Manu Tuilagi's blunt message for Tigers fans turning their back on the team
England centre Manu Tuilagi has a rather blunt message for fans turning their back on Leicester Tigers as the club endure another rocky patch of results.
The midlands side slumped to a sixth successive defeat last weekend after being routed – albeit with 14 men – away to the Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate.
It’s been a rough season so far for the English giants, the latest in many for a club who are struggling to regain their traditional place as one of one of the Premiership’s heaviest hitters. They now look to Europe and the Champions Cup to get back to winning ways.
Tigers won their Round 2 match against Scarlets, but have not won back-to-back matches in the tournament since 2015/16.
Racing 92 host the Geordan Murphy coached side at the Paris La Défense Arena on Sunday, and Tuilagi is hoping the team can turn their fortunes around as the Christmas period begins. However, he has some harsh words for those Tigers fans apparently losing faith in the club.
Speaking on the Tigers website to LTTV Tuilagi was refreshingly blunt when talking about fans enduring the current on-field difficulties the club is facing.
“It has been tough out there, obviously, and the boys all say they don’t read that stuff but it’s there and we read it, and it hurts.”
“You’re either here all the time, both when we’re up and down or don’t be here at all.”
“For me, if you’re not going to support us while we’re down, I don’t want to see you when we’re winning.
“It’s been tough out there. Obviously, people say ‘don’t read that stuff’. It’s there, you read it. It hurts.
“But that motivates me. It makes you want to get better as a team. We’re not going out there to be bad on purpose.”
Despite his injury setbacks, Tuilagi’s own form in Europe has been good. He totalled 12 defenders beaten across the first two rounds, a feat only England teammate Jack Nowell of the Exeter Chiefs has bettered (with 15). However, Leicester have lost 13 of their last 14 away games against TOP 14 opposition, their solitary victory coming against Montpellier in Round 4 of the 2013/14 season.
“This is the time we need to come together, as a club, and take this forward,” he said. “This is the time we need to come together now as a group, I believe with the players that we have 100% we can go forward from this,” he said.
Since the start of the 2016/17 season, Leicester have conceded an average of 29.4 points per game, scoring 16.7 in reply.
Comments on RugbyPass
What a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
97 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
1 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
2 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
2 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
97 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
3 Go to commentsWell one thing about World Cup knock out rounds and Ireland is very clear: they won’t be getting ahead of themselves in ‘27! Because making it beyond the QF is well and truly ‘IN THEIR HEADS’ now…😉
97 Go to commentsHas this guy been dope tested? Sounds like a case of “roid rage”.
1 Go to commentsI would like to see him say that to Eben face to face in a dark alley.
97 Go to comments