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Steve Borthwick's 'inspired' Welford Road speech outlines vision for Leicester revival

By Chris Jones
(Photo by Leicester Tigers)

No sooner did Steve Borthwick arrive as the new Leicester coach did the former England assistant pack his squad off to Welford Road where he delivered an inspirational speech which he hopes will see the Tigers reverse their declining fortunes when the Gallagher Premiership restarts next month.

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Leicester finished the 2018/19 season in eleventh – the position one of the great names of English rugby still currently holds amid the suspension of the 2019/20 season. They would be in danger of relegation if Saracens had not been automatically dumped at the bottom of the Premiership following their points penalty and fine for breaching the salary cap regulations. 

Borthwick has taken over a Leicester squad that has seen 26 players depart, including the England pair of Jonny May and Manu Tuilagi, while a pay row attracted plenty of negative headlines.

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Against the backdrop of this damaging upheaval, Borthwick is bidding to restore former glories and decided to take the squad to Welford Road shortly after taking over to provide a stage for an emotive speech. 

The former England captain, who was Eddie Jones’ right-hand man at two World Cups, explained: “The decision to go to the stadium was a very simple one because Welford Road is a special place. I know that from being there many times as an opposition player and it is important to recognise that.

“It is the home of this club and the key messages were along those lines. The people of Leicester may not be able at the moment to watch us live and the team makes them proud. They want the team on the field to represent them as they want.

“I don’t look back a huge amount and players made decisions and we wish those players well and we recruit and work with the players here and I am really enjoying doing that.”

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Luke Wallace was one of the new arrivals at Leicester who was sat in the stand at Welford Road listening to Borthwick’s speech. The long-haired flanker played 169 times for Harlequins before he was released, joining Coventry in the Championship last season.

The club train on a regular basis with Leicester which allowed Wallace to chance to impress Tigers and show he could still offer something in the Premiership. He said: “Steve’s arrival is similar to the impact Paul Gustard made at Harlequins and the whole energy around the building changed for me. 

“The first week with Steve we had a meeting in the stands at Welford Road and he gave a really inspirational speech. We spoke about the DNA of Leicester and taking the good from that and adding a new DNA. We talked about Leicester being a working-class town and they expected us to work hard and we have been putting in the work.

“I played at Welford Road a lot and Quins normally did turn up – it was an amazing crowd and you knew it would be a tough match. It is all about the fine margins and things can be changed. Hopefully, we will see that when game time is back. Steve is a very positive coach and expects hard work every session.”

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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