At the start of last season I penned Leicester Tigers’ Spotlight On and commented on the output during the 13/14 season, it contained the words ‘a fairly heroic effort due to the injuries that ravaged their squad’. In reality exactly the same words need to be said to describe the 2014/15 season for once again the squad was battered by injuries that massively took their toll on their performance output.
With the utmost respect, the fact that Leicester won eight out of nine games from January until the end of the season still makes a double check my figures however it does epitomise the character that is held within the club. The Leicester Tigers' performances weren't pristine however the scoreboard is the only statistic that counts and it afforded them a shot in the playoffs.
The 2015/16 season brings a number of changes at the top with the most important being Aaron Mauger coming in as head coach and Richard Cockerill stepping into the Director of Rugby role. This relationship will be a careful balancing act for both and it is one that both men are working hard on as Aaron shared in detail earlier in the year during an interview with Martin Crowson at the Leicester Mercury;
"Myself and Cockers have talked a lot about how it is going to work and we have been planning things for seven or eight months now. Like any relationship, we just have to spend time with each other.”
"We both have to put the effort in and the good thing about two people is that nobody ever sees things the same – that is important. It would be boring if we were all the same. Myself, Cockers, Scott Hansen, Richard Blaze and Geordan Murphy will all like to do things slightly differently, but when it comes down to being under pressure, we all need to be on the same page. That is mine and Cockers' responsibility, to make sure that we get that. We have to pull together and make sure that we are tight as a group. It is a club with a lot of edge and I like that. I would expect us to challenge each other to get the best out of each other."
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In spite of their wins towards the latter end of the season the work ons are clear for the Leicester Tigers with the most important being to add some flair and purpose to their attack. Last season only London Welsh scored fewer tries than the Tigers something that must be turned around. The second will be to ensure that players step up to fill the roles of those that have departed. The Tigers' 'players out' list is fairly sizeable and includes some key individuals; Geoff Parling, Julian Salvi, Brad Thorn and Anthony Allen. Manu Tuilagi won’t be back until the New Year according to his Director of Rugby however others, importantly Owen Williams, Tom Croft, Ed Slater and Jordan Crane, are ready or nearly ready to go. These individuals are invaluable in terms of their leadership and in Owen's case game management from fly-half.
The Leicester Tigers have a lot to handle, they are a side in which success is expected immediately as opposed to waited for so the spotlight will be shining brightly on Aaron Major from day one. If last season taught us anything, or reiterated a lesson that we already knew, it is that you can never write off the Leicester Tigers under any circumstances. However, with a lot to handle before any formal domestic rugby has been played, the jury is out as to whether they'll be back to title winning form this year. Personally I will watch this space with great interest…
Players In - Opeti Fonua from London Welsh, Mike Williams from Worcester Warriors, Brendon O'Connor from Blues, Peter Betham from NSW Waratahs, Michael Fitzgerald from Chiefs, Lachlan McCaffrey from London Welsh, Jono Kitto from Chiefs, Greg Bateman from Exeter Chiefs, Dominic Barrow from Newcastle Falcons
Players Out - Jamie Gibson to Northampton Saints, Geoff Parling to Exeter Chiefs, Neil Briggs to Sale Sharks, Pablo Matera to Pampas XV, Louis Deacon (Retired), Blaine Scully to Cardiff Blues, Tom Price to Scarlets, Brad Thorn (Retired), Javiah Pohe to US Carcassonne, Scott Hamilton to Coventry RFC, Robert Barbieri to Benetton Treviso, Greg Peterson to Glasgow Warriors, Julian Salvi to Exeter Chiefs, Tom Bristow to Wasps, Jack Whetton to US Nevers, David Mele to Toulouse, Rhys Williams to Moseley, Anthony Allen (Retired), Terrence Hepetema to Bay of Plenty
Key Men - Owen Williams, Manu Tuilagi (if fit), Ed Slater & Logovi'i Mulipola
