Leicester Tigers are in a rare situation as they face four weeks away from league duty, caused by a combination of a planned for bye-week and the sadly unplanned administration and suspensions of Worcester Warriors and Wasps. The extended break allows an opportunity to review the start made by the English Champions and see how they fare ahead of a resumption against Bath on November 11th.
Results
Tigers currently sit in 6th position in the Gallagher Premiership, with 16 points to their name after six games played. From those fixtures, Leicester have a balanced record, with three wins and three defeats and four bonus points secured. From first viewing that looks a disappointing start for the English Champions, especially as they were so dominant last season. However, that only tells part of the story. Of those six games, only two have been at home, with four away. Added to which those four away games have come at Exeter, Northampton Saints, Saracens and Harlequins. It is harder to think of many tougher away assignments, especially at the start of a season.
As a result, it is worth bearing that fixture list in mind when looking at the results. Many a team will struggle to come away with victories from those four clubs, so to come away from Franklins Gardens and The Stoop with wins is a massive positive for Leicester, especially given they were accompanied with bonus points. Those wins are even more important given how tight the league is shaping up this season. With Wasps and Worcester gone, it will ensure more teams are bunched together, making the race for the top four positions tighter than ever.
The results so far have almost gone as expected. Indeed, compared to what they achieved last season, Tigers are only one victory behind matching their previous year’s results. The real blot on the Tigers copy book comes from the home defeat to Sale, where not only did the side relinquish their proud home record that had stood since June 2021, but they also put in a very poor performance in losing to a top four rival. Leicester could and maybe should be in a better position – if they had held on against Exeter on the opening game of the season, Leicester would have three more points to their name. Whilst it would not make a big difference to league position, it would bring them closer into the pack and closer to Sale in second place.
Overall, given the tough start to the season fixture wise, Leicester should be feeling ok with their results so far, though knowing they could have been better which would have made them feel more comfortable.
Performances
Whilst the results have been ok so far this season, what has been more surprising to witness has been the performances each week. Head Coach Steve Borthwick has used the word “clunky” when describing the rugby played by Leicester so far, and that is very much an accurate description. Inconsistent is another word that can be used to reflect how the East-Midlands side have played this year. Tigers put more focus on their performance levels than the actual results, as a result they will be disappointed in what they have produced up to this point.
The main takeaway has been the defence, which has proven to be a lot leakier than last season. Leicester currently have a negative points difference, mainly due to the number of tries conceded, which sits at 23. This is compared to the 20 tries they have scored themselves. Compare that to last season’s brick wall defensive effort that ensured opposition teams were shut down each week, leading to 52 tries conceded from 24 league games. Leicester’s defence was a big reason why they became Champions last season.
There are a few reasons for these problems, which have been touched upon previously here. However, as Leicester enter this extended break period, a lot of focus needs to be dedicated to ensuring the defence is a lot tighter for when the league season resumes. Leicester cannot keep conceding almost four tries a game and expect to win rugby matches. By doing so they are making their life a lot harder for themselves. That being said, away at Harlequins before the break, Leicester were much improved in this area, and shutdown one of the best attacking teams in the division throughout the afternoon, ensuring an impressive away win.
Other Question Marks
Leicester’s attack has also been stodgy at times, with the Sale game being the nadir, as Tigers were shutdown at ease by the Northerners on a chastening afternoon. That said, the Champions have ensured each victory has been accompanied by a bonus point. Furthermore, at 20 tries scored from their six games, they are only scoring marginally less often compared to last season – 3.33% this season v 3.66% last year.
Another area that is not firing as well as previous years has been their line out operation, especially when it comes to their rolling maul effectiveness at close quarters. Over the last two years since Borthwick joined, Tigers’ rolling maul has proven to be a deadly weapon, with a high success rate each time they kick to the corner. This season however they have been less efficient. Whilst opposition teams must be credited with researching, preparing and implementing methods in holding Leicester out, Tigers have also been the masters of their own downfall at this area. They have been uncharacteristically error strewn in this regard and it has meant they have left points on the field and wasted several promising attacking positions.
Across the board, Tigers’ lineout has not been as consistent as they would have liked with an average success of 87.63% to their name. Given Borthwick’s qualities and expertise of the lineout both as a player and coach, Leicester will be hard at work at ensuring they get this figure a lot higher making them more consistent.
Leicester’s physicality has also not been as dominant so far this season. The consistent theme throughou their victories has been their dominance from their forward pack, providing them with a platform to go and win the game. On the flip side, the same consistent theme in their defeats has been their physicality has been matched or bettered. More so than other teams, do Leicester rely on winning that forward battle to provide with a platform to win. Both their defence and attacking structures are based upon winning this facet of the game, and focus must be spent on ensuring this is at the highest levels.
Any Mitigants?
To be fair to Leicester, there are reasons why they have found it tougher this time around. The fixture list is obviously one, as mentioned. They have also been affected by injuries, new signings coming in as well as Internationals coming and going. It has meant there has been a lack of consistency and continuity in the teams selected, which contrasts with last season. This has meant that there are new combinations in key areas of the field having to adapt on the job almost. Whilst this is not an excuse, it is a contributing factor and should be acknowledged.
Upcoming Battles
Overall Leicester will be partially satisfied with their season so far. To sit within touching distance of the top four after their opening run of fixtures they can be pleased with. However now until Christmas is the key period of the season. Inconsistency in results and performances can be mitigated given the opposition faced, however Leicester’s next four league fixtures represent a huge opportunity to pull some results together and climb the table into the top four, and one that must be taken.
Bath and Bristol away, with London Irish and Gloucester at home are all tough fixtures with each opponent bringing a different challenge to Tigers, however they are all winnable. Being frank, if Leicester want to finish in the top two positions, they all probably need to be won too. There are 20 points up for grabs from those four games, if Tigers can claim, say, 18 of them, that will take them up to 34 points at the halfway stage of the season, putting Tigers right amongst the top teams in the league. Given 70 points is historically about par to secure a top four spot in a 22-game season, being on course for 70 points with two fewer fixtures would leave Leicester in a strong position.
Leicester will be happier with their results than performances with many areas that they know they can improve upon. They have only delivered in parts the type of performance that is associated with this side. As a result, this break may prove helpful in allowing them to focus on those areas that need improvement. If they can do so, the fixture list allows them the opportunity to string some results together, gain some momentum, and claim the table. All is to play for as the next stage of the season begins.