Guscott: Tigers need tough tight-five
LEICESTER do not have the same threat and renown that they once did, and it is why Geordan Murphy, who is expected to be confirmed as head coach soon, has a huge task on his hands to get them back to the top.
The emergence of Saracens and Exeter as the most powerful teams in the Premiership has something to do with it, and it is reflected in a new order where the Wasps v Tigers rivalry does not have the same box office appeal it did a decade ago.
Murphy has been at Welford Road for so long as a player and now interim coach that he is part of the old Tigers tradition. He knows that the club have great supporters, and that they will back their club to come good.
However, they also want to be encouraged that things are moving in the right direction, and that is why the first leg of Leicester’s European Cup double-header against Racing 92 in Paris today is so important to Murphy and his squad.
The trip to Racing to face last season’s beaten finalists is daunting for a Leicester side that have dropped to eighth place in the Premiership table, but it is the place for Murphy to make a clear statement of intent by getting this Tigers team to raise their game.
Last weekend’s 41-10 defeat away at Bristol put a dent in Leicester. It began before Kyle Eastmond was sent-off for a high tackle, but his red card is part of a cultural problem that needs to be changed . Bath had a similar problem with indiscipline, and it is something that Geordan will have to get sorted, because you cannot afford to lose matches through incidents that are easily avoidable.
If he does, things can change very quickly in Europe, and especially in the Premiership. Over the next four rounds there will be movement – for instance, if Tigers win their next three league games in a row, they will be in the top six.
Leicester’s decline has been a slow process, and it is reflected currently in a points difference after six losses of minus 78. Under Richard Cockerill they went through a bad phase, and had a hell of a lot of injuries at one time, but even so they always made the Premiership semi-final play-offs.
Last season, when the Tigers failed to make the semi-finals for the first time in 14 years, it cost Matt O’Connor his job as rugby director. Having been appointed caretaker coach, reports this week suggest that the Leicester board are ready to appoint Murphy to the top job.
It seems a long time since the Tigers’ last English title in 2013, when they beat 14-man Northampton after Dylan Hartley was sent off, so Murphy inherited a team that does not carry the same clout they did when he was playing.
Their reputation was based on a powerful, uncompromising pack which would give you a hard time – and they always seemed to have halfbacks who could put their pack where it needed to be. That’s why, whether it was Dean Richards as coach, or Pat Howard, John Wells or Cockerill, they were successful.
That threat no longer appears to be there, largely because they are a side in transition. Not only are cornerstones like Dan Cole one step closer to retirement, but with the influx of overseas players into the squad Leicester are not what they used to be.
Now, when you look at Leicester you think more of the backs as their main players, rather than great forwards like Martin Johnson, Neil Back and Lewis Moody. Backs like Telusa Veainu, Matt Toomua, Ben Youngs, George Ford are better known than the current Tigers forwards.
So, what’s the missing ingredient? When I played for Bath the Leicester backs were usually handy, but it was their forwards who set the tone by giving them good ball in the right areas of the pitch. At that time it almost didn’t matter who Leicester picked in the pack because it was their area of core strength – but it’s no longer like that.
Leicester are trying to rediscover themselves, and especially that intensity in the forwards, but they have slipped. They are not alone – Harlequins and Northampton are in the same place – and even Wasps haven’t been able to find the two or three players they need to truly challenge Saracens and Exeter.
In the league those placed from three to 12 are all struggling to keep up, and with Tigers on only 18 points and Saracens at the top with 42 the gap appears to be widening rather than shortening.
You get picked as a player because of your ability, and occasionally you get there because of your potential.
Coaching can be the same. You might be a smart 40-year-old like Murphy who can make that jump. However, you will also know that the Tigers conceding 39 tries in nine Premiership games, which is the worst in the league, is not the sort of defensive record that will keep you there.
Tigers are taking a chance by making Murphy head coach. It is a risk for the board, but remember it is club where Richards went from playing to coaching seamlessly, and with great success. Dean was a player who was always destined to be a coach, as he has proved not just with Leicester, but also with Newcastle and Harlequins.
Murphy has to keep Leicester clear of relegation, and also to make sure that his squad are upbeat and grow in confidence. There is no harder place than Racing 92 to start, but he has to prove he is putting building blocks in place, so that even if the Tigers are beaten they are competitive and play well.
The key to this is to get the Leicester front five firing again, and to do that you need to have nine interchangeable front five players of the same standard. The half-back pairing of Ben Youngs and George Ford must kick well, and Ford needs to be on the end of a fast, smooth surface from Youngs.
If the Tigers pack are not dominating it gets hard, but with Manu Tuilagi coming back at least there is a plan B to help them get over the gain-line.
However, the reality is that your front five have to be competitive. If they are you will be top six in the Premiership. If not you will be bottom half. It’s that simple.
“The key is to get the Leicester front five firing, and to do that you need nine interchangeable players”