Great survivors’ redemption fight
Leicester and Saracens battle to be comeback kings
TWICKENHAM will be packed for the Gallagher Premiership rebound final today and Steve Borthwick has added spice to the title tussle by picking a mainstay of Saracens’ modern dynasty.
Leicester’s head coach yesterday named Richard Wigglesworth to start at scrum-half against the club where he won countless trophies and plaudits over a decade of productive service.
The inclusion of the player-coach at the age of 39 means the Tigers have opted for the canny control of their former England No 9, before unleashing their current one, Ben Youngs, off the bench.
Furthermore, the presence of Wigglesworth — along with another former Saracen Chris Ashton — reinforces the theme of this grand occasion. On both sides, this is a shot at redemption as well as glory and an occasion to be relished after the recent dark days.
For Saracens, this is a chance to bury any lingering memory of their salary-cap-related fall from grace. They served their punishment with a season in the Championship and are now hell-bent on claiming another top prize at the first attempt, after returning to the top flight.
Captain Owen Farrell outlined the mood in their camp. Asked if there was more appreciation, given what they have been through, he said: ‘Yeah, probably. Over the last couple of years there has been a big difference for us, so that makes us appreciate it. We have spent time away, come back and had a good year so far. We’ve got an exciting opportunity.’
Saracens reached this final by finishing runners-up in the Premiership and dispatching title holders Harlequins in an emphatic play-off victory.
That statement of intent provoked a profound response from director of rugby Mark McCall about his squad’s unity and spirit and Farrell echoed those sentiments. He said: ‘ Obviously with what went on, a few people had to leave. But in terms of loyalty and what we had already built, the togetherness did stand for something and has probably put us in good stead now.’
Farrell identified coaching stability as another factor in Saracens’ resurgence. But he was quick to acknowledge that the arrival of former Saracens captain and England forwards guru Borthwick has been key to turning around Leicester’s fortunes. ‘Working with him at England and seeing how good a job he was doing, it was obvious how well he was going to do at Leicester,’ said the fly-half.
Leicester prop Dan Cole paid his own tribute to the man who has put heart and soul into dragging the East Midlands club back to the heights. ‘Steve came in and tore everything up,’ said Cole. ‘Everything we do has a purpose now. He’s a brilliant coach, one of the best in the business.’
When Cole first emerged more than a decade ago, Leicester saw this day out at Twickenham as an annual tradition, one which was then taken from them for so long.
‘We reached five finals on the bounce and I felt it was automatic,’ said Cole. ‘Then that stopped and you go eight years without reaching one. Two or three years ago, we could barely win a game for love or money, so you definitely appreciate success more.’
Cole can still recall his lowest ebb as a Tiger. ‘I remember sitting in a changing room, three weeks before we played Newcastle in the relegation clash,’ he said. ‘We had played Northampton at home on a Friday night and got beaten. We had thrown everything at it. We sat there on the back of that result and thought, “We’re stuffed”.’
Leicester survived but that was rock bottom and there has been a vital overhaul since. This season, they finished top of the league and will now be desperate to have some silverware to show for such a turnaround, before Ellis Genge and George Ford move on, to Bristol and Sale respectively.
Saracens will be desperate too. Farrell, Maro Itoje, Mako and Billy Vunipola, Jamie George and Elliot Daly have Lions pedigree but there is class all over, from the work-rate, power and athletic prowess of Ben Earl and Theo McFarland, to the artful brilliance of Alex Goode. In this rebound final, they are favourites to bounce back all the way to the title. LEICESTER: Steward; Ashton, Moroni, Porter, Potter; Ford, Wigglesworth; Genge, Montoya, Cole; Chessum, Green; Liebenberg, Wiese, Reffell.
SARACENS: Goode; Malins, Daly, Tompkins, Maitland; Farrell, Davies; M Vunipola, George, Koch; Itoje, Isiekwe; McFarland, B Vunipola, Earl.
Referee: Wayne Barnes.