Singing their praises
BORTHWICK DELIGHTED WITH HIS INTERNATIONAL STARS
LEICESTER Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick has heaped praise on his international players for the “example they set” despite none of them being selected for the British and Irish Lions squad.
For the first time since 1968, no Tigers players were chosen for a Lions tour.
England scrum-half Ben Youngs ruled himself out of contention due to his wife’s pregnancy while Borthwick himself is understood to have turned down a second tour as Lions coach to concentrate on the Leicester Tigers rebuilding project.
Both George Ford and Ellis Genge were considered but ultimately they missed out on the 37-man group chosen by head coach Warren Gatland and his team of selectors for the tour of South Africa this summer.
“I speak with the players,” said Borthwick.
“I want the players to achieve all the ambitions in their playing career possible and I want to help them as much as I possibly can to do that. But selections are done. Again, I don’t pick that team either.
“So the players are just trying to do the best they can.
“Since the players returned from international duty back to Leicester Tigers they’ve been terrific.
“Every single day, I see them striving to get better and to improve.
“Incredible, professional players, I think I’ve gone on record in saying Ellis Genge, defensively, has been superb since he’s returned from international duty.
“All the international players, I can’t praise them highly enough, for the professional example they set.”
Tigers have a long and proud history of providing players for British and Irish Lions tours.
This was recognised in 2018 and the launch of the Lions’ 1888 club, which saw 419 living and the next of kin of 416 deceased Lions receive a one-off, hand-stitched cap that bears the unique playing number awarded only to players who have played competitively in the iconic jersey.
They included the 39 players who toured with the Lions while playing their rugby at Tigers: Rodger Arneil, Neil Back, George Beamish, Dan Cole, Martin Corry, Tom Croft,
Paul Dodge,
Harry Ellis,
Bernard Gadney, Will Greenwood,
Dusty Hare,
Austin Healey, Alfred
Hind,
Phil Horrocks-Taylor, John Jackett, Fred Jackson, Martin Johnson, Ben Kay, Douglas ‘Joe’ Kendrew, Eric Miller, Lewis Moody, Geordan Murphy, Alan Old, Geoff Parling, Doug Prentice, Dean Richards, Graham Rowntree, Ollie Smith, Tom Smith, Manu Tuilagi, Rory Underwood, Tony Underwood, Dorian West, Peter Wheeler, Julian White, Kenneth Wood, Clive Woodward, Ben Youngs and Tom Youngs. A further 17 Tigers players who toured with the Lions but not while playing for the Leicester club will also receive caps, including recent tourists Darren Morris, Tim Stimpson and Billy Twelvetrees.