Well folks, back once again like a renegade master, here is the second part of my End of Season Review for Leicester Tigers. If the first half was the relatively easy section talking about all the good things that Tigers had achieved this season, this part is a bit harder as it is a look at the areas that Tigers struggled in, what they can look to improve, and a look at what is possible to aim for and achieve next season.
As spoken about in part 1, the season overall has been one of success for Leicester, and quite rightly everyone involved in the club from coach to player to fan will head off into the summer feeling happy with how this year went and with a bucketload of optimism for next season. However, there may be a nagging feeling in the back of the brain that goes, “what could have been.” And the reason for saying this, is that for all what Tigers achieved this season, the perfectionist, and that undoubtably is what Steve Borthwick is, goes “it could have been even better”. Now this is neither a rant, nor is it running down what was achieved this season, nor a moan for the sake of it. Personally speaking a finish of 8th, with 50 points from 10 victories and 10 Bonus Points, with a run to the Semi-Finals in Europe were what I was hoping for this season. Quite clearly Tigers achieved that and a bit more, so ultimately I am very happy and satisfied with how the season went, so why do I feel it maybe could have been better? And what is it that may grate the coaches and players?
Well for starters, a quick look at the league table reveals the answer. Tigers finished 6th, with 54 points, 17 off Harlequins in 4th. However, Tigers suffered agonising defeats to Bath, Northampton Saints and Bristol, with the losing margin a combined 7 points, two of which took place on home soil at Welford Road. All those games were one where Leicester could, and really, probably should have won. A combination of poor game management, a lack of discipline where and when it mattered, as well as poor execution of converting chances all added up to Leicester coming away with losing bonus points in each of those games and not the 4 for victory that their efforts and performances merited. Those same reasons identified there, were also the cause of their defeat to Montpellier in the European Challenge Cup Final. Now they were all fine margins that decided those games, and in another world Leicester come away with at least a couple of wins. But, ultimately, the results are what sports teams are judged upon, and the simple matter is that Tigers came up short. You may not think those things matter, but by being just a small amount better as well as smarter, Leicester finish 5th and have a Cup trophy in the back pocket. They may well be fine margins, but fine margins decide league positions and help you win trophies. This young Leicester squad will have hopefully learned valuable lessons from these experiences, and hopefully they put them right going into next season.
Frustratingly, it is those reasons for not winning those games identified, that became a tale of the season. For all the good stuff that Leicester did over the year, and boy did they do a lot of good things and put in a shift for us as fans, Tigers routinely found a way over the season to undermine their good work through either their own errors or their own ill-discipline. Now again, I must stress, this is not a dig nor is it a moan, but if I praise what went well, it is only right I identify those areas that did not go as well. And fundamentally, Tigers’ discipline at times was woeful, even allowing for some psychedelic refereeing on occasions. Yes Messrs Dickson and Tempest, I am looking at you. It meant they could not get a threshold in the game on occasions, and squandered well-earned field position in others, as well putting themselves under pressure several times. As a result, Tigers too often saw themselves down to 14 men, and even to 13 at times. The games are tough enough when they are 15 v 15, let alone when you are conceding a man advantage, and it cost Tigers games as well as bonus points. I understand that Tigers want to play on the edge, but too many of the penalties conceded were just plain daft. Moving forward, an improvement in this area should see Tigers get on the right side of the referee more often and help win more games.
Another area that saw Leicester come up short was in their ruthlessness and their conversion of chances. Too often Tigers got themselves into promising positions in the opposition 22, and blew the opportunity through their own errors, whether by knock on or a wayward pass, or just a bad decision. The conversion rate to getting into the opposition red zone, and coming away with points was probably at times one of the lowest in the league, and similar to the question marks over discipline, cost the team both games and bonus points. This problem is also linked to their overall attacking game. Leicester, as the season progressed, did build up their game plan, and did begin to show some attacking flair and more attacking shapes did start beginning to show. It allowed Tigers to vary their attack and have different points of difference, and they began to threaten from other areas of the field. However, as their starting point on their attacking game was so low, mainly caused to having to sort out other problems, it meant that overall, their attacking play never really flourished properly. It meant that creating chances was sometimes a challenge for Leicester, and when they did create them, they were not clinical enough to take them.
That being said, it is understandable that the attack was the area that struggled the most. As I have written previously, the in-tray that Borthwick inherited was filled to the brim with problems, most of which were addressed and rectified over the course of the season, and these mainly took precedence over sorting the attack out, as they were fundamental issues. It is therefore only natural that the attacking structure did not get as much attention as other areas of the game plan. We all know that Tigers probably kick too much, and their game plan can be quite basic, but as we move into the summer and pre-season, Tigers will have an ideal opportunity to work on this and improve it. They have laid some pretty solid foundations now, which will allow them to move onto prioritising their attacking game and structure. With George Ford at 10, and the incoming Freddie Burns, Tigers have fly-halves that are known for their attacking intent and ability to unlock opposition defences. This is no slight on Matt Smith who has done a good job in the circumstances, but a specialist and established attack coach would take Leicester up a level, and allow them to capitalise on the ready supply of front-foot ball that their forwards provide them with.
An area where Leicester have struggled in recent years is with bonus points, both try scoring and in losing causes, and so again they did this season. Tigers finished up with 8 bonus points, 5 try scoring ones, and 3 losing ones. That was the second worst in the entire league – only Newcastle had fewer with their total of 5. Of the teams either side of Leicester in the league, Saints in 5th scored 11 and Bath in 7th finished with 12. Whether you agree with the awarding of bonus points or not, the system is here to stay and Leicester need to get better at winning them and making sure their opponents do not come away with them. Too often Leicester were not savvy enough in their play, and missed out on both losing bonus points and try scoring points, and too often allowed opponents to pick them up. The horror show of the last 10 minutes against London Irish is still fresh in my mind – not only did Tigers squander picking up an extra point, they allowed Irish to come away with 2 of their own. It is quite right that Borthwick, as well as many fans, point out that winning games is the number 1 and sole aim, and that bonus points are, well a bonus. But in a league as tight as this year’s, and by the way, next year’s will only be tighter, bonus points and how you manage them are crucial to where you end up in the league table.
By my reckoning Tigers missed out on 8 additional bonus points all season, from games where they were a realistic possibility. If Tigers had just picked up half of those, and being honest they really should have done, those 4 extra points would have put the team in 5th. Remember those 9 extra points from the Bath, Saints and Bristol games that Leicester probably should have won? That’s now 13 extra points that Tigers really should have had, and suddenly Leicester are now 4 points behind Quins in the table. Top 4 is now not so far away, and it is why my original comment was of what could have been, stands. Leicester finishing 6th was a fair result because they demonstrated they were probably a mid-table team for the majority of the season, but the group will know they are not far off challenging those top level sides. A productive summer of hard work and building on what has already been achieved, and Leicester will find they are once again doing some damage in the Premiership.
This may all seem like nit-picking, and in some ways that is the right description, but personally I feel it is important to do so. Tigers have done a lot of things well this season, but this is only the start of the JourneyTM, and there are always improvements to be found and more excitingly more to come from this squad. For example, by looking at the team statistics on the Premiership Rugby website, Tigers are the 3rd worst team for try-scoring, 2nd worst for metres gained and clean breaks made, and made the least carries and passes of the entire league. These are all areas that Tigers will no doubt will be working on, and making sure they are higher up the charts, as they are all indicators of how a team is performing.
So what to do next season? Well, for me, constant improvement has to be the aim in all areas, so more tries scored and less conceded, more wins totted up with more bonus points obtained feeding into more league points won. Tigers away record saw 3 wins on the road, this again could be a source of where to improve, as well as the constant project of making Welford Road a fortress yet again. There are those that will look at what the team achieved this year, and think nothing short of top 4 is acceptable. However it does need to be stated what Tigers are up against next season. First of all, Exeter and Bristol will be setting out to win the league, it is likely that Saracens will get promoted and no doubt they will have eyes only for the title. Top 4 achievers from this season Sale and Quins will be wanting to repeat those feats, and Bath, Saints and Leicester will all be starting the season aiming for and wanting top 4. Now that’s 8 teams already, 8 into 6 does not go, and 8 into 4 is a non-starter. In short, some teams are going to be disappointed. Irish will be looking to build on their season, and with their young, exciting backs will be thinking of a top 6 finish, Gloucester and Wasps underachieved massively this year and both will be aiming for top 6 as well. Throw in Falcons who are capable of punching above their weight, and suddenly 12 teams will be fancying their chances for top 6 at least.
Now an improvement in wins, bonus points and tries scored, amongst those other performance metrics, may not guarantee a top 6 or a top 4 finish, but it will give Leicester the very best chance of achieving it, especially in a crowded field. Competition will be fierce next year so making the most of their abilities will be crucial. There’s also the question of the likely return of the Premiership Cup – given the crop of promising under 25’s the club has got, looking to get to the latter stages whilst utilising them should be a valid aim, as well as a development tool to those youngsters. Tigers also make a welcome return to top tier European rugby by qualifying for the European Champions Cup. Doing some damage in this competition and trying to get to the knock-out stages, and not being relegated back to the Challenge Cup again would be a good aim for the Tigers.
However, what I want most is not related to any of that. What I want most is to have 26,000 back in Welford Road, whether that is roaring on a driving maul to the try-line, cheering a thunderous George Martin tackle or offering expert advice to the officiating team. Watching at home on the sofa has been fine, but it is not the same. So let’s hope that when next season comes around, we’re all back in our seats or stood on our spots on the terrace watching this group continue their progress. The fun has come back to watching Tigers again, it will be great to be a lot closer to the action to see it personally!
And with that, that is my End of Season review sewn up. Barring any major announcements, I will likely now concentrate on the cricket in the main, however something on Tigers or the Foxes may be penned in the meantime as no doubt something will crop up. I’ll still be on twitter offering my thoughts - for good or for bad! This blog was started up in January of this year, and I have been very grateful for all the interactions, compliments and kind words that people have said since then, it does mean a lot! Whether you have been there at the start or only just joined the fun, thanks for reading! Hope to see you at Welford Road, or a nearby pub for a cold one.
Elliott