The biggest game in Leicester's history…not yet but it's coming - Andy Goode
Friday night’s game up in Newcastle is not the biggest game in Leicester’s history as some have said but if their Premiership status is on the line when they face their old rivals Bath on the final day of the season, that definitely will be.
This weekend’s match at Kingston Park is huge and the pressure on the players and coaching staff at Tigers ahead of it is enormous but even if they lose, they have home fixtures against Bristol and Bath to come so it isn’t up there with the many Premiership and European Cup finals they’ve been involved in over the past couple of decades.
The idea of Leicester Tigers being relegated from the top flight would have been unthinkable to probably everyone involved in rugby from fans to players to those running the sport until very recently but it is dangerously close to becoming a reality.
I said at the start of the season that they have a mid-table squad and other clubs have left them behind and are looking back at them in their rear-view mirror but I didn’t foresee them having to scrap this much to avoid the dreaded drop.
The fact that there were changes in the coaching setup after the start of the season and then the “interim” word was used haven’t helped but there’s no doubt that they’re in this position because of poor recruitment and bad management off the field.
I know he’s a mate of mine but I feel desperately sorry for Geordan Murphy because he’s being judged on what’s happening on the field right now when he’s had to pick up the pieces and work with the results of other people’s decisions.
Where Leicester are right now is a product of what’s gone on in boardrooms and meeting rooms for the last four or five years.
You only have to look at the job Richard Cockerill is doing at Edinburgh now for a very blatant example of one of the questionable decisions. That may be unfair because his voice might have become a bit stale after being there for so long but a lot of good people have left the club.
Saturday’s result at Welford Road was another low ebb as they conceded more points than they have in any other game for over 30 years since the 1987/88 season and the confidence does look shot but their fate is still very much in their own hands.
When you’ve won just three of your last 20 games in all competitions over a period of almost six months, it can be hard to see the wood from the trees in terms of how exactly you’re going to get out of the rut but they need to close ranks and fight for one another.
It wasn’t a very auspicious start to Mike Ford’s time there as a consultant at the weekend and the heavy defeat obviously wasn’t down to him but I’m just not sure he’s the right man to be going in there at the moment.
George Ford has been quoted as saying that his dad should bring some more clarity on how they’re going to play but as the fly half he needs to be demanding clarity from the coaches and bossing things during the week in training as well as on game day.
He’ll have the ultimate chance to show that he’s doing that at Kingston Park on Friday night but Newcastle will be equally desperate and they have the opportunity to move off the bottom and draw level on points with Leicester.
Ford may have to step up in more ways than one as well with his fellow England halfback Ben Youngs out for the season with a shoulder injury and captain Tom Youngs potentially missing through suspension as well after his red card against Exeter.
Players like Tom who care so deeply and have the club’s DNA running through their veins will be pivotal if Leicester are going to get out of the mess that they’re in and he could be a huge loss.
Northampton and Quins both thought they were too good to go down when it happened to them but the reality is that no club is too big or too good to fall from grace. I’m desperate for Leicester to stay up but they don’t have a divine right to.
If you look at the form books and take into account home advantage as well, you have to say that Newcastle are favourites to beat them this weekend so it might even get worse before it gets better.
However, I still believe they’ll stay up because having the points on the board is what you want at this stage of the season and two of their last three games are at home so their destiny is very much in their own hands.
It may well come down to that last game of the season at Welford Road against Bath and if it does, that will without a shadow of a doubt be the biggest game in the club’s history for me.
There is a massive rivalry between the pair after they dominated the English club game during the 1980s and 1990s and a lot of Bath fans would love nothing more than to send their old foe down to the Championship.
The average Leicester fan has been following them for 20 or 30 years and if they aren’t safe by that game on May 18th, there will be so much emotion involved.
The players will tell you Friday’s match isn’t the biggest in the club’s history and they’re right because they’ll have a second chance if they lose but it’s still right up there and the biggest of them all might just be on its way next month.
Comments on RugbyPass
I like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to comments