Boss wants to keep side grounded
STEVE Borthwick is managing expectations over Leicester’s flying start to the season by refusing to look at the domestic and European tables.
The Tigers are runaway Gallagher Premiership leaders as they approach the midway stage of the season and last Saturday they opened their Heineken Champions Cup campaign with an impressive victory at Bordeaux.
Connacht visit Mattioli Woods Welford Road this weekend as Leicester look to continue their remarkable revival under Borthwick, but the head coach insists title-winning chat is off-limits.
“I promise you, hand on heart, I have never once spoken to this team about the table and I can’t think at any point in the near future of having that conversation,” Borthwick said.
“The only way we can build the future that we want is by doing today what we need to do. That’s the mentality I have. We’ll try to be the best team we can be. Leicester is a huge club and the following has staggered me. There’s a lot of work to do, but there’s a lot of growth in this team and in this club. We want to do something special.”
English clubs face concern over their ability to challenge in future editions of the Champions Cup as the reduced £5million salary cap makes it increasingly hard to compete with their French and Celtic rivals.
Away wins for Leicester and Harlequins against Top 14 opposition helped the Premiership off to a promising start in round one, but the difference in spending on players is expected to really bite over the next two seasons.
Borthwick has adopted his own approach knowing Leicester are already behind some of their domestic rivals, never mind European giants such as Leinster and Toulouse.