Tigers’ new low
Eighth defeat in a row for Leicester
The bell tolling around Welford Road yesterday afternoon carried a worrying echo for English club rugby as Leicester effectively added to a growing number of eliminated Premiership teams with two rounds to go.
Tigers have mathematical possibilities of wriggling through but that must be classed as strawclutching of the highest order. It is a job lot of despair.
The only upside as World Cup year looms is that many of Eddie Jones’s England squad will be well rested, the Saracens contingent excepted. One by one they have fallen, Gloucester and Exeter Chiefs on Friday evening (although there are wafer-thin hopes still there), Bath and Wasps the following day.
Leicester Tigers, two-time champions in this competition, were very quickly also-rans in this match, outmuscled, out-thought and outrun, Racing shredding a flimsy defence at will.
This was Tigers’ eighth successive defeat. They are well aware of their parlous state.
“This is the lowest ebb in my 20 years here,” said head coach Geordan Murphy. “We are on a horrific run. Confidence is very low and when Harlequins come here in six days’ time [in the Premiership], they will sense blood in the water.”
That bleak view was endorsed by Leicester captain George Ford.
“It’s horrible, really,” said the flyhalf. “Every time we lose it hurts. It’s just not easy, especially when you care about it as much as we do. We have been nowhere near good enough in this competition.”
Leicester did manage to hang in there after shipping three soft tries in the first half, Racing only clinching their fourth-try bonus point in the last move of a disjointed game, Maxime Machenaud putting wing Juan Imhoff in for his second try of the afternoon. But, in truth, it did not amount to much for Tigers. It was a salvage mission.
This has been a familiar tale for supporters. Their team have scrapped and battled but ended up off the pace and out of the reckoning. So it proved here.
Defence is their main issue. The club are interviewing various contenders for the defence coach position, with former rugby league specialists such as Dave Ellis and Denis Betts reported to be in the frame. The Daily Telegraph understands that an appointment will be made shortly, perhaps even by Christmas subject to contract. There will be no change at the top, however, with the Leicester board looking to confirm Murphy in his role. There is plenty to work on.
The scrummage was the only facet of Leicester’s game to come up trumps, winning penalties and making life uncomfortable at times for the Racing pack. Yet they could not build on it with any real conviction. The line-out also wobbled at the wrong junctures, twice giving up ball in a promising position.
Their attacks were lone or ad hoc sorties. Manu Tuilagi contributed well to their only try with an arcing run in the 32nd minute that led to full-back George Worth scoring in the corner after wing Adam Thompstone had been tackled just short.
That was to be it for Leicester, the boot of the ever-willing George Ford contributing their other points. But they did manage to hold firm when Dan Cole was sent to the sin-bin for leading with an elbow on the hour.
Racing 92 are, of course, one of the favourites for the tournament, laden with cash and appropriate resources. Their squad is high quality and runs deep.
It would not have been quite so galling if the Racing tries had been feats of magic from galacticos such as fly-half Fin Russell, full-back Simon Zebo or the super-talent that is lock Leone Nakarawa.
But, no, the first-half scores were delivered with ease, be it Zebo lancing through unmolested to send Imhoff in at the corner in the 13th minute, or Russell’s insouciant show-and-go from his own 22 that led to a try for Virimi Vakatawa eight minutes later.
Scrum-half Teddy Iribaren had already got his team on the scoreboard, reaching out to touch down after Antonie Claassen and Boris Palu had made chunky dents from a line-out.
Leicester’s rebuild needs a quick injection of ballast if the growing murmurs of discontent around the Welford Road stands are to be quelled. Harlequins are headed this way. A Leicester victory would be a good launch point for any recovery. It cannot come soon enough.