Tigers turmoil as O’Connor battles for job

LEICESTER will go into the new season against a backdrop of turbulence, with senior figures at the club harbouring doubts about head coach Matt O’Connor and players privately speculating about his future. The Tigers have endured a period of upheaval in the last two years and there may be more to come soon. Club stalwart and former hooker Richard Cockerill was sacked as director of rugby at the start of 2017, but his replacement, former All Black centre Aaron Mauger, was gone by the end of the season. O’Connor (right) was brought back to Leicester — after a successful spell working under Cockerill — to take charge but the Australian’s tenure has not brought the desired revival at the East Midlands club. Last season, the Tigers failed to reach the Premiership play-offs for the first time since 2004, and just scraped in to the Champions Cup. These are alien problems for Leicester and there has already been informal contingency planning. With a tough start to the 2018-19 campaign looming, the ultimate step of regime change is being considered, along with the more measured response of hiring additional expertise if results are bad. At the end of last season, there was a review involving senior players and O’Connor, in conjunction with chief executive Simon Cohen and the board. It is understood that the review concluded O’Connor required another senior coach to assist him with the running of the team. However, since then no new appointments have been made. Sources have told Sportsmail that a variety of candidates have been considered and discounted, due to disagreements on the subject between O’Connor and the club hierarchy. It is thought that Australian former Bath and Wasps defence coach Brad Davis was wanted by O’Connor, but that option was discounted by the powers-that-be. Tigers officials are understood to have proposed hiring Denis Betts, who was recently sacked by Widnes rugby league club, but O’Connor vetoed that idea. O’Connor was Down Under during the off-season and is believed to have returned to Leicester two weeks later than had been anticipated by the club. That allegedly led one senior figure to say: ‘It would be better if he stayed in Australia.’ Players are aware of the tensions at the club. Sportsmail has learned that the matter has been a topic of discussion among the squad, but opinions are divided. The core group of senior players, who were heavily involved in the removal of Cockerill back in January 2017, are not thought to be agitating for change at this stage. But some have concerns over what is seen as a dictatorial approach.