How two Tigers brought bite back to Edinburgh and Newcastle and the many subplots to their Champions Cup tussle
In his infamous book published almost 20 years ago, Richard Cockerill tells a story about the day he brought an almighty pasting upon himself. The moment he poked the great bear that was Dean Richards and roused the fury of his giant Leicester Tigers team-mate.
“We were playing ‘touch’ in training. I’d turned to chase Matt Poole and as I did so I felt someone grab my shirt and pull me back,” Cockerill wrote.
“Without a second thought I swung my arm back and smashed whoever did it right in the chops. Of course, that person had to be Deano, didn’t it?
“He rubbed his jaw for a moment then he grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and started laying into me.
“He was punching me and I was trying to avoid his fists because he’s not exactly the weakest of men. A few blows were traded but I can assure you the vast majority landed on one place – the top of my head. You mix it with Deano at your peril.”
Deano: the indomitable, unflinching juggernaut at the heart of the toughest pack around. Deano: the totem who set the standards and schooled upstarts like Cockerill in what it meant to be a Tiger. Deano: the two-time Lion, the massive number eight that could, as the storied Bill McLaren once surmised, only be uprooted with military assistance.
That book is notorious because of what Cockerill wrote in it about the England set-up of the time and what he felt about the way Sir Clive Woodward ran the operation. But the reverence for Richards and his role in Cockerill’s formative rugby years is blaring.
“In the Deano era, you always wondered how you were going to win if he didn’t play,” the fearsome little hooker said.
Cockerill and Richards are middle-aged men now and the game is vastly different to the one they were playing two decades ago. Still, their paths intertwine. Richards coached Cockerill during his final years at Tigers. After retiring, Cockerill became Leicester forwards coach and locked horns with Richards, who was then in charge of Harlequins. They met seven times when Cockerill took the top job at Welford Road and Richards returned from his “Bloodgate” ban to revamp Newcastle Falcons. Cockerill won six of them.
They face each other again on Friday, as Richards leads his Falcons north to do battle with Cockerill’s Edinburgh in the first match of an enormous Champions Cup double-header.
These two aren’t Tigers anymore; their clubs don’t have that intimidating bedrock of hard-won glory, nor the aura their belligerence and at times violence of yesteryear commanded. They’re embarking on different projects.
Cockerill is a season-and-a-half into his and has done a fine job in revitalising beleaguered Edinburgh. Richards has been at Newcastle for six years now, steadily building a core of local talent and taking them from the second tier in 2012 to a Premiership semi-final last season.
There has been a Scottish vein running through the club since the dawn of professionalism, when Doddie Weir and Gary Armstrong shared a car south from the borders to take their first steps as paid athletes and helped Falcons win the Premiership in 1998. Alan Tait and George Graham were part of that side and Stuart Grimes joined it soon after.
It was at Newcastle that Phil Godman learned his trade under the ultimate fly-half mentor, Jonny Wilkinson. Tim Visser and Tim Swinson came through the ranks before forging successful careers with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Scotland caps.
Craig Hamilton, Rory Lawson, Euan Murray, Mike Blair, Scott Lawson, Ally Hogg – the list goes on. Even now, the Scots influence remains.
It is a shame not to see John Hardie set loose against his old team-mates and the employers who let him go in the summer. Hardie’s travails are well-documented but worth retelling. The flanker was suspended by Scottish Rugby a year ago for what the governing body called “gross misconduct”. The story goes that his use of cocaine was the reason for the ban. Scottish Rugby never confirmed that but did nothing to dissuade the notion.
Hardie is a wonderful flanker, an old-school fetcher and a thunderous tackler. Injury concerns hampered his quest for a new club but Falcons were happy to take him in October. Already that move looks a smart one for all concerned – not least Gregor Townsend and his World Cup preparations. Hardie made 18 tackles and missed none in Newcastle’s pulsating win over Northampton Saints, snatched six minutes after the clock went red.
Falcons are embroiled in an almighty relegation scrap, the ferocity of which the Premiership has not known for years, but they have the grit to get clear of it and Hardie is exactly the sort of bloke who can help them do so.
The Kiwi is not registered for European action and so we will not see a mouth-watering joust with Scottish open-side rival Hamish Watson, but his resurgence is most encouraging.
Instead, we get another compelling Scottish duel. We know all about Gary Graham, his England call-up a year ago that felt like a political missile from Eddie Jones, marking Townsend’s card with Scottish Rugby looking harder than ever for eligible talent south of the border. And we know about his return to the country of his birth and Scotland’s autumn Test squad last month.
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The flanker’s tale is fascinating one. Graham is a gritty council estate lad who has had to scrap for everything he has earned in rugby and taken plenty kicks along the way.
He was born in Stirling, a town in the shadow of the Wallace Monument. His father, the aforementioned George Graham, is about as vociferous a Scot as the claymore-wielding freedom fighter himself.
Graham Junior grew up in Carlisle. He won Scotland age-grade recognition, but he couldn’t get a spot in an academy. So he trained as an electrician and played club rugby at Gala in the Scottish borders. Three years ago, Jersey Reds offered him a deal to join them in the Championship. It was a measly offer but it meant becoming a professional rugby player, so Graham took it and struggled to make ends meet. It wasn’t until 2017 that Richards spied his talents and gave him a crack at the big-time.
When Jones sent for him, he was hardly going to slam down the phone. Not with what he’d been through. Not after only a handful of Premiership outings. Not with international rugby beckoning and an eye-watering match fee on offer for England’s Test players.
Graham gave an interview around that time that created all sorts of headlines. He spoke about how desperate he was to play in the Calcutta Cup, to “make 1,000 tackles and shove it in their face”.
Those comments, he says, were blown out of all proportion, but no-one has denied they were made. You can only imagine the hideous slaughtering he got when he fetched up at Murrayfield, ready to pledge himself to thistle over rose.
Graham is an unflinching character and he might reckon he has a point to prove to some sceptics at Murrayfield. He lines up opposite Watson and another Scotland contender in Jamie Ritchie, both of whom return after stupendous autumn shifts.
Cockerill has his heavyweights back and how he needs them. Little can be read into Edinburgh’s recent form so ravaged have they been by injury, Test duty and the need to give heavily worked players a rest.
They lost at Dragons and in the most savage of circumstances, sent a scratch team to Munster last week that were duly steamrolled. Cockerill spoke about having his hands tied but heading to Musgrave Park off a five-day turnaround missing more than a dozen internationals was more like having his entire body trussed up.
He has his Scotland contingent again now and he has his biggest and most important player in Bill Mata, the sensational Fijian who is the top ball-carrier in the Pro14 and Champions Cup, back in the van.
Both Newcastle and Edinburgh need to start motoring again domestically but in Europe, each has a precious carrot.
The two unfancied sides in Pool 5 currently occupy the top two slots. Falcons became only the second team to beat Toulon at home in the Champions Cup then floored Montpellier with an 89th-minute try. They’re getting pretty good at these late salvos.
Edinburgh are two points behind them after a narrow loss in Montpellier and dishing out a Murrayfield pummelling to Toulon.
Newcastle have that tussle for Premiership survival to consider and a ton of injured firepower, particularly in the front-row where their tight-head stocks are stretched to breaking point. But this is far too juicy an opportunity for them to take their eye off the ball.
Montpellier are still well in the mix. Win at Toulon, and Vern Cotter’s side will fancy their chances of topping the lot, while likely ensuring their troubled French opponents abandon the competition and play with even less heart than in their anaemic showings so far.
And so back we come to Cockers and Deano. Just like that training paddock slugfest all those years ago, the big beasts go at it again. A quarter-final may be the prize for the last Tiger standing.
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Comments on RugbyPass
In the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
5 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
6 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
5 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
6 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
6 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to comments