Leinster are different breed, warns Tigers boss

LEICESTER are the biggest club in England and leaders of the Premiership, but Steve Borthwick wants his Tigers to embrace underdog status against a wellrested, well-financed Leinster. The Irish province are an established European superpower aiming to take another step towards a fifth title when they visit the East Midlands for Saturday’s momentous Champions Cup quarter-final. Borthwick has overseen an epic revival at Leicester but knows this is a daunting task, against a side boasting Ireland’s top talent. The Tigers coach said: ‘Look at the size of their squad, the internationals and the nature of their league — it is very different. ‘Compare that to where we are — the Premiership is a fierce competition and we have a salary cap, with a limited squad size. It is one of the challenges we need to overcome. I’m not complaining about it, it’s a fact. ‘These guys have been at the top of European rugby for a long time and had a lot of success. ‘They’ve got the vast majority of the Ireland team that finished second in the Six Nations. It is an incredible team they have.’ Borthwick insisted Leicester would take heart from their victories so far in Europe, adding: ‘We went out as massive underdogs in Bordeaux and managed something special there. We went to Clermont as underdogs but we managed to do something special, too.’