BORTH: THIS SHIP WON’T SINK

LEICESTER boss Steve Borthwick faced up to the toughest challenge of his career and said: “This is a big old ship and it’s been heading in the wrong direction”.

The former England captain and Red Rose coach (left) starts the new Premiership season at home to Gloucester on Saturday with the Tigers in turmoil.

After finishing last season bottom but one after losing seven of nine games following the first lockdown, they have only just returned to training after their ground was closed for 12 days due to a Covid outbreak.

They have parted company with director of rugby Geordan Murphy (right), and coaches Boris Stankovich and Rob Taylor, while England legend Rory Underwood has left his role as non-executive director. Borthwick said: “Is it ideal? No. Did we want to be not training for two weeks? No. But that’s the situation. We have to embrace the challenge. “The right thing to do was immediately close the ground, to clamp down as quickly as we could on any spread of the virus. There will be players missing, including for Covid. Everyone is desperate to get this club heading in the right direction, but this is a big old ship and it’s been heading in the wrong direction for a period of time.”

Bristol Bears also have personnel problems. Pat Lam has 16 first-teamers out versus Wasps on Sunday due to injury or international call-ups – and Luke Morahan and Harry Thacker are both sidelined until January.