a bit of consistency and belief and they’ll start moving up the table.”
Murphy said he wants to rebuild the Tigers.“We’ve papered over the cracks for too many years now,” he said. “We have to start again from the foundations. Perhaps we have lived on past glories for too long. It’s a bit of project, but it takes time to turn a battleship.”